Tag: gratitude

Categories
Attitude growth

Why I Am Grateful to Be Alive

1965 Elkhart Double Tornado-Palm Sunday.

Every April 11 reminds me why I am grateful to be alive. It was sixty years ago, on April 11, 1965, when disaster struck. The day was a balmy Palm Sunday in Indiana. My mother was five months pregnant with me. Even though it was stormy, it was evening, and they were getting ready to go to church.

My grandparents lived about five miles southwest of my parents. My Uncle Preston was with them. As they were chatting, they suddenly felt things go deathly quiet. Uncle Preston rushed out to the mailbox. To the northwest, he saw the tornado. He ran back in and told everyone to get in the coal bin. He rushed to the phone to call my dad.

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Easter holiday

Lessons from a Good Friday

That’s right! There’s no cartoon today. I saw this scene and thought it would be perfect for this day. Here are some observations and lessons from a Good Friday.

Daffodils around a mailbox with the caption, "Good Friday"

The joy of Easter wouldn’t mean much without the suffering and sacrifice of Good Friday. There would be no resurrection without death. One needs the other.

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Categories
motivation

Ambition and Happiness

“Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don't put off being happy until some future date.” Dale Carnegie

My wife and I have a cat that is perpetually seeking the perfect lap. She wants the person whose lap she occupies to have her undivided attention. Her goal is to rest on top of our arms so that we can’t do anything but pay attention to her. She has a disconnect between ambition and happiness.

The cat is rarely satisfied. She leaves our lap not because she is content, but because she has given up on having us submit to her desires.

Cat lying on top of a Bible
Miley, the Cat, on the Word ©2022 Kevin Spear

A lot of us are like that. We want something that is just out of reach. We are convinced we won’t be happy until we achieve a goal. Our ambition drives us to discontentment if we aren’t careful.

I too have ambition and If I am not careful, I can allow it to put off happiness. I can be so focused on the future, I miss out on what good things are happening today. A quote by Dale Carnegie reminds me how foolish this can be.

“Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don’t put off being happy until some future date.”

Dale Carnegie

We can get too busy to have fun. We try to hustle today to make things happen for tomorrow. But what if we are missing out on today’s blessings?

Don’t postpone happiness! We can pursue goals and have ambitions without sacrificing today’s well-being.

  • Count our blessings and write them down
  • Have a conversation with a loved one
  • If today is frustrating, ask “What does today make possible?”
  • Go for a walk and take in some nature

It is good to have ambitions. But don’t forget we have today to enjoy as well.

Categories
Christmas holiday

Entitled Christmas

Entitled Christmas

What if Mary and Joseph gave us the first example of an entitled Christmas? After all, I’ve lived around farmers most of my life. Many of my family are farmers and not one of them decided it was a good idea to have their baby in a stable.

What if Mary and Joseph spent the journey to Bethlehem complaining about the Roman government and the stupid census? Of all the times for the government to count people so they could be taxed more! Why couldn’t God make things more convenient for them?

And look at all that traffic! Everyone was passing them because an “obviously pregnant woman” would not be able to kick it into high gear. What if Joseph was steaming because they weren’t making good time?

Silent Night?

Joseph could have been very indignant that the innkeeper had no room. Even if the baby wasn’t the Messiah, shouldn’t a baby have the right to be born in a clean, peaceful environment? What if Mary gave Joseph a hard time for being unable to hustle and find a decent place for them? Couldn’t the guy book a reservation?

Then what if Mary and Joseph spent the night brooding about their situation when the shepherds arrived? Isn’t it bad enough they have to face the indignity of a stable birth? Sure, if you are stuck in a stable, I guess shepherds would be the logical next step. After all, the innkeeper is busy with all the paying guests in the warm, comfortable inn. Why not have smelly shepherds join the party with their newborn?

Entitlement Ruins Christmas

Whether it’s a gift we expected but didn’t get or a feeling that we deserve better than this or that, Christmas holiday entitlement can ruin the season. There are plenty of examples of people that make the holidays less than bright. When the season of giving becomes a time of entitlement, there is little peace on earth, or within.

Instead of encouraging a selfish mentality, we can nurture a giving spirit in our children and ourselves. Here are some tips I wrote to do just that!

We have plenty of reasons to have gratitude this time of year. And we can be giving instead of thinking about how things “should be.” May your Christmas holiday be merry and bright.

Categories
holiday Quotes

A Prayer of Gratitude

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” Meister Eckhart

Today, in the United States, most of us will be gathering around a table and offering a prayer of gratitude. The two simple words of thank you can do amazing things.

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

Meister Eckhart

A prayer of thanks changes us. We can come to God with no agenda and just simply express gratitude. It reminds us of what we do have and humbles us enough to realize we are more dependent than we would like to think.

All of us have wants and needs. On the other hand, if someone only comes to us when they want something, we start to dread the next encounter. None of us like a relationship where the other person is a taker.

Today, let us give thanks. Give thanks in prayer, and also give thanks to those around us. We rely on others much more than we would like to admit. Let us give thanks in prayer and in the words we give to others.

Think about why someone dear to you is so dear. Tell them. If it is too hard, we can just say, “Thank you.” If they ask what for, just tell them that they mean so much to us. A memory of past generosity is good, but not necessary. Just thank someone for the blessing they are. It does our heart, and the heart of the recipient of our gratitude, a good thing.