Giving Thanks

It has been quite a while since I have written anything. Today seems like a good day to write. We just celebrated Thanksgiving. It should be a time for reflection not just a day we stuff ourselves with food. My feeling is every day should be a day to give "thanks". Just opening our eyes in the morning is a really good reason to give thanks. The alternative is not good.

Or as my southern belle sister-in-law says, when asked how she is, her reply is "above ground". I realize that many of us have great hardships in our lives, or are lonely, or broke. However, I've learned that it is easy to complain...it is hard to be thankful when it seems as if the sky is falling.

I've also realized that we bring into our lives what we desire most. If we want to be happy we have to be happy. There are days when this is simply not easy. But if you wake up determined to be happy today, put a smile on your face and sometimes just pretend to be happy...it is very likely that by the end of the day you, truly, will be happy.

I believe we create our own reality. The more good feelings we put out, the more we will get back. It is important to not allow negative people into our lives. The reality these people create is negative and therefor they are miserable and who wants to be around misery.

Many years ago I read a book called "The Magic of Believing". It came into my life when I needed something to believe in. I soon came to realize, I needed to believe in me. Once I did, my life changed because I had changed, at least something in my brain had changed the way I looked at life.

I had a neighbor who never learned that "how are you?" is usually a rhetorical question, unless it's your mother or best friend asking. She always told you the worst things that were going on in her life. This was a woman who was married to terrific man, they had all their needs and I'm certain almost all their wants. Yet, she was always miserable. They had just come home from a 3 week vacation to San Francisco and Napa Valley. I saw her outside and said, "how was your trip"?

Her reply was, "how could it be...I have to make the reservations, I have to do the packing, I have to get us to airport and check us in, I have to get us to the hotel and check us in and then I have to do it all over again to get home". Her husband was blind in 1 eye. I said to her, "Ellen, Ronnie (my husband) has 20-20 vision and I have to do the same thing". So you see, dear reader, it is all in our attitude.

We can choose to have a great day or we can choose to be miserable. For me, I will always choose the great day...even if it isn't so great, I will make it so. I choose to be thankful for all I have. I choose to keep my palm open in giving and therefore good things come back to me. I choose to remember the people I love and keep them in my prayers. I choose to be happy!

Thankfully,
Neelie