Category Archives: joy

Joy in Discovering Vermonica in Los Angeles

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Did you know that LA had more than 400 different types of streetlights, having one of the most diverse streetlight ecosystems in the country? Yep. This was true.

However, with changes overtime came new lighting structures and the old unique lamps were taken away and replaced, and discarded.

BUT Sheila Klein, an artist, collected 25 of the vintage lamps and created Vermonica (at the insertion of Vermont Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard). Vermonica has been called an “urban candelabra” capturing dozens of LA neighborhoods and 70 years of lighting history. The 25 older lamps still light each evening – a beautiful sight, thanks to the efforts of Klein.

Go check the lights out, or google it online at la.curbed.com. I was pleased to recently learn this history of LA lighting, including the Urban Light exhibit (202 lamps from 1910-1930) at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

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Grateful For Independence

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Today I am celebrating my independence from ordinary life as I continue my walk in a State of Gratitude. Approximately one and one-half years ago I started my pathway to Gratitude and it changed my life. I can tell you story after story about so many moments of pure wonder and delight in my life now that I am on this new pathway. I am not the only person who is practicing Gratitude these days. Check out Instagram posts such as #gratitudemakestheattitude, and many others to learn that practicing Gratitude provides:

  • portals to suddenly open in your life for a brief moment, then close up again
  • experiences of serendipity during a day when you least expect something awesome
  • insights into meaningful ordinary experiences that bring great joy and pleasure
  • sheer happiness when engaging with friends, family, and loved ones
  • deeper understandings of life events, and relationships
  • genuine satisfaction with everyday interactions with your neighbors, and strangers
  • opportunities for deeper study of spirituality, God, and various religious practices

My blogs will continue to fall into three broad categories: #gratitudezero (pets, foods, places, simple things), #gratitudelite (experiences with people, everyday events, momentary insights), and #gratitudeultra (often resulting from a spiritual or academic inquiry into the deeper origins of gratitude).

But today I hope to remind everyone that Gratitude will bring you a new found independence within your own life. Why?

Because when you are grateful you are more positive, more hopeful, more joyful, and more thankful for what you have in your life.

Practicing Gratitude replaces the negativity, the fear, the worry, the sadness, the anxiety, and even pathways leading to depression in your life.

I invite you to try it yourself! Be grateful! Be positive! Become more independent through your new outlook on life!

Try it and let me know how your own attitude begins to change…

Happy Independence Day to You through Gratitude!

#gratitudeultra

Blessed At The Mission of Saint Agnes of Rome, Virgin and Martyr, in Solvang, California

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Recently, I visited the Mission in Solvang, CA, attending a Mass led by an Irish Priest, and experiencing the spiritual and social life of the Santa Ynez Valley. Through serendipity I received a blessing for my upcoming medical tests, as well as a blessing for a precious Bible purchased by a dear friend whose mother is nearing her end of life. The kind greetings from all of the staff at the Mission were most memorable as were the old fashioned gospel songs played through guitar by yet another priest. None of this was pre-planned which is why I am blogging, with gratitude, about my experience this day. It was a very special day!

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Grateful For Dear Friendship

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I had an unusual experience this week. I went to UCLA in Los Angeles for a doctor’s appointment, leaving in the dark to beat traffic. When I arrived at my destination area, I stopped to look at my notes and gather my thoughts. At that moment, I realized in my preparation to leave my dog at home, leave a key in case I was delayed in returning, having my hands full of paperwork, I had left my wallet at home!

I was in Los Angeles with no money, no driver’s license, no health insurance card, no AAA card, no car insurance card or registration – I had nothing but my phone and a tank of gas. I could not even pay for the parking to see my doctor! It was a first for me!

Fortunately, I have a dear friend who lives in the Valley in LA whom I phoned at 6:30 am and she rushed over to me to bring me money! I can not thank her enough! Do you have anyone in your life who would drop everything and brave morning rush hour traffic in LA to give you money? What a wonderful and special friend she is…

I learned so much from this experience. I am making photo copies of all my important cards, paperwork, credit cards and storing such in my phone now. I have always been overly worried about identity theft, but no more….

I will also hide some money in my car for emergencies. I did not have one penny, no change, nothing at that moment. I could have been homeless in LA. I had nothing. I could not go to a bank machine as that card was in my wallet. If I had been stopped by a policeman, I had no identity. I was absolutely at the mercy of someone I needed to ask for help. Without my dear friend, I would of had to drive back home, missing my doctor’s appointment as I did not have the necessary health insurance cards, and identification to check in. I was left praying that my car had no issues in the busiest of traffic times in Los Angeles. It was such a horrible, lonely experience, except for my friend’s caring assistance.

