Day 30: Thanks-Living

Hello Team Gratitude,

I am still recovering from my turkey-coma, but WOW, yesterday was such a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving! I hope that you too had a wonderful celebration of gratitude. 

Today is Day 30 of our 30 day Month of Gratitude Challenge.  In wrapping up this amazing journey, I again want to thank all of you for your friendship and support.  Team Gratitude started with just me and my crazy idea of challenging myself to be more grateful, and it ended with over 80 people joined together in living out an “attitude of gratitude”.  What a blessing! There have been some real challenges in my life recently, but my grateful heart over the past four weeks has helped me in ways that I never dreamed possible.  I hope that your heart has been filled with gratitude and peace throughout this journey as well.

I recently heard this quote, “Thanksgiving is one day, Thanks-Living is all year long.” As we go forward, I challenge all of us to live a life of thanks and gratitude everyday, embracing the concept of “Thanks-Living”.   Keep writing in your gratitude journal if and when you can.  Continue seeking ways to compliment instead of complain. Maintain your words of encouragement for yourself and others.  Stay focused on your blessings.  And continue to look at life with a grateful heart.  “Thanks-Living” begins today and never has to end! Live it, love it, embrace it, trust it, grow in it, and be changed by it: THANKS-LIVING is everyday!

Several of you have asked me if I will continue to send out some uplifting messages after our 30 days have ended.  In an effort to continue my own Thanks-Living and hopefully encourage yours, I will send out periodic messages to the Team when inspiration hits me.  It will not be every day, but hopefully a few times a month if it is ok with you.

I also wanted to throw an idea out to all of you on Team Gratitude…. If anyone feels that this journey has created in you a grateful heart that you want to share with others, I would love to have a group of Team Gratitude Co-Authors.  Do you feel a calling to write or simply share your gratitude with others on the team?  If so, send me a message, and I would love to create a mini-team of inspirational co-authors who can share their blessings with the team throughout our year of Thanks-Living. 

I will continue to pray for all of you and give thanks daily for the amazing family and friends in my life! May today and everyday be a beautiful and blessed day of “Thanks-Living”!

Your truly grateful friend,

Amy

Day 29: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Thanksgiving Team Gratitude!

May your day be filled with sincere giving of thanks and continual counting of blessings!  Thank you all for joining me on the journey of gratitude over these last four weeks.  I have learned so much and my heart has been opened to the true gift of gratitude.  Tomorrow will be day 30 of our journey, our wrap up day for our month of gratitude, but for today, I simply want to say THANK YOU to all of you for your friendship, support, and dedication to a grateful life!

As you count your blessings today, please read over this list of often overlooked blessings (thank you Team Gratitude member Eva for sharing this with us):

50 Often Overlooked Blessings

By Sarah Ban Breathnach

Your health and the health of those you love
The kindness of strangers

Answered prayers
The warmth and security of home

The sound of raindrops on your roof at night

Rediscovering old family photos
An unexpected compliment
Not having to cook tonight

Catching a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and delighting in what you see

An uninterrupted night’s sleep
An afternoon to do as you please
Witnessing the birth of new life
Holding your child in your arms
Watching the sunset
Meeting a kindred spirit
Hearing a piece of music that instantly touches your soul

Sinking into a warm, softly scented bath after a stressful day
Holding hands
Taking a nap

Successfully hailing a cab in rush hour
Laughing so hard, you can't catch your breath and your sides ache

Finding a parking space exactly when you need one
Bringing joy, happiness, and comfort to another person or creature

Feeling the presence of the Spirit in your life
Friendship that endures and thrives despite the obstacles of time and distance
Wisdom gleaned through life experiences
Reading a book that changes your life
The first morsel of your favorite comfort food
Savoring the scents of life (flowers, food, the earth, your child's hair)

Sharing the holidays with people you really want to be with
Easily switching carpool days
The fresh feeling that immediately comes after a shower and washing your hair
Finding, having and wearing something that makes you feel special
The sense of relief throwing stuff out brings

