Posts Tagged With: gratitude

Reblog: Garden of Gratitude

It’s so easy to get caught up in focusing on the negative, or all the things “wrong” around us. This blog post illustrates how valuable it is to get caught up in the good around us, instead.

 

Garden of Gratitude

by Patrick Collins

…He told me that on his morning trip next door four days after he began ‘deadheading”, as he gazed at the pots he noticed how brilliant and colorful the geraniums were. He suddenly realized that he had spent the first part of the week focusing on the dead flowers, looking intently for the “dead and gone” and what he could “bury”.   He realized that he had overlooked the beauty of the entire garden, and each individual plant by looking for death instead of life. He became incredibly GRATEFUL for life and being. Read more

Categories: Community awareness & building, Finances/wealth/prosperity, Guest blogs & reposts, Life, Mental health & wellness, Prayer & meditation, Spirituality & healing, Time & stress | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reblog: Grateful teens

from CSMonitor.com

It’s not about the money.

A recent study focused on the effect of gratitude on teenagers. There are a lot of reasons teens are grateful. And being rich isn’t necessarily one of them. Similarly, there are plenty of reasons teens might act as if they had a gratitude deficit. Being poor doesn’t necessarily seem to be one of them.

The study suggests that regardless of a teenager’s socioeconomic background, he or she can experience the benefits of a grateful heart, including the benefit of better mental health. Through a few changes in outlook, attitude, and behavior, he or she can make big gains on the gratitude front. Teens who are the most grateful find a number of benefits multiplying. Such as? Things like improved academic performance, a sense of purpose, more hope, and more happiness. As these take root, they grow more common to a teen’s outlook and more natural to his or her life. On the flip side, things like hopelessness or depression – which are at times linked to suicide in teens – grow less prevalent. Read more

Categories: Children & childlikeness, Fatherhood/Motherhood, For teens, Guest blogs & reposts, Health & wellness, Mental health & wellness, Spirituality & healing, Theological studies & religion | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A gratitude attitude & my grandparents

I find thinking of others and feeling grateful so healing.

I’ve been thinking of my grandparents recently. They are moving to a senior community tomorrow about a half hour away from their current home. My aunt has been so kind in finding a place for them, making the arrangements and taking care of the move.

I admire and am so grateful for the way my family looks out for one another. This move affects all of us particularly because “Grandma’s house” has been the place that our family has congregated since I was a child. Over the past several years, though, we have all seen how much upkeep a large house takes and that all of the “stuff” they have accumulated or saved for us isn’t really necessary for any of us. I’m grateful for the freedom they will find in their new apartment, and for the community and activity they will get to enjoy.

I’m trusting in God that there can’t be any loss from their move. For example, we have other relatives homes where we can all get together for the holidays. I know that God prepares a place and makes radiant room for each of us. God takes care of all the details. Trusting all the accommodations to God leaves my family in the prime position of witnessing God’s love and blessings for all of us, without stress or worry.

As I mentioned in the beginning, being grateful and thinking of others is healing. As I focus my thought more on my family, the world and other loved ones, I become more grateful – more aware of good. These thoughts naturally bless my home, family, body, and experience. These are just the wonderful side-effects – or spiritual law – of thinking of others and feeling grateful.

So, if you’re feeling down today, open your thought to gratitude. It is sure to brighten your day.

By the way, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving Day!

Categories: Fatherhood/Motherhood, Mental health & wellness, Prayer & meditation | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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