I hope you have a dear friend as do I. I will be ever grateful for her help that morning. Be grateful for dear friends.

#gratitudelite

Grateful for The Gratitude of Others

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Recently a friend visited for the day. Each time he visits, he loves to cover himself with the sands on the beach. He loves the ocean, the view, his play, the sand, and the total simple experience of a day at the beach as much as anyone I know. This photograph captures HIS joy as he recreates his play in the sand once again. My gratitude today comes from HIS gratitude!

I encourage each of you to not only experience your gratitude from within, but also experience gratitude with others.

I am grateful this morning for the gratitude of others.

#gratitudelite

Grateful For Credibility

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Credibility is the quality of being trusted and believed in as well as being convincing and believable. I like this concept. During these days of watching the news, or talking with friends and neighbors or colleagues, it seems difficult to determine what to believe about many different topics. Whose story do I trust? I do not like to argue with people, and I strive to respect the various opinions, as I typically do not know a person’s personal experiences and backgrounds.

I am finding that many days I am growing tired of so much information and apparent differences in viewpoints regarding economics, inflation, politics, the war, selection of judges, school curriculum, and on and on. I would like to have peace and quiet and harmony around me. I would love to be with happy, satisfied people who are grateful for their lives. I love to spend time around people I trust.

Thus, today I am grateful for credibility. In addition to credibility I will also add positivity and joy. It makes me feel good inside when I spend time with people who give to others, helpful people, kind people, people who are trustworthy and people who offer hope to all. Where possible, I find deep gratitude when I spend time with credible people.What do you think?

#gratitudelite

Grateful I May Alter My Attitude

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I can alter my life by altering my attitude. He who would have nothing to do with thorns must never attempt to gather flowers.

Henry David Thoreau

As I continue to watch the horror on TV of women and children caught up in a war, my heart is breaking and I offer prayers, but the tears flow as I watch and watch and watch…

Today I decided to listen to a video duet of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena posted by a friend following Liz Dhein Fiore. I do not know if they are really singing the song “Endless Love” but it looks and sounds real and that happy time depicted made me feel happy for a moment. I also began to watch the 2015 TV series on Netflix in which Zelenskyy played a high school history teacher who became president. Who would have predicted that seven years later parts of that series would become true?

I do not ever remember a time when I have watched so many people around the world be so helpful to others. I feel such pride in the humanity I see against the ugly actions captured by film crews daily. The human drama we are watching makes one nearly look away…

To alter my attitude after a brief glimpse at the TV screen I searched for some favorite songs and started a playlist to create the feelings of flowers all around me in contrast to the thorns on TV. Of course I love the duet described above, and also I love Eres Tu by Mocedades, Jose Maria Napoleon (Official music video, July 31, 2020), and I love the song from the movie Coco: Remember Me on Netflix on August 1, 2019. I wish I could include such here for all of you to enjoy as well. Perhaps I will learn to link these songs with permission some day.

In the meantime, I want you to know that you may also alter your attitudes through “gratitude” for whatever makes you feel joyful, hopeful, or helpful in your life.

I invite you to share your gratitude with others as we suffer through this terrible period in our collective histories. Blessings to all.

With gratitude, Mary

#gratitudeultra

Gratitude for Power, Hope, and Optimism in a Song

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As I watch the horror of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, I am deeply moved by the people singing. So often during times of despair throughout history we hear “group sing”, i.e., we saw people singing together in Italy across their balconies, through activism when marching during civil rights, after terrible tragedies of bombings or mass shootings, as well as when inspired by grand speeches in town squares.

What is it, I wonder, about “the Song” to bond people together, to give promise, to inspire in the face of hopelessness?

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So Grateful For Celebrations of 2.22.22 Day Today!

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Oh what a happy day we have experienced from the News people on TV, to my computer that sprays confetti every time I type in the sequence of 2’s, to the special articles online and descriptions of this “Tuesday’s” significance! I have learned so much about numbers today! One explanation is within an article in stylecaster.com by Shereen Campbell (Feb. 18, 2022). Credit for the video image below by Adobe.Design: Cierra Miller/stylecaster.

https://videopress.com/v/e3dAKMja?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Shereen writes in numerology the 222 sequence are Angel Numbers.

I like that concept as I like Angels.

Take a look at Campbell’s article to learn about “energy”, “partnership”, “balance”, “acceptance”, “compassion,” “cooperation”, “harmony”, and “compromise”. These are fantastic attributes for an individual to have as they journey to gratitude. Shereen states, “choose to use the last days of this magical 222 energy like a portal to channel all the love and hope you can. For yourself first, and then for others.”

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