Category Archives: joy

Gratitude For Simplicity

Gratitude is beautiful. Gratitude is simple. Gratitude is free. Gratitude feels good. Gratitude may be shared or solo. Gratitude brings joy. Gratitude is happiness. Gratitude may be given.

But, lately when watching the recent tornados, when watching our politicians, when reading social media, and/or when watching the news it feels like I am at threat of losing Gratitude, so I seek directions or wisdom to help me hang on.

I am reminded within a fortune cookie that “everything has beauty but not everyone sees it.” My mind reflects upon an extension to “Gratitude may be found in everything, but not everyone finds it.” So, as I sit in the stillness of my room, I look up the definition of “simplicity” which means something that is easy to understand or do, or something that is natural.

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Walking The Pathway to Gratitude

I have been posting for eleven (11) months now, 160 posts to date, as I walk and discover my own pathway to gratitude so I want to pause and reflect upon the meanings beneath my messages to you. First, living in a State of Gratitude is not always easy and takes being in a State of Mindfulness I would say.

I prefer to be mindful when I blog about gratitude. Intellectually, it feels the best!

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Grateful For Artists In Our Life

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Laguna Beach, CA Annual Winter Fantasy Sawdust Art and Craft Festival. For over 30 years approximately 200 artists have shared their arts, culture and passion with the public to create a winter fantasy. They have baby animals to pet and feed, musical groups playing live music, glass artists blowing beautiful glass creations, jewelers, painters, woodworkers, potters, beautiful hats and garment creations, a marionette show, nutcrackers walking around, visits with Santa, and many more handmade treasures and gifts. It was simply a magical, uplifting, fun, enchanting day.

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A Day For Gratitude

Today is Thanksgiving – a day for Gratitude! This is typically a memorable day for all because of time with friends and family and, THE FOOD. The various parades, and runs, and shopping beginning for the holidays, new movies, lots of photos taken, and generally great times happen on this day each year.

As I reflected on this day for all of us, I paused to reflect on why each day can not be like this day? Is gratitude seasonal? Gratitude should be practiced each and every day don’t you think?

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Managing The Emotionality Of Gratitude

Gratitude is an emotion. Poor health creates strong emotions and fears. Life and death decisions are emotional events in our lives. Yesterday, I experienced “life” once again after several weeks of believing I might be dying this time.

Back in 2017, without warning, I experienced breast, ovarian, and peritoneal cancers. I had multiple surgeries and treatments. Yesterday, we expected that I had lung cancer. I always say I am the sickest healthy person you might ever meet. Yet, for 4.5 years I have been blessed with good health and no recurrences. Yesterday, we decided my lung nodules will be followed… no invasive diagnostic procedures just yet. Yeah!

These past, but sudden events in my life drove me to “Gratitude”.

I am so grateful that I am alive and healthy, but I sometimes have survivor’s guilt as I know many people who have not been as fortunate as I, and have already lost their life.

So, I ask myself… how may I help? What might I say to you to cause you to be positive instead of scared to death, miserable, and so often in pain?

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Gratitude For Health

Yesterday morning I felt fearful to visit a new doctor. As I drove to Santa Monica in the early morning hours, I found this artwork on the side of a building next to a Subaru car dealership in the Los Angeles area. I stopped and took a photo of “Gratitude” in a bed of roses. Seeing this art, I knew my fears were not warranted. I was gonna be OK.

Nearing the 4.5 year mark from several tumors, multiple surgeries and other health treatments, I was worried that my doctor referred me to a Pulmonologist to check out nodules in my lung after a recent CT scan. With the pandemic, of all the health issues I did not want to face, I was concerned about breathing, my lungs, and a painful biopsy during this particular time. Fortunately, I met a talented doctor who opted to watch the nodule as opposed to continue with an “invasive diagnosis” at this time. Oh Happy Day!

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I Am Grateful For My Spiritual Journey To Health And Wellness

I am nearing four and one-half years of health after multiple cancers and surgeries in 2017. I am grateful that I am still healthy, but never do I take my present health for granted. The source stimulating these postings is my joy with life, and my sincere appreciation and happiness to have time to “pay it forward” to others while here.

As many people do, I read and ask questions, and share with others to learn about healing and health and wellness. I can tell you from experience that there is a lot to learn and practice to maintain health. Sometimes I stray from my devotion to a healthier lifestyle, better eating, mindful practices with toxins and GMOs in our world, and Western and Eastern medical beliefs. But, when my CT scans and labs remind me that my body chemistry is changing, I jump back into better practices and pray.

People ask me what am I doing to stay so healthy? I tell them what I am learning, but many people do the same things I do, and much more, and, sadly, many people continue to die around me which makes me so sad, and gives me a feeling of survivor’s guilt. I want to do more to help others so I keep posting happy ideas, and peaceful thoughts. Also, I post joyful events like playing with your pets, and enjoyable moments with family and friends or beautiful trips deep into nature.

This month I am pulling all of my postings, videos, blogs, tweets, and Instagrams into more of a common “digital media” composite so that I may share what I believe and what I have learned thus far. If this is helpful to you, please let me know. If you would like more from me, please let me know.

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I’m Grateful For Serendipity And Synchronicity in Life

Today was a great day. I picked up business cards I had made for GratitudeSquared.com and as I was leaving Office Depot with the cards, the very clerk who helped me asked if I liked my cards, and I said “yes” and I wanted to give her my first business card! She accepted my simple gift of the card to her. She exclaimed how negative sometimes life seems to be these days, and appeared so happy to see the positivity from the name of my site. I felt happy that she became happy when she saw the word “gratitude”. It’s a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling to make people happy. She said she was going to “check it out”! For those of us who post, it is always nice when someone reads what we write. We do sincerely appreciate the time you give to us.

Later I had my blood drawn for labs I need for my doctor’s visits next week, and I thanked the nurse who did a good job with a pediatric needle by handing her my business card with GratitudeSquared. She also had the same response as the clerk in Office Depot. It seems that people are nearly depressed by their jobs, and a brief moment of “gratitude” is just the medicine they need. In fact, I took a photo while at the Quest lab today. See the photo below. As I was waiting in the Quest lab, I wondered why in the world they would have to post on their office door about guns! How the world seems to be changing these days!

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Grateful For Hope

In four days, Gratitudesquared.com will be 9 months old.

(from 02/05/2021 to 11/05/2021).

So today is like the birth of my baby! I have posted 143 thoughts in posts, had 4036 views, and 1418 different visitors.

I am not trending and my musings are not popular but I am alive and that is enough.

Earlier, I started a YOUTUBE Channel (A.K.A. Aspiring Through Cancer (ATC))

01/11/2019 to 02/18/2019

Gradually I stopped focusing only on Cancer and started to focus on Health and Wellness so my Channel name changed to “Aspiring Through Healing to Health and Wellness (ATH) which lasted during 12/22/2019 to 04/25/2020.

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Gratitude For Marine Rev. Robert Blake and Wife

I believe we must remain in a State of Gratitude these days even in the midst of the pandemic, the hurricane, the ending of the 20 year war, the murder of service men and women, the fires, the arguments over masks, and on and on…

Recently, I talked about #portals opening briefly in our lives, and closing just as quickly. Over the last few days I wondered what kind of portal opened up this week? It seems the news is all bad.

I reflected on what makes me continue to believe in gratitude in spite of everything? In fact, one site I view daily is #gratitudemakestheattitude. I was drawn to an old video my son made for my father’s celebration of his 90th birthday and I share it with you today.

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