Remember the old sing-a-long “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, and the other, gold”? This time of year makes me think of old friends and new friends and this old song has been on my mind. I love my friends. My life would not be half as rich without them. An old friend of mine was visiting over the Thanksgiving holiday. She and her family live on the opposite side of the country. They spent a week here in sunny California and had Thanksgiving dinner with us. I hadn’t seen her in more than a year Read More
Category: gratitude
Giving Without Expectations, Receiving Without Guilt
The gift giving season will soon be upon us. It can be filled with happiness and joy and/or fraught with disappointment and unfulfilled expectations. We have often heard that it is better to give than to receive. I don’t believe that is always the case. Being giver or receiver can bring us hurt feeling and warm feelings. It is up to us to learn how to be a happy and gracious giver as well as a willing and thankful receiver. Giving Without Expectations Don’t we sometimes give a gift with an expectation attached? It happens all the time. Read More
Simple Pleasures to Be Grateful For
Simple pleasures are often the best. It is easy to get distracted by the big, flashy things in life, but when it comes right down to it, it’s the little things and moments that add the biggest value to our days. Day eight of my 30 Day Gratitude Challenge asks the question: “What simple pleasure did I or can I enjoy today?” Including simple pleasures in our daily routines can give us moments of calm, happiness, peace, and joy. We all need to stop and smell the proverbial roses in our lives. They are usually little things that don’t cost much Read More
My Favorites Things – Holiday Edition
Is it okay to start talking about the holidays yet? Sorry, but it’s my favorite time of the year, probably because many of my favorite things happen in the next two months. I figure once Halloween has past and November has arrived that I can start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the craziness that will take place between now and New Year’s Day. Maybe you celebrate other holidays either instead of or along with the ones my family celebrates. Either way, life gets pretty busy between now and the end of the year. I was in a very Read More