Waking up to a perfectly beautiful day for a planned outdoor event
The person who believed in you when you weren't able to believe in yourself
A fortune cookie with just the right message
The moment you are able to distinguish between your needs and your wants
Air-conditioning on an excruciatingly hot and humid day
Being upgraded to first class
Hearing the words, "I love you"
When the repair bill is less than you'd expected
Perfect timing

Friends and family who can both truly rejoice with you and console in times of sorrow

Fitting into last year's clothes
Working with people you enjoy being around

Sleeping on the perfect pillow
Hearing the laughter of children

Faith. Faith in a spirit possessing greater strength, wisdom, power and love than you do. Faith in the ultimate goodness of Life. Faith in yourself. Faith that as you seek, you will find.

The bond of friendship that protects, nurtures, inspires, and comforts

Wishing you many blessings on this beautiful day of thanks!

Your grateful friend,

Amy

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1 (NIV)

Day 28: Bring the “Thanks” to Your Thanksgiving

Hello Team Gratitude,

Only one more day until Thanksgiving!  Wow, this month has just flown by.  As many of us are baking pies, mashing potatoes, and stuffing turkeys tomorrow, let us not forgot to bring the “thanks” into our Thanksgiving celebration.  The following are some fun ideas to make THANKS our priority for the day:

·         Prepare a Thanksgiving offering to give to a needy family or one of your favorite charities or work at a soup kitchen for a few hours.

·         Put on your own Thanksgiving Day parade or "pilgrim play" with family or friends, acting out reasons why you are thankful.

·         Write a Thanksgiving prayer or poem as a family and share it before dinner.

·         Make a festive “giving thanks” centerpiece for your table. Have everyone write what they are thankful for on pieces of paper shaped likes leaves, feathers, pumpkins, or apples. Then place the thankful cards into the centerpiece.    

·         Write a sincere note of gratitude to the members of your family or friends attending the dinner.  Place the note next to their plate or simply hand it to them and tell them “thank you”.   

·         Make thankful wine glass tags. Cut out leaf-shapes onto fall-color papers and punch a hole at the base of each leaf. Ask guests to pick a leaf and write a word or short phrase describing something they're thankful for. Attach leaves to the wineglass stems using ribbon or raffia or twist ties. This activity also ensures that guests don’t get their wine glasses mixed up.    

·         Give everyone in the family a large piece of paper and ask them to decorate their own placemat, writing all of the reasons why they are grateful this Thanksgiving. 

·         Go around the Thanksgiving table during dinner and ask everyone to express several reasons why they are grateful. Make sure that everyone gets to speak and that everyone else listens.   

·         Pass out cards to everyone and have them write down one or two things that they are thankful for.  Then collect the cards and put them in a bowl.  Pass the bowl around and have someone draw out a card and read it out load, and then try to guess who wrote it. Pass the bowl until everyone’s card has been read and guessed.  It’s a fun way to get the entire table involved in giving and guessing gratitude.    

·         Ask everyone to recall a past favorite Thanksgiving memory.

·         Give a heartfelt hug of gratitude to the person or people who prepared your wonderful meal!

I pray that all of you have a truly blessed Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow and that amidst the turkey, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes, we can all take time to both give and live out our thankfulness. 

Your thankful friend,

Amy

Day 27: Pass the Gratitude, Please!

Hello Team Gratitude,

The following article titled “Pass the Gratitude: Recipe for a Happy Thanksgiving” was published just yesterday by Dr. Glenn D. Braunstein, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai.  Medical evidence overwhelmingly supports the benefits of gratitude on our overall health, optimism, alertness, and even sleep. After reading this article, I am again so grateful to all of you for joining me on this journey of gratitude over the past four weeks!

Please click and read this enlightening article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glenn-d-braunstein-md/gratitude-health_b_2131450.html

On Thanksgiving Day (and every day), I am going to have an extra helping of gratitude on my plate!

