Gratitude: Ten Reasons For A Grateful Heart & Blog Awards…
“Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.” Eileen Caddy
Gratitude: Ten Reasons For A Grateful Heart & Blog Awards.... Give freely
Everyone likes to feel appreciated and to receive gifts, after all, it is human nature to accept and offer kindness. When my blog buddy Deborah of The Monster in the Closet generously offered me and fourteen others three blog awards, it got me thinking about grace and gratitude and how we must always remember to say thanks and share our gifts. Regardless of our circumstances, we can all knock on gratitude’s door and find reasons to be grateful; especially during difficult times. I’ve adapted an old post of mine on the subject and, also, I have decided to share these three awards with every blogger; my many blog buddies, friends, any blogger who stops by is welcome to them. Congratulations all! Below are ten reasons to help us stay focused on the good while we work to resolve the difficult? What Gifts are you grateful for? Do share.
The Gift of Life: Without life we have nothing. Life is a great gift and we need to see the preciousness of our life and the lives of others. When we value our life, we are spurred on to sustain it and protect the lives of others. If you are going through difficulties, it is hard, sometimes, to see the point/value of life, but I encourage you to hold on, seek the help of a trusted family member, friend or a professional and know that you are not alone.
The Gift of Family: Our family knows us best and they love us even when conflict arises. For those blessed with a supportive family, it is a treasured gift. Do not take it lightly. There are all types of families and we can create a community of supporters who are essentially a form of family. Yes, I commiserate with folk who have problematic families, however, don’t give up on the fact that you can be that candle in the dark and that you can bring about needed change to the hurt in your family.
The Gift of Friends: True friends are golden and when we are blessed with such people, we should remember to honor them and acknowledge the blessing they represent in our lives. We have all read stories about good-time friends and should recognize that it is the quality of our friendships that count not the quantity. Rejoice if you have even one friend who will climb a mountain to help you, and will celebrate all your successes with a joyful heart.
***As a special Thank YOU, I want to acknowledge all my blog buddies who have been very helpful to me on my journey to grow this blog. I’m extending these Three blog Awards to YOU!!! Each of you have been very supportive with your kind words and comments and I have to say THANK YOU! Also, I’m extending same to all other WordPress and Blogspot Bloggers for your resilience. These three awards are for you too. My only request is that you claim them and enjoy displaying them on your blog and give this blog a mention. You may also share them with 15 or more bloggers and mention where you got them from.(more below) *** Thanks to everyone else; non-bloggers and social media friends, you are appreciated too.
The Gift of Love: Love is expressed in multiple ways and we experience a form of love daily that we must remember to be thankful for. The smile of a store clerk, the help from a friend or stranger, the hug from a child and the support of loved ones are all gifts of love… We must appreciate love, give it back to others, and share it freely with those who are hurting and need it.
The Gift of God’s Grace: There is grace in everything we do if we believe it. Divine Grace is available to all and cannot be bought. Everything we accomplish requires a measure of faith, knowledge and the grace of God. We must also remember the grace of people who help us achieve our goals. I believe in prayer and a thankful attitude and we can all benefit from remembering to see the grace of the many helpful hands, seen and unseen, that have contributed to our lives…. Come back soon as I will post the awards. Enjoy! 🙂
“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” William Faulkner
Gratitude: Ten Reasons For A Grateful Heart & Blog Awards... grateful for the sunrise
The Gift of Health: Like life, our health is paramount to our ability to complete our tasks. Good health is a precious gift. As time goes by, many of us develop aches and pains and scars from a lifetime of hurts; we can renew ourselves by simple exercises. Walking, yoga, dance, swimming, and other sports can get our endorphins rejuvenated so we can maintain our health. Even people with chronic conditions can find a safe way to keep body, mind and spirit uplifted. Seek help from a professional when needed and keep your body moving.
The Gift of Faith & Food: To have faith is to trust that no matter the circumstances, we will overcome and have food to nourish the body and feed the mind. Faith is needed for everything we do but I will focus on food here. Food is medicine and if we stop to think about it, there are people in countries around the world who have little or no food to nourish their bodies. I think of Mother’s Kitchen and the array of soup kitchens around the country that feed the homeless, and I encourage you to offer your help at any near you. It is a great way to give back and to learn an appreciation for the food we eat.
The Gift of Choice: We choose how we respond to events in our lives and our attitude is a key factor in the outcome. We have freewill to choose our mood. I find that when we focus our attention on choosing to see the good in events and to look for solutions, our mood and circumstances shift. Problems don’t automatically varnish, however, dwelling on the negativity doesn’t improve anything. Make a decisive choice and follow the path of light. Uplift others and see yourself uplifted.
The Gift of a Sound Mind: The mind is a powerful tool and protecting it from stimulants and negativity is a gift we must give to ourselves. We live in a world that is linked to a super highway of accessible information flying at us from many directions. We need to pay attention and be selective about what we are exposed to; the more judicious we are about the kinds of information and opportunities we subscribe to, the better. There is nothing wrong with information – just be vigilant and feed your mind good messages, great music and healthy foods.
