Category Archives: joy

So Grateful to my Vet: I Was As Sick as a Dog, but Better Now

Hello again, Barley here. You may remember my April 20 message, DogGoneIt! I was so afraid to go to the Vet for surgery. But…..

I am pleased to tell you that after oral surgery, surgery to remove a growth on my tongue, dialyses, a new renal prescription diet, plus two weeks of drugs, I am much better, am at home, and looking forward to more time with my mom.

My sincere thanks to my Vet, and to all of you who wished me well.

A very Grateful dog to an excellent Vet, with love, Barley

#gratitudelite

Grateful For This Sacred Holiday Season

This is a holy season for many people. Today is a sacred day for many – Good Friday. In addition, Spring seems to have finally arrived. Joyfulness is in the air. People seem happy during their holiday shopping for meal planning. Spring break travel options are on the news frequently. The seasonal rains, winds, tornados, and other weather events are giving us a break for the weekend. When outside this morning, I looked up to see the new blooms on my tree. My neighbors smiled and chatted as we all dragged our trash cans out for pick up. Positivity is in the air as we enter the weekend. My encounter with the pink blossoms caused me to pause and give gratitude for all that we have.

As some of us celebrate Easter or Passover or other… let’s pause to reflect on our lives, our Blessings, our families, our friends. This has been a tough year for some. Health issues, economic conditions, weather events, differences of opinions with others, and more have clouded the recent months. Some people are recovering from serious medical treatments. A friend phoned me today to say a family member passed away this afternoon.

In spite of these recent “negative” and “sad” life events, please make this is a time for celebration. Today is the day to reflect on life and the future. Give gratitude for all that you have been given. Give gratitude for others and their blessings. Give gratitude for life. Take a moment for thankfulness. Experience the joy that gratitude will bring to you.

Embrace the many lessons one will learn during this sacred time. Be silent and “listen”. Breathe in and out this life that we are experiencing today and in the future. Practice gratitude!

#gratitudeultra

Joy in Keeping Books Alive at THE LAST BOOKSTORE

Go to the Spring Arts Tower at 5th and Spring in Los Angeles to find more than 250,000 books positioned creatively in a variety of displays across two floors. As a pushback against e-books go and enjoy actual books, including rare books and VINYL records at one of the world’s largest independent bookstores (2005).

Books offer so many benefits:

  • transport us to delightful experiences and lands
  • provide entertainment for individuals
  • teach us about new subjects and topics
  • remind us about our and other histories
  • introduce us to new ideas and concepts
  • challenge us regarding our current beliefs and value systems
  • offer us spiritual guidance so that we may find peace and understanding

I love to touch old books – the tactile experience is great. I love the smell of the pages in old books, as well as the worn pages from readers’ fingers before me. I do not get those sensory experiences from e-books.

The owner of The Last Bookstore has creatively displayed the thousands of books throughout the bookstore – as wall hangings, as a lighted tunnel, as walls, the torn and crumpled pages are displayed as a bush in a pot, as interesting windows through which one may peer and discover, and more.

I found great joy in the visit to The Last Bookstore. Go and check it out! Enjoy, with gratitude.

#gratitudelite

Joy in Discovering Historical Landmark in Los Angeles-Angels Flight Railway

Recently, I took a ride on the 122 year old funicular in Los Angeles from South Hill Street to South Grand Avenue on Bunker Hill. Opening in 1901, Angels Flight is the world’s shortest railway.

Operating on a hillside by cable, the ascending and descending cars of the railroad are counterbalanced. Funiculars are different than cable cars as there are two cars on a steep hill on two opposite cables. As one goes up, the other goes down.

Check out my photos capturing some of the history of this Railway. See how it is hidden within the modern city of Los Angeles. I’m grateful to discover this old gem and take a round trip ride for only $2. You should try it too!

#gratitudelite

Grateful For Snow Capped Mountains

The mountains are beautiful this week in Southern California because of all the snow we had recently. It is an experience to love the snow while at the same time feeling frustrated with each closing of the roads, Yosemite, Lake Arrowhead, and more.

Because of the recent snowfalls grocery stores are out of food, residents can not shovel out of the multiple feet of snow. It gives one mixed feelings… like the contrast of words “Beauty and the Beast”.

This historical snowfall will be remembered in California for the beauty it produced, causing all busy Californians to pause and look up, and be grateful for the snow capped mountains.

#gratitudelite

Intellectual Joy from Focus on Legacy

I find intellectual pleasure when focusing on ideals and principles. Words and concepts publicly adopted are crucial historically when such much later form the cornerstones for policies. Today, we celebrate Martin Luther King. On other days, we focus on religious leaders, or politicians, or particular men or women honored throughout history.

What is meaningful to me is watching the history of an event or speech move from an ideal to a reality. Sometimes it takes a long time; other times the social change is quick.