Your grateful friend,

Amy

Day 26: Gratitude Quotes

Hello Team Gratitude,

Turkey countdown… 3 days!  Here are some great gratitude quotes as we prepare our hearts for Thanksgiving. 

 Gratitude Quotes:

v  "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." - Marcel Proust

v  "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." - Thornton Wilder

v  “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” John F. Kennedy

v  “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." – Epictetus

v  “Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues, but the parent of all others.” Cicero

I hope that you are still writing in your gratitude journal.  If you have stopped or never actually started, give it a chance and see what beautiful miracles arise from your writing and reflecting on the many glorious gifts in your life.  

Your grateful friend,

Amy

Just for laughs…

Day 25: Snoopy on Gratitude

Hello Team Gratitude,

Let the countdown begin… 4 days 'till Thanksgiving!  This brought a smile to my face today:

“Be grateful for who you are. Be grateful for who you are to become. Be grateful for the boulders placed upon your path. For they are not obstacles but stepping stones on your journey of self-realization.”  ~Joe Keane

Your grateful friend,

Amy

Day 24: Today is a Gift, Respond Gratefully

Happy Saturday Team Gratitude,

“Today is a gift. It's the only gift that you have right now, and the only appropriate response is gratefulness. If you do nothing else but to cultivate that response to the great gift that this unique day is, if you learn to respond as if it were the first day of your life, and the very last day, then you will have spent this day very well”. Brother David Steindl-Rast

This beautiful video was sent in by a wonderful Team Gratitude member, my Mom (thank you Mom!).  Please take the time to watch it today or over the weekend.  It is really beautiful and the message is truly moving:

https://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?feature=player_embedded&v=nj2ofrX7jAk

Make today a “good day”! Be grateful for the gift of today!

Your thankful friend,

Amy

Day 23: Find a Joyful Attitude in Gratitude

Hello Team Gratitude,

The root word of “gratitude” is “attitude” (minus one “t”J).  One of our wonderful friends on Team Gratitude shared this quote yesterday which I thought was truly powerful (thanks Ruby!):


    
The power of a positive “attitude of gratitude” can truly change your life, one moment at a time.  Challenge yourself today to live as Maya Angelou suggests… change your difficult situations as best you can, but if the situation can’t be changed, do everything within your power to have a grateful attitude throughout the trial.  Gratitude promotes peace.  Gratitude lifts spirits.  Gratitude delivers joy.

Wishing you a joyful, grateful attitude today!

Your friend with an attitude of gratitude,

Amy     

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.” Denis Waitley

 

Day 22: Dance in the rain

Hello Team Gratitude,

Today officially beings our fourth week of gratitude! Yes, this means that Thanksgiving is only 1 week away, and it also means that we have celebrated three weeks of gratitude together so far.  Thank you all so much for joining me on this journey.  It has been such a blessing to me, and I hope that you have been blessed as well by focusing on a life of thanks and gratitude. 

Our CHALLENGE for today is to flip through your gratitude journal and review the many things you have been thankful for over the last three weeks.  When I sat down with my journal this morning, I was amazed at how many ways I have been blessed over the last three weeks.  I am still smiling ear to ear thinking about all of my many “gratitudes”! 

I LOVED this message for today….


Although life may not always seem to be going our way, let us have the courage to get up, turn on some great tunes, and DANCE in the rain!

 Your gratefully dancing friend,

Amy

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1 (NIV)

Day 21: Smile Gratefully

Hello Team Gratitude,

Mother Teresa said “peace begins with a smile.”  Smiling is one of the most beautiful products of gratitude and has so many benefits in our lives. I found the following information from the website www.unlock-your-happiness.com both interesting and uplifting in regards to the benefits of a happy smile….

A Happy Smile Brings
Definite Benefits

Smiling makes you feel better

A happy smile brings about a better-feeling mood. You can experiment yourself. Put a smile on your face (even if you don't feel like smiling) and try to keep smiling for about a minute. See if your mood shifts up a notch towards more happiness. The muscles used in smiling seem to have that real effect. This means that even if you're not feeling too cheerful you can still 'fake' a smile for a short while and you will actually start to feel better.