The Gift of Community & Service: At the end of the day, all of us want to be appreciated and heard. The gift of community opens the door for us to hear/listen and be heard. When we offer our talents and services to others in need, we are lending our hearts and ears to them, and in turn, they share theirs with us. When we build or join a trusted community of people who believe in our well-being and support us, we thrive. A community can be a small group of supportive friends or a larger entity. The size of the community we join doesn’t matter as long as we are comfortable and contribute. What matters is that we care and others care. Reciprocity is important.
As per the Blog Awards, if you choose, you may do the following 4 things: 1)Thank and link to the person who nominated you. 2)Share seven random facts about yourself. 3)Pass the award along to 15 deserving blog buddies and 4) Contact those buddies to congratulate them. Otherwise, follow my earlier suggestion. Thank you!
Everyday, we have an opportunity to thank our loved ones and show appreciation for divine grace, and people’s grace; the kindness of others. Don’t forget to do same. “Gratitude is the memory of the heart.” What are your thoughts. What are you grateful for? How do you honor those who have supported you? Do share! Thank you and have a prosperous summer! 🙂
Positive Motivation Tip: Gratitude is a state where the heart meets the head and both bow in joy and thankfulness.
Related articles
- Best Blog Awards (kutarere.wordpress.com)
- Gratitude (crazyrunninglegs.com)
- Blog Award (Lexisjen.wordpress.com)
- Seeds of Gratitude (chutneybynancy.org)
- Shine Get! (shardsofinfinity.wordpress.com)
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: Photo of Gratitude heartsunrise via Wikipedia
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Trackbacks
- Of Grownup Gratitude | Hawleyville
- Blog Awards « BelieveHopeLoveInspire
- Blogger Awards and Some Random Thoughts About Me « Positive Parental Participation
- Thank You All: On Being Freshly Pressed… | Mirth and Motivation
- Inspiration: What If… | Mirth and Motivation
- Gratitude: Changing Our Thinking | Mirth and Motivation
- Reflections: Ten Things To Be Grateful For Today… | Mirth and Motivation
- On Happiness: Ten Things On My Mind… | Mirth and Motivation
- 5 Benefits of Gratitude | Create Your Life By Design
- WritersButt – Thank You and a Field Trip! « Ginger Calem
Congratulations Elizabeth on the three awards. I am sure they are richly deserved.
As for gratitude, I keep a gratitude list see – http://growingyoungereachday.wordpress.com/my-gratitude-list/ to which I am adding constantly. I love your things to be grateful for and will no doubt add some of therm to my list.
🙂 Judith
Thank you Judith for your kind words… I left you a blog comment on the awards… Feel free to claim them even if you decide not to give them out yet… 🙂
You deserve those three awards. Congratulations. I am grateful to accept the awards from you as well.
Thank you Jackie for accepting the awards… This is an easy gift and you don’t need to have 15 people.. Share with yourself or any one you wish. TY! 🙂
The Gift of Community & Service: At the end of the day, all of us want to be appreciated and heard. The gift of community opens the door for us to hear/listen and be heard.
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you inspire daily! you are heard …
Thank you Elizabeth. I’m honored and happy to receive your gift. I can’t describe the feeling of getting such prestigious awards but all I know is that it motivated me to do better . I’m grateful for your kind words and each visit you make to my blog. Your post about gratefulness was inspiring. It made me reflect on what is valuable in life and a lot of them are already around me. Thanks my friend. Your words renews the spirit and uplifts the heart. Just a joy to have you around.The 10 reasons to stay focused on the good was like message from heaven. A lot of times people are too distracted by daily concerns of this world, including me that we fail to see the good things in our life and be grateful about them . Today you reminded me those reasons and once again, thank you.
Thank you too for your support… Blogging is not so easy and having supportive friends like you helps… I’m very glad you liked the 10 things; It helped me too as I write to learn and grow myself; we are all works in progress. 🙂
Thank you, Eliz for the awards. I have only been blogging since January and I am grateful to be able to display these awards & pass along to fellow bloggers. Thank you for your constant visits to my posts. While my blog is political and I spend much of my online time visiting similar sites, I am a writer at heart (& by trade) and I truly appreciate your inspiring, beautifully written posts each day. They help me maintain an important balance and perspective on life. .Technical question: I assume I just copy the awards from this post to display in my widget area?
Thank you too for the blog visits and support. I enjoy visiting your blog and reading about subjects that matter to all of us politically. While our views might differ on some of the topics, I like the way you present the information and provide useful links for us to explore. I appreciate your feedback and value your blogging friendship. 🙂
As per the awards, yes, copy them and add them to your widget area. you can right click on each one to copy it or I can email them to you. TY!
Have a relaxing weekend! 🙂
Pictures, words and sounds have given us reasons to share. I am happy to have you as a neighbor and a friend. With each new day, you stir thoughts and actions. I am honoured to receive these awards. Congratulations and thank you.
I love the Falkner quote. I have kept a gratitude journal on my nightstand for 15 years and I can tell you honestly it changed my life.
