Blogging Your Blessings

Muchas Gracias I learned from my globetrotting friend, Santosh that one of the nicest things a traveller can do is to learn how to say the basics in the language of the locals. He stressed that saying THANK YOU is the MOST important word of all.  His guide to global gratitude is below: Czech: Děkuji Danish: Tak Dutch: Dank u Estonian: Tänan teid Filipino: Salamat Finnish: Kiitos French: Merci Gaelic: Go raibh maith agat German: Danke Hungarian: Köszönöm Indonesian: Terima kasih Italian: Grazie Japanese: Arigato Latvian: Paldies Norwegian: Takk Polish: Dziękuję Portuguese: Obrigado Romanian: Mulţumesc Spanish: Gracias Swahili: Asante Swedish: Tack Vietnamese: Cảm ơn bạn Welsh: Diolch yn fawr

Power Thoughts: A Thankful Way of Life Gratitude and esteem are good foundations of affection. —Jane Austen ‘Enough’ is a feast. —Buddhist Proverb When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. —Marcus Aurelius I have found that worry and irritation vanish the moment when I open my mind to the many blessing that I possess. —Dale Carnegie  It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment. —Naomi Williams

Write Letters and Send Postcards The things that make me the happiest have an emotional and physical effect.  And even more so when you do something for someone else.  One of the most lasting of these things is a personal letter. Being born in the transitional time between letters and computers, many people in my generation have already shunned snail mail as a way to communicate. This makes them rare, but a very inexpensive surprise. My grandmother was one of seven children, and they communicated with a round-robin letter. From mailbox to mailbox, they would add an update on their life and send it around to the next sibling. She taught me that letters are a valuable form of communication, something she’s emphasized as her memory slowly fades. I got into the habit of writing letters and during the times where I was most stressed, a paper due, a newspaper deadline, or turmoil, I would write a letter. Letters live somewhere between thoughts and stories. They are a confid...

Keep a compact reusable bag in your purse for those spur-of-the-moment purchases Refuse a plastic bag for five items or less Fit purchases from different stores into the same bag wherever possible. There’s no reason to have eight shopping bags with only one item in each. Put your cloth bags back in your car as soon as you’re done unloading groceries. There’s less chance of forgetting them at home that way (and you’ll be one step closer to using them!). Keep them on the front seat, rather than in the trunk. If you see them, you’ll be far less likely to forget them.

Give Away Your Old Stuff Do a favor for people in need and give away some of the things you no longer need or use or wear.  Others would be happy to have it and it will help you simplify your life and enjoy your time more.  Find a few locations that you can drop off your stuff or call an organization that collects your goods to redistribute to those in need. There are Goodwill’s or Salvation Amy centers in every town, large or small so you can donate there to help others and quickly.  Nowadays, it might be best to take an old suitcase you don't use anymore and and pack extra clothes, towels, blankets and very practical items anyone woiuld need to be able to donate it to the victims of the recent California wildfires. Some of my friends lost their homes, pets, cars and jobs to the fires of the last few days so I am packing up care packages to deliver. You might not love your old suitcase or last year's comforter anymore but someone you love who lost everything in ...

  When I lived in the Lower Height district of San Francisco, I drove for an AIDS food bank in my rusted-out little car I had driven across the country from West Virginia. I had arrived in the mid-eighties, which we may all remember as the height of the AIDS crisis. My best friend delivered meals to patients in their homes and I gave rides and also hauled groceries donated to the food bank by the Church Street Tunnel. One early morning, I was walking to the Market and Church Street MUNI station and there it was with giant pink letters announcing itself as a place to lend a hand for the AIDS cause. I went in and within two minutes had a shift and assignments for the week.  Plus everyone in there seems extremely cool to me and they were not grim at all but seemed to have a mission of importance.  It seemed such a small way to help during that scary time but I also learned that whatever you can give, large or small, it is important to give of yourself. And it all does add u...

If you love to cook and love to help people, this might be the option for you; teaching cooking classes and offering your services as a free guide to getting the healthiest groceries at the best prices via Cooking matters, a division of Share Our Strength.   What I love about this is that it is personal and oh-so practical. www.CookingMatters.org pairs you up with your local group and you can bake up a lot of love while showing others how to do the same. 

Sometimes we all feel deflated or overwhelmed, someone or something hurts us or disappoints us, or we hear bad news about a loved one’s medical condition. On those days, when you feel your light has gone out, remember there is always a glimmer of hope and something to be thankful for. Albert Schweitzer said it well: “Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light.”

From Growing Up Homelses to Helping the Homeless NFL player James Jones knows it’s better to give than to receive “Being homeless made me a better man,” says James Jones, wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders since 2014. “And while I wouldn’t wish anyone to go through that, I wouldn’t change anything as far as how I grew up.” Having slept in shelters and on park benches for the first fifteen years of his life, Jones’ success as an athlete defies stereotypes about homelessness and poverty. He has taken his challenging experiences to heart. Since being drafted to the NFL in 2007, he has volunteered for many community organizations, and in 2008, started his own with his wife Tamika. The LoveJones4Kids foundation provides funding for school supplies, football camps, and pep talks to underprivileged children, many of them living in the same conditions that Jones did growing up. “People are used to hearing about a homeless person or kid and don’t think it’s possible to be a ...