Smiling reduces blood pressure

Research has shown that smiling brings about a definite and measurable reduction in blood pressure. And high blood pressure is a major health risk factor in these modern times.  If you don't believe this, the next time you're having your blood pressure checked, ask the doctor or health professional to let you smile for a minute or two after the first reading, and then take a second reading and see if it's the same or lower than the first one.

Smiling boosts the immune system

The immune system is what helps you stay healthy and ward off colds, flu and other illnesses. If you smile a lot you can expect your body's immune system to benefit, reducing your chances of getting ailments. So, this is another reason why deliberately and frequently offering a smile can be of benefit to health and happiness.

Smiling reduces the feeling of stress overload

The next time you're feeling a bit 'low', overwhelmed, tired, or despondent, just decide to offer a smile. Hold it for just over a minute or so, and see how it changes your 'vibrations' and improves how you feel emotionally. Repeat the process again, and you should find that your mood lifts even more. Smiling is an excellent method for uplifting one's mood and energy, as well as one's effectiveness in the task at hand. Try it yourself.

Smiling releases 'happy chemicals

A happy smile, whether you're actually feeling happy at the time or not, releases endorphins, serotonin and other biochemical substances in the body. Working in harmony, the effect of these changes in body chemistry is that we quickly start to feel happier. So, offering a smile at any time will clearly uplift one's mood and cultivate a more frequent state of happiness.

Here's some smiling homework

Take advantage of this knowledge and make it a point to practice giving a happy smile whenever you can.

Here are some suggestions for you to try for yourself:

·         When you get up in the morning, make a point of smiling at the new day. Hold the smile for over a minute. (I've heard that 68 seconds is a good duration.)

·         When you make eye contact with someone, offer a happy smile and see how that lifts the mood of both you and the recipient of the smile.

·         When you're feeling in any way not on top of your form, smile for a while to boost your mood and energy levels.

·         As soon as you feel the slightest negativity starting to surface in you, take the conscious decision to smile a while, and see what happens.

·         Decide this minute that from now on you will smile as often as you can, not only when you're alone, but also when you're in the company of others. Watch how your life changes, how things go more easily for you, at home, work and socially.

For a reason to smile and laugh, check out the following short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ftgXYK5Lp0

Remember what Annie taught us all… “You are never fully dressed without a smile!” Smile gratefully today!

Your smiling friend,

Amy

Day 20: Trade the world’s lies for a world of love

Hello Team Gratitude,

Today is our 5^th and final day of “change your words, change your life.” Today we are “trading the world’s lies for a world of love”.  The media bombards us with so many lies about what we should look like, how we should act, and what we “need to have” in order to be happy.  It can be hard to navigate through these negative influences, but if we can turn our words and thoughts to LOVE instead of lies, we will break free from the chains the world often places on us.   

“No matter where I have walked in life, I have found a common goal existing in every heart.  Everyone is searching for purpose and peace of mind. Our souls and hearts long for internal peace.  But that peace can’t be found in a beauty magazine or on the television screen or in a bigger house or better income. If we are not careful, we will allow the enemy to steal our peace and purpose by what we watch and read and listen to.” (Sheri Rose Shepherd, Freedom for His Princess)

The dictionary defines these two words as follows:

·         Lies: untrue statements with the intent to deceive

·         Love: unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for the good of another; strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties

Our CHALLENGE for today is to take a day long “media fast/love feast”.  For 24 hours, or longer if you can, “fast” from all forms of media (no reading beauty magazines, no watching television, no surfing the internet), and instead “feast” on all things that encourage love (spending time with family and friends, taking a walk in a beautiful place, writing in your gratitude journal). After a day of “fasting” from the negative lies of the world and “feasting” on the uplifting love of the world, see if your mind is more clear and if you feel more at peace.  Just think what could happen to our world if we all fasted from the lies and replaced them with love!