My father, a minister, and my mother, a poet also left a powerful legacy for their children. Each of us care about others and entered into helping professions. Today, I also focus on their legacy for their children. I thank my parents for their legacy they passed down to me.

Public and private organizations routinely honor members for their contributions and legacies to their societies. One only has to read the background of each honoree to learn of their impressive, often selfless acts.

Today, I pause to focus on “Legacies” as without such, we would not have ideals and principles from which to develop concrete policies and programs. My joy comes from focus on legacy today. It is good to have values from which we become inspired and aspire to better acts and actions between our fellow men, women, families, neighbors, and communities.

#gratitudeultra

Grateful For the Love of My Pet

Ten years ago I adopted this little two year old dog. He has now lost his hearing and is growing older like all of us, but each day he brings me increasing joy. Today I want to honor my little best friend. What a wonderful pet he continues to be.

Thank you buddy for your continued unconditional love. With deep gratitude, love you!

#gratitudezero

Grateful That Beauty Hunts The Beast

Recently I spent nearly two hours in an MRI Tube at the City of Hope. Fortunately, I listened to music while in the large, tube-shaped magnet and tried to imagine the persons who created such technology. As I listened to the various tones and noises within the tube, I thought about movies I had watched where 3-D images were built using water molecules and radio waves, creating aligned atoms to form cross-sectional MRI images. With each noise, I tried to think what bodily organ was built as I was rolled a little bit in, then a little bit out repeatedly. When the frequencies sounded low, I believed my bones were being examined and the density of the bone required lower frequencies. Of course, I really have no idea what was happening in terms of the actual technology, but it gave my mind something to do, so I would not become afraid.

Somewhere during the midpoint of my experience, the song “Beauty and the Beast” began to play. I paused and felt extremely happy. I felt such joy that I had the opportunity to be in that tube – the BEAUTY of science. In the old days, doctors had to perform exploratory surgery to learn of hidden tumors, bleeding, and various health problems. My gratitude overflowed to have Medicare pay for me to have the opportunity to have an MRI. Around about that same moment – I visualized the BEAST that was the cancer cell that was sneaking and lurking within my organs, and vessels. Again, my gratitude overflowed that Medicare was helping me find these beastly cells so that we may remove them from my body.

It was such an interesting moment in life. I am grateful that Beauty Hunted The Beast on that particular December day. Find Gratitude each day in all that you do!

#gratitudeultra

Grateful For Faithfulness

While I was receiving chemotherapy yesterday, I was listening to Carrie Underwood sing the old hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, and I was looking out the window at the beautiful mountains, and sky, and fields. I started to cry when I focused on the word “Faithfulness”. It is really such a wonderful concept, isn’t it? My mind wondered to all that is faithful in our lives:

  • I believe that God is Faithful to me/us not only during tough times, but good times as well. I recall my father, a Baptist minister of more than 60 years, so faithful to his church members, as well as so faithful to God, never wavering from his beliefs.
  • My oncology doctor is faithful to my care. He and his PA stopped by to check on me yesterday during my 10 hours of infusions. His kind gesture made me happy. He knows I want to stop for a while to rest, but he is ever faithful to helping me live, as possible.
  • People, who are in serious relationships or marriages, are faithful to each other. Faithfulness is the foundation on which those communions of love are based.
  • More generally, we believe that our bosses, our jobs, our various work projects will faithfully pay us every two weeks, or once a month, etc. We trust in that faithfulness.
  • Regarding nature, we trust that the sun will rise each morning, and the moon will appear each evening, faithfully.
  • Furthermore, we trust in the faithfulness of our city transportation services like buses, trains, planes, and ships. During the recent pandemic disturbances in supply chains were impacted when we could no longer trust in such systems.
  • Finally, we generally have trust in the faithfulness of our personal health, our bodies… until they break down…

Faithfulness is such a necessary concept on which we depend daily, without even thinking. Faithfulness is great, until it is gone. Faithfulness feels good, until it is broken. Faithfulness is a promise from God; is a given. It should never be taken for granted. Therefore, GREAT is thy Faithfulness is such an important construct for us to value and cherish and appreciate. What do you think?

#gratitudeultra

So Grateful For Beauty Above: Look Up More Often

The other day I was raking leaves and picking up after my dog. I realized I have a habit of looking down more often than looking up! As I was carefully carrying the leaves to dump, my eye caught the sky, and it was so beautiful. I paused and grabbed my camera.

I’ve been reflecting on what I might say within this post:

  • Looking up takes our minds closer to Heaven
  • Looking up reveals the multiple colors of the sky, changing throughout the time of day
  • Looking up probably helps with our neck and improves our posture
  • Looking up might minimize the number of accidental falls, trips, and stumbles
  • Looking up has recently been connected to cell phones, crossing streets, etc.

Bottom line: look up more often! I think you will enjoy the views.

#gratitudelite