This posting reminds us to celebrate all seasons of life, but especially our elderly family members and neighbors as they may not be with us tomorrow. Personal stories highlight special moments between senior couples and also focus on the musical talents of many of our parents. Have gratitude for your older family members.
#gratitudelite
Mothers of special children are amazing. This posting focuses on one mother of an autistic child who was often disruptive to the family. The awesome mother would sing to her daughter to calm her and to try to teach her. When her daughter was good she would sing “You Are My Sunshine”. When her daughter was having a bad day, the mother would sing “One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus”. This posting focuses on the lyrics from both songs and reminds us to have gratitude for the good as well as the bad times in life. Especially during the pandemic, the words to the songs offer lessons to us all.
#gratitudelite
On February 1, 2021, when I pledged to remain in a “State of Gratitude” I did not expect it to be so difficult. I entered this journey intellectually, enjoying all the new reading, and appreciating all the little acts that create happiness and joy in life. Today, eighty-eight (88) postings later, I admit the emotional part of the journey to gratitude is not always easy.
Since I promised to motivate my followers, I observe people on a daily basis to learn what makes people “grateful”. Fortunately, or unfortunately, my informal observations reveal that many people tend to focus on what they do NOT have rather than being grateful for what they DO have. I, too, at times, find myself guilty of this attitude as I will explain below.
As many of you may or may not know, I decided to buy a camper so that I might see the National Parks and visit Waterfalls around the USA. I looked and looked, and planned and finally found a motor home that was my dream! It was brand new. I had to wait an extra five months for it to be delivered during the pandemic, and then when I did receive it, I waited another five months for it to be under repair for warranty services, fixing various unsafe parts and completing manufacturer recalls etc. It turned out to be a lemon and last week I sadly got rid of it. So, for more than one year, I happily had focused on camping adventures, camping furniture, places to go, and my planned dream places. I admit I was extremely involved in the adventure I had dreamed about and, to date, never had experienced. I read all about camping, joined various groups, and was full of anticipation.
But…in reality, before my dream even started, it ended. My dream was over after more than a year of expectations!
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Gratitude is such a personal emotion. When one considers “gratitude” from a religious perspective, frequently viewers draw referents from their own social systems, cultural experiences, sets of morals, beliefs, ethics, worldviews, faiths, and/or spiritual elements. It seems that we all know what gratitude feels like, but we differ as to how we might explain it to each other.
As for me, I feel pleasure when I achieve a state of gratitude as, even if for a moment, I am removed from the here and now, and am transcended to a point of joy. I feel happy if I may cause gratitude in another person. I am touched to watch others experience gratitude. I am saddened when people can not find gratitude during a particularly difficult time.
I enjoy reading about gratitude. I find peace while studying particular behaviors of gratitude; when viewing specific practices related to gratitude; if learning about cultural systems related to gratitude; during visits to sanctified places; as I visit preserved holy places; and when examining meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, and/or religious or spiritual aspects of human culture.
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Tomorrow will be my four year health anniversary! I did not expect to see tomorrow. I feel like I am sailing (see exhibit at #LACMA) through the years – oh happy days!
This evening is an important time in my life as it is the eve of my 2017 health discovery that I was dying. On April 21, 2017, I learned I had several serious tumors and had approximately 7 to 9 months to live. It is an interesting feeling to learn you are going to die. It is a joyous emotion to not have died! Thus, the 21st of April on every year is a sacred time to me and I want to express my sincere gratitude on this important annual date with all of you. I do not take this day for granted.
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How do you acquire your moral values and beliefs? My mother was my teacher. Here is one of our favorite poems she would tell us, “A House Inside of Me”, poetry by Marian Elsie Blake available on Amazon.com (2013). I have deep gratitude for what my mother taught me.
#gratitudelite
In April 2021, times are trying. The pandemic continues to kill people, but not as many since the vaccine is available. Families are hoping for their children to return to school, or at least more normal types of activities for high school graduations, applications for college, or socializing with other children. Families wish to plan weddings, be with their elderly parents who are in the hospitals, and, sadly attend funerals of their loved ones. People are tired of the lock downs. People want life to go back to the old normal.
President Biden and other leaders are working on a national infrastructure plan to help communities with roads, bridges, buildings, and other structural improvements which appear neglected recently. Such national objectives would help improve the economy by helping the unemployed get jobs. Politically the Democrats and Republicans still differ more than agree on almost all issues.
Culturally, Black Lives Matters advocates are focused on the trial of the officer that sat on George Floyd’s neck, and Asian-American hate crimes are on the increase. Some members within the White community are still frustrated, as evidenced by the January 6, 2021 march on the Capital of the USA. So, my thoughts for today direct us to ask:
How do I find gratitude when the world around me seems to be unstable and ever changing?
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On this weekend I am reflecting on life and death, on sorrow and joy (see my March 4, 2021 posting: Gratitude: May Be a Complex Blend of Sorrow and Joy). It is the Jewish time of Passover, the Christian time of Palm Sunday, and the first day of Holy Week. And, of course, we continue to be in the middle of a global pandemic.This is a time for reflecting back in time, and appreciating this day, as well as the future. It is a time to reflect on life!
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Are you a beginner on your journey to Gratitude? Explore your options to purposefully choose #gratitude, and/or to experience the unexpected and unknown.
Explore #ScottDinsmore 29 ways to show gratitude at #liveyourlegend.net
Be a #gratitudeexpresser
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Are you trying to decide whether or not to wear a mask? On March 11, 2021, I posted 10 reasons to wear or not to wear a Mask. Wearing a mask is, in part, part of a cultural phenomena, as is gratitude. See my post titled, Be Mindful: Gratitudes are Cultural Phenomena on March 3, 2021.
This posting is categorized as #gratitudelite following a classification system that I described in my posting on February 28, 2021 titled, Your Choice: Gratitude Zero, Gratitude Lite, or Gratitude Ultra.
The following audio and video post is for the reader who does not have much time to read, or may have a disabling condition, or who is simply on the go. Remember, YOU have the choice: Mask On, or Mask Off. Have gratitude that you have that choice!
Gratitude Squared 