As we conclude our 5 days of “changing our words to change our lives”, I leave you with this beautifully true quote:

 

Your grateful friend,

Amy

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

Day 19: Trade bitterness for belief

Hi Team Gratitude,

How have you been doing with “changing your words” over the last few days?  I hope that you are finding yourself giving more compliments, being more determined, and using more positive self talk. For our 4^th day of “change your words, change your life”, we are trading our bitterness for belief. 

 “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” Christian D. Larson (highly influential early New Thought leader, teacher, and writer)

The dictionary defines these two words as follows:

·         Bitterness: expressive of severe grief or regret; exhibiting intense animosity or jealousy

·         Belief: a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing

 Let’s look at our word “trade out” for today with real life examples:

Situation #1:

·         Bitterness: “The Smith’s have a bigger and nicer house that we do.  Why can’t we have a bigger and nicer house? That house must be why they are so happy all the time.”

·         Belief: “We have so much to be grateful for.  Our happiness does not lie in the size of our house but in the love of our family.”

Situation #2:

·         Bitterness: “When am I going to catch a break? Good things never happen to me.”

·         Belief: “I know that if I use my talents and believe in myself, I can accomplish great things!”

Recently, as I was going through some old things, I came across a poem that I had written in high school.  Thought that I would share it with all of you… although I was only 16 or 17 year old when I wrote this (so pardon any grammar errors), I think the insight in the poem is actually pretty good:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Believing in Believing

By Amy Abts

Believing is one of life’s keys to happiness.

Throughout my life, I have found that believing in myself, believing in others, believing in the best, believing anything is possible, and merely believing in believing have allowed me to overcome obstacles, face many challenges, and find joy in my life.

I believe that the little things in life are not worth worrying about when the more important things have to suffer.

I believe in the importance of family and the strength of the strength of the bond that ties loved ones together.

I believe in the value of truth, honor, and respect, and the returns that bountifully come from displaying these virtues.    

I believe in closeness of true friendship and in being someone that others can rely on.

I believe that praise, thanks, and appreciation are much more effective than criticism.

I believe that a smile can spark a fire in a fold dark place, and that laughter can kindle that fire into friendship.

I believe in the importance of a warm of a hug, in times of sorrow and joy, times of victory and defeat, or just about any time.

I believe that enthusiasm and good music can make even the most treacherous tasks fun.

I believe in learning from my mistakes, not dwelling on them, and using these life lessons to build a strong and prosperous future. 

I believe in God as my strength and stronghold, who I can always turn to for inspiration, support, forgiveness, and unconditional love.

And most of all, I believe in believing in yourself.  With self confidence and a belief in who I am, anything is possible.  

Look to the strength you carry within yourself, and simply BELIEVE!

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As classic the classic Journey song goes… “Don't stop believin', Hold on to the feelin'!”

Have a belief-filled day!

Your thankful friend,

Amy

Day 18: Trade Self-Judgment for Self-Esteem

Hello Team Gratitude,

Happy Sunday to you! Today is our third day of “Change your words, change your life!”… trade negative self-judgment for building self-esteem. With this thought in mind, here is a great classic quote from Henry Ford: “The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right. Which one are you?”

The dictionary defines these two words as follows:

·         Self-judgment: the act of judging oneself; to be critical of oneself

·         Self-esteem: a confidence and satisfaction in oneself; a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself

Let’s look at our word “trade out” for today with real life examples:

Situation #1:

·         “I just can’t do as well as her.”

·         “My talents are uniquely mine, and I am really great at doing what I do best.”

Situation #2:

·         “I am too fat (or too skinny, or too short, or too whatever negative judgment comes into your mind).”

·         “I am perfectly and uniquely myself.  I am beautiful just the way that I am.”

Positive or negative self talk can and will change your day and change your future.  Choose positive self talk today and you will build your self esteem, not break it down.  Tell yourself the following in all that you do, remembering the little blue engine who simply believed…

Be grateful for exactly who you are today!  You were perfectly made to be YOU!

Your thankful friend who believes in you!

Amy

In that day you will say:
"Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world. (Isaiah 12:4, 5 NIV)