gratitude

I finally wrote a thing. Finally. Be nice.

You know I’m big on finding a Happy Day Moment each day, living with gratitude, focusing on joy.

You know I have big feelings about finding a HDM.

I post a Happy Day Moment on my personal Facebook page (up to #2831 consecutive ones!) and I post something inspirational/motivational/encouragement on my Happy Day Moment Page because I’m determined to remember the preciousness of life.

Because I’m determined to choose gratitude.

Because even with all the stuff of 2017, even my father’s death, even my struggles to keep trusting and believing when I don’t understand the whys of certain situations … because …

Because … I’m determined to believe this:

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” ~ Isaiah 52:7

So, because even “life,” even “stuff,” I’m determined to choose gratitude, to publish “good news of happiness” on Facebook. 😊

It’s true – I’m a positive person by nature. And it’s true if you’re not naturally easy-going or cheery, you may have to work a little harder to discover a HDM. Not everyone is programmed to be Pollyanna or Little Miss Sunshine. Maybe you’re a bit Scrooge-ish or a glass-half-empty person. It’s hard to become that peppy sunny person if it isn’t in your making. Whether your life is disappointing, whether there’s unexpected hardship, whether there’s heartache, it’s hard to get out of a bad mood once it’s taken hold of you. The good news is that you can work at discovering a “happy day moment” even if gloominess is more your disposition. You can work at choosing gratitude. Good things often take time and effort. Bless God, living with gratitude can come when we develop a habit, a discipline, when we choose to see little small happy actions/words/sights that are always there – somewhere – every day.

So, why not choose gratitude?

From my HDM Posts/Twitter throughout 2017

Why not try out these little changes that could change you from negative to cheerful in no time.

• Tell someone, “You make everything lovely.”
• Concentrate on what you have, not on what you don’t have.
• Be the person who decides to go for it.
• Be kind to unkind people because they need it most.
• No matter what others say or do, stay committed to being kind.
• Be quiet while others speak.
• Let your smile today lift someone’s life.
• Trust God’s wisdom, even though you want to do it differently.
• Let gratitude be more that an act; let it be a habit.
• Practice relentless gratitude.
• Let go of trying to change the people around you.
• Let’s choose to speak kindness.

• Do a little thing today to show your loved ones that you care.
• Let’s banish our angry words and bring out the welcome mat for kindness and mercy.
• Don’t think of others as problems, but as people to be loved.
• Stay kind and committed to love, no matter what others do.
• Don’t look backwards for very long. Keep moving forward.
• Show your love in meaningful ways.
• Treat others with kindness no matter how they differ from you.
• Notice the people around you who seem isolated and engage them.
• Touching someone you love actually reduces pain. Give a hug today.
• All that beauty you see in others, tell them about it.

And why not remember these little observations that could change you from powerless to strong in no time.

• Don’t get caught up in what could’ve or should’ve been.
• There are times when bitter trials become blessings in disguise.
• Let’s pull back our judgments and reach out our hands.
• God is close to all who call on Him.
• It is well with my soul. (The day my Dad died)
• Never cling to the notion that something’s not possible.
• Some of our strength would never be discovered if not for our struggles and trials.
• Acts of love can thaw a frozen heart.
• God’s faithful love never ends.
• Everything starts with a dream.
• Whatever God calls you to do, He will equip you.
• You’ll never regret being true to your dreams.
• God’s love is complete and He’s aware of your circumstances.

• When we put kindness first, good things happen.
• A peaceful person is not one who’s always in a good place, but one who always has a good attitude in every place.
• Remember to thank people for their time.
• Being generous and kind, even in circumstances where it’s hard.
• We can’t go back and make a new beginning, but we can start over and make a new ending.
• Don’t let failure go to your heart.
• Where you can help, help. Where you can give, give.
• Every week has seven days. Someday is not one of them.

• God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
• Let’s be patient with others and smile at strangers.
• Kindness and compassion can heal wounds and restore peace.
• We always have the ability to be kind.
• The best stories end with gratitude.
• Remembering to be grateful is a form of emotional intelligence.
• So often we don’t realize what we have. Pause and be grateful.
• Let gratitude be something that you are. Not just doing, but being.
• Open your eyes to see the wonderful things of our world.

My God reigns.

Gratitude … brought to you by Jama

New Year! New Year! And what do we all want? … A year where we all want to be happy!

How we find the “Happy”? … I’m saying (as I have been for some time) that we should look to the Letter “G” … “GRATITUDE!” Authentic moments of gratitude boost our ability to be happy, to see happiness, particularly when we’re stressed, overwhelmed, just plain-old fed up – with everything.

We all have STRESS (oh my goodness, what a year 2016 was!), but our response to dealing with it ALL is what determines its potentially toxic impact.

My response is the habit of gratitude … living with gratitude.

The Letter G.

The more we practice gratitude in the face of fear, adversity, loss and disappointment, the more we increase our capacity for joy, even bolstering our immune system and boosting resilience. Seriously. There have been studies!

And when our expectations collide with reality, gratitude can protect us from stress and even depression and help us create a new way of seeing, being and living.

Gratitude makes us nicer, more trusting, more social, and more appreciative. As a result, it helps us to be healthier, to make more friends, and to deepen our existing relationships.

According to an article in the Harvard Mental Health Letter, “gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

In her bestseller Simple Abundance, Sarah Ban Breathnach wrote “Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”

And for me, it’s in the Bible:  “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Through expressing gratitude, we remember where our blessings come from. It’s in the Bible: “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”

To start your habit of finding the Letter “G,” finding a Happy Day Moment, an “everyday epiphany,” try these four things:

1. Be aware. Every single day look around at your life and find something to be grateful for, some joy, some inspiration, some silliness. Pay attention! We so often look but don’t see; hear but don’t listen. Make your daily purpose to choose awareness, to enjoy the beauty of the treasures in your path. Look for God’s fingerprints and hear His whispers amid the messes, and your heart will change. Don’t lose sight of the goodness of life.
2. Change your thinking. There’s more than enough negativity in the world right now. So do your best to be more positive about yourself, about those around you, and about life in general to tip the scale back towards positivity, love, and hope.
3. Do something happy for someone.  What can you do right now to give a happy moment to someone? Even if it’s someone you don’t know … that stranger with a heavy load, a frown, a scowl. Even when you’re in an unhappy moment. Do something every day that makes someone smile, gives someone a boost to their weary spirit. You’ll find gratefulness when you can use your life in ways that lift another person.
4. Keep track of awesome things. Remember the “happy moments” that you see, hear, feel, and don’t let them slip away after you come up with them. Write down the simplest things you feel grateful for daily, one good moment that happened to you, that you did, that you witnessed. Then, if something in your life starts getting you down, starts bugging you, go straight to your “happy moment” notes and get a dose of gratitude.

It’s really a choice. Your choice for how you move forward into this new year. Try it with more of the Letter “G”.