Here's how you can knit, sew and quilt your way to a better world. www.handcraftedwithlove.net :       Socks For Soldiers knits socks for soldiers serving in the Middle East.       Stitch for a Cause knits, crochets, sews, and quilts blankets and infant apparel for local children's agencies. Based in Louisville, KY, USA.       Stitches From the Heart sends handmade clothing and blankets to premature babies across the nation. Based in Santa Monica, CA, USA.       Stitching Up The World knits, crochets and sews items to donate to a variety of organizations. Their main effort is items for chemotherapy patients in New Hampshire, Based in Candia, NH, USA.       Threads of Love provides clothing, blankets and other handmade articles for premature and sick infants. Threads of Love has chapters in the United States, Canada and London, England.  ...

Sponsor a Low-Income Family via www.boxproject.org The Box Project joins struggling families in depressed regions of rural America with individuals or groups. The idea is not just to provide financial support (volunteers send about $50 worth of food, clothing and medical supplies monthly), but emotional support as well; most participants develop long-term relationships over many years, cemented through letters. In addition, the organization encourages volunteers to learn about where the family they help lives, so they can impact public services and local policy. I know this is helping a lot of people in my home state of West Virginia where hard times remain.

Millions of people across the America could use a little helping hand and especially now. The oldest and largest national origination dedicated to assisting local, community-based seniors, Meals On Wheels has made delivering daily meals directly to Golden Ager’s its mission – deliveries that wouldn’t be made without strong network of 5,000-plus community programs and countless, countless volunteers. www.mowaa.org is in many communities so find the one near you and get involved. I drove for a hospice food delivery service and the people are so appreciative that I always felt I got more out of that they did. One other good group to go more global in your giving is Convoy Of Hope:    Go to http://www.convoyofhope.org/ and find out what you can do to help end world hunger. We are here to help others and this one of the best-ever ways.Let  

Give Away Your Old Stuff  We all have  too much stuff .  Do a favor for people in need and give away some of the things you no longer need or use or wear.  Others would be happy to have it and it will help you simplify your life and enjoy your time more.  Find a few locations that you can drop off your stuff or call an organization that collects your goods to redistribute to those in need. There are Goodwill’s or Salvation Amy centers in every town, large or small so you can donate there to help others and quickly.

Think Happy to Be Happy We all need reminders now and then.  You don’t leap out of bed every day knowing you are amazing and about to have an incredible day.  All of us have a lot of demands, pressures, to-do’s and responsibilities so we find ourselves rushing around, working hard to please others.  Most of the time, you find yourself at the back of your own bus, having made everyone else happy but your own damn self.   Then you go and beat yourself up about it.  Let’s stop that, shall we? 

Be accepting. No matter a person’s race, age, culture, or sexual orientation, accept everyone for who they are. Embrace the beauty of humanity and how different everyone is. By opening your eyes and mind to the possibility of love and friendship, new people will flow into your life and change your perspective in miraculous ways.

Are you software-savvy? Sign up to teach older adults computer and technology skills through SeniorNet (seniornet.org).   Helping our elderly with tech skills is so rewarding. I have seen grandmothers go from never having email before to loving the world-wide-web and brining a lot of wisdom to the world

Put down your smart phone and make eye contact. Person to person.  Nowadays, I consider that a major acts of kindness and courtesy.

  Upon learning about the Veteran’s History Project, I was reminded that our service men and women are doing just that, SERVICE. And they should be thanked for it. Many of these noble souls are very far away and receive little mail to their camp or barrack. Take a few moments to acknowledge their contribution and offer a friendly hello from back home in the USA. You can learn all about Operation Write Home at operationwritehome.gov.   I have heard of great pen pal relationships come out of this gesture of gratitude, too.

The Hebrew word mitzvah means a good deed or an act of kindness. Judaism teaches that the world is built on kindness. I recall what my Bobbie, a dear friend in Salt Lake City who was my son’s first caregiver, used to tell me about the importance of doing mitzvahs. She believes in the power of doing something good for another person but not telling them about it. She is a perfect example of someone who practices random acts of kindness, and also one who sees and acknowledges the beauty in everyone she meets. I always feel better just by being in her presence. Entire campaigns focused on practicing random acts of kindness have sprouted up. This, along with “having an attitude of gratitude,” enriches my days in many ways. There are myriad ways you can practice random acts of kindness. Don’t forget to include yourself when you are doing them! • Pick up trash you see on the street and make the world a better place.  • Pay for the coffee of the person behind you in line. • Buy a...

Because the world we live in today is very much about getting in your head and staying there, many of us have to make a concentrated effort to become grounded and in touch with our bodies and the natural world around us. Grounding is the technique for centering you within your being, getting into your body and out of your head. Grounding is the way we reconnect and balance ourselves though the power of the element of earth. When you see someone driving past talking on their cell phone, you know that they are not grounded. For deep grounding, we recommend a creative visualization or, better yet, a group guided meditation. This is the simplest of rituals; one you can do every day of your life. As you walk, take the time to look and really see what is in your path. For example, my friend Eileen takes a bag with her and picks up every piece of garbage in her path. She does this as an act of love for the Earth. During the ten years she has practiced this ritual, she has probably turne...