One of the gifts I've received ... is maintaining an attitude of gratitude. Before...I didn't understand the true nature of gratitude. I thought it was the happiness felt when life happened according to my needs and wants. I thought it was the high felt when my desire for instant gratification was fulfilled.
Today.....I know better. Gratitude is an integral part of my serenity. In fact, it is usually the means of restoring my serenity whenever I'm straying from it.
Gratitude opens the doors of my heart to the healing touch of [God]. It isn't always easy feeling grateful when a strident voice within me demands unhealthy behavior. However, when I work [on my growth], it is possible.
I seek God's will, and believe it is God's will to have healthy relationships, read helpful literature, and be grateful. Grateful? Yes. For what? For all of it! I'm grateful for life experiences that brought me to the point of realizing my need to get healthier, emotionally and psychologically, for a God. who loves me just as I am. I'm thankful that gratitude leads to growth. I'm also grateful for my family, serenity----all of it!
This moment gives birth to the next. If I fill this moment with gratitude, the next moment can't help but bring blessings.
'Just for today I will smile... I will be grateful for what I have instead of concentrating on what I don't have.'
Gratitudes for Wednesday:
1. Time spent with a new client today. The results were great. We're meeting again, Saturday. 2. I was treated to lunch by a friend. It's nice being appreciated.
3. Got together with others, happened this evening. At a Mexican restaurant we chatted until 11:30 p.m.. Connecting with my personal community does wonders for my soul, healing it from the bruises and scratches it encounters during the week.
4. A daunting task, I face this week. It has an immediate, demanding deadline. I'm not seeing progress, yet. I'm grateful that I'm taking it 15 minutes at a time, doing what I can. Being diligent and having faith that God will help me overcome this burden, is all I can do.
Learning From the Life of Another
This week I watched a PBS special on Robert E. Lee. I enjoy studying history, especially military history. In my element, I am when learning lessons from long ago. This special helped me discover more about this general's personality.
This iconic figure of American history offers parallels to how life can be, if we aren't careful. Like him, we can abuse ourselves, physically. We can overlook the future. (He did so by not training future leaders. There's no success without a successor.)
Like Robert E. Lee, we can be prone to going it alone, not getting needed support. His habits made him vulnerable; he died prematurely, due to a lack of self-care. Like this general, it's easy taking on more responsibility than one person should carry.
Unfortunately, his lack of boundaries did him in, physically. Using religion to justify unacceptable treatment towards others, to drive others, and to not see things from other points of view were other characteristics of this otherwise impressive man. This can be our lot, too, if we are not careful.
It's important to routinely take stock of ourselves. Much of what we think are ideals, aren't. You can read more about this subject here.
Robert E. Lee's father's life ended in failure. Lighthorse Henry Lee, former governor of Virginia abandoned the family to escape creditors. He even had the distinction of writing George Washington a bad check.
As a result of the family shame, his son, General Lee, was motivated to prove himself-----to the point of having a heart attack during the Civil War. Even then, he climbed out of his cot within a month to lead his troops. A bad idea, it shortened his life.
I respect this military genius, highly. A brilliant tactician he was. However, I disagree with how he marshaled the resources of his life. There is much we can learn from the lives of others, what to---and not to---do.
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