Congratulations on the awards, and thank you for passing them along but the only award I need is knowing I have friends like you in this blogging journey. You’ve been a great blog friend and I am very grateful for that friendship.
Thank You Eliz!
Thank you for the beautiful gifts Elizabeth 🙂
xox
Peace & Love,
~ Lee
The “Me” in Madness
Elizabeth
Thank you, I am grateful to be able to display these awards & pass along to fellow bloggers. You have been a huge inspiration to me since the beginning of my blog @ Lifes a Beach Journal. You gave me encouragement -your regular comments to my post were so greatfully appreciated and still to this day. Thanks for your many inspirational and creativity blogs, and the many links you’ve made available to join- in with other bloggers, whom I have come to appreciate and continue to be inspired. You are a great person, and I am thankful for getting to know you. 🙂
Blessings,
Penny
Elizabeth, thank you for including me in your list of worthy bloggers. It may take me a day, but I will absolutely share these with others as well. An act of kindness can keep going and getting bigger until the whole world is affected. I love reading your posts every day. Miriam
I am so glad I met you through the blogophere. It’s been great to watch your blog grow. I also enjoy having you in my morning email every day. You’re blog has been the one solid and consistent thing as I find my voice on this blogging journey. It’s been a really interesting journey….that’s for sure!
Thanks Elizabeth. You rock.
Congratulations, Elizabeth, on your awards. And thank you for passing them on!
I don’t remember how I found your blog but I’ve been reading constantly since then. You’ve been an inspiration and I thank you for visiting and leaving comments and encouragement.
I wish you all the very best and look forward to reading many more insightful posts.
Blessings,
Marcia
Elizabeth you are such a sweetheart and truly a solid blogging buddy! Congrats on your awards! I am grateful to have found your blog. You truly make me think deeply with every visit. The deepest thinking I’ve done has, many times, been inspired by your posts. I am very grateful for your amazing photos (like the sunrise above- beautiful!) and the quotes you find. The way you put it all together with your own words to inspire all who read here is like magic. (I have found inspiration for an upcoming closing argument for trial in your posts.) Your ability to extract philosophical pondering is a gift you have and share with all of us every day. Thank you for being here!! <3
Thank you, Eliz! I’ll post them on Rosa’s Picks today! I am grateful for such a giving blog buddy!
Congratulations on the awards! You are very deserving of them and you’re such a sweet person to share them with ALL! 🙂
I plan to display the awards and pass on the honor to other bloggers as well!
Thanks for always having such great, enlightening posts and for being a faithful commenter to my blog! You are truly amazing!
Thank you for sharing the awards,Elizabeth. It is humbling and inspiring to be in the blogging community.
Always enjoy your posts. You make me ponder many things.
Thanks, E!
Gratitude adds to our happiness now . . . and later. When we are busy looking for things to be grateful for . . . we tend to forget what we could, instead, choose to be bitter about. 😀
Cheers!
This is powerful Elizabeth, the gift of gratitude and your contribution to all of us in the bloggersphere. I really do appreciate your writing, photos and research that you put into every post. I am amazed at your ability to creatively crave out new themes and subject matter that enrich our lives.
I accept your blogger awards with such gratitude and thanksgiving that I can only smile and realize what a great friend I have in you here in this virtual world.
Peace and Light, Love and Gratitude
Walter
Congratulations, Elizabeth and also thank you. I will claim them tomorrow, because right now it is time for bed in the Oyeniyi household. Goodnight and thank you!
Scrolling through the comments above, one thing is amazingly clear…you, Eliz, motivate and encourage so many others! You are an inspiration and a great role model for true friendship and support!
I gratefully accept the awards (hope I can figure out how to put them on my blog…but the best award is being able to read your posts and continue the connection with you. 🙂
Thank you, Elizabeth, for sharing your blog awards and paying it forward! Congratulations too – I’m so glad the cyberverse has brought us all together. I’m paying it forward in gratitude.
I have found that gratitude is one of the ingredients for a good life. For three months now I have spent an hour each morning writing about something I am grateful for. Some were deep and quite emotional. Some have been quite ordinary about things usually taken for granted. My gratitude blog has profoundly changed my life! I invite you to take a look at goodmorninggratitude.com
I had just finished posting an entry about the power of choice (as re: remembering my mom, a year and a half to the day after her death) when I saw someone had found my page via this entry and clicked on through. What a beautiful way to start the day! It’s a great reminder not to give so much weight to the fact I’ve been up since 3:30, thanks to the almost two-year-old hollering from his bedroom. Better still, instead of feeling grumbly at the sleep lost, I could be grateful for the source of that sleep loss: a beautiful little boy whose smiling face is my favorite sight in the whole world. I’d rather sleep an hour a night for the rest of my life and have him hollerin’ than sleep soundly in a life without him.
I love the way you frame and reframe things, such as how you choose to share these awards, and with whom. What an excellent lesson in how to approach all things!
Thank you for all these reminders. I’m grateful for them, and for you. ♥
I learn new information from your blog, you are doing a great job. Keep it up.