The Attitude of Gratitude Inn

It is so rare...to find a complete person, with a soul, a heart and an imagination; so 

rare for characters as ardent and restless as ours to meet and to be matched to-

gether, that I hardly know how to tell you what happiness it gives me to know you.

 --Hector Berlioz

     Good evening,
I'm exhausted. I slept poorly last night.  I awoke at 3:30 a.m. and did not return to sleep after that. Even with that being the case, I'm happy.  After this post, I'm going to bed.
My Gratitudes for Monday:
1. For hope.  It moves me forward.  I know hope because of hard work I've done in my life, working on those areas needed improvement and my relationship
with God.
2. For communicating with dear ones. Today, I made time to write a letter.  I feel better when I express what is alive within me.
3. For patience.  I've learned over the years that one source of self-love is being patient with myself.
4. I look forward to getting several practical things straightened out tomorrow.  I like freeing myself from issues that clutter my mind and emotions.
True Friendship Emboldens Me

Friendship involves many things, but above all, the power of going out of one's self and appreciating what is noble and loving in another.                           --Thomas Hughes

       I'm thankful for the constant love I experience from many.  Without it, I would not be one-tenth the man I am.  Caring support from others makes me bold.  It strengthens me, empowering me to stand for my treasured values. The cheering support of my Balcony People reminds me that I'm constantly loved, no matter how others treat or consider me.

       I am true to my convictions because I do not seek support from those with whom I differ.  That would be the same as cutting the branch I'm standing on.  I derive strength from the braided relationships I have with genuine friends.

"Two are better than one, for they have a rich reward for their labor. For if one falls, he has another to lift him up. Woe unto him who is alone when he falls, for he has not another to lift him up.... A three-fold cord is not quickly snapped."     Ecc. 4:9-12

      The relationships encountered online are often illusory and transient.  Try having coffee with them.  Let me know how it goes.

      My real-life friends hold my hand or embrace me warmly, when I need reassurance.  Online friends can't do that.  Those dear to me look me in the eyes with tenderness while offering comfort; online friends are unable to do that.  My close companions let me know I'm cherished.

      It is the flesh-and-blood relationships that give me hope for tomorrow, strength for today and fills my heart with love in the present moment, allowing me to live confidently, with joy.
How About You? 
What are your gratitudes for today?