Blogging Your Blessings

      Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parents of all the others -Marcus Tullius Cicero Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.  -William Arthur Ward   Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turn denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. -Melody Beattie

Give thanks For what had been given to you, However little. Be pure, never falter.—Buddha

"I didn't expect to recover from my second operation but since I did, I consider that I'm living on borrowed time. Every day that dawns is a gift to me and I take it in that way. I accept it gratefully without looking beyond it. I completely forget my physical suffering and all the unpleasantness of my present condition and I think only of the joy of seeing the sun rise once more and of being able to work a little bit, even under difficult conditions."—Henri Matisse

I arise this day  with love in my heart  through the warmth of the sun,  the radiance of the moon,  freedom of the wind, joy of rushing water,  splendor of fire,  stability of earth,  serenity of stars,  and the wisdom of silence. I embrace this day  through the grace of life to guide me  and the promise of love to inspire me.  —Irish Prayer

Gratitude, in itself, is heaven.—William Blake Ingratitude is the most abominable of sins…For it is a forgetting of the graces, benefits, and blessings received – St Ignatius Loyola Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder, and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.                         —Thomas Merton The poor man shuddered, overflowed with an angelic joy; he declared in his transport that this would last through life; he said to himself that he really had not suffered enough to deserve such radiant happiness, and he thanked God, in the depths of his soul, for having permitted that he, a miserable man, should be so loved.—Victor Hugo The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.— Oscar Wilde A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good de

The Little Things Count: Do little things for others- holding the door open and letting them go before you or allowing the person with only one item go ahead of you at the grocery store. I think this is due to our over busyness but nowadays; so many people rush through life and don’t consider the feelings of others. A simple gesture can be a good reminder for us all, myself included. Take your time, look around you, how can you help someone today? In the end, you are also helping yourself just as much. 

Make a commitment to yourself to refrain from negative self-talk. Be kind to yourself and focus on the traits you like rather than the ones you don’t. The extremely wise Dawna Markova, the author of some of my favorite books including I Will Not Die an Unlived Life , says “Your soul remembers when you put yourself down; it imprints upon you. Never do this. Self-compassion is key to a life well-lived.”

If you cannot be grateful for what you have received, then be thankful for what you have been spared. – Yiddish Proverb Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the world belongs to you. – Lao-Tzu Whatever I am offered in devotion with a pure heart — a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water — I accept with joy. – Bhagavad Gita He that is hard to please may get nothing in the end. – Aesop