Being Grateful

The ability to be thankful for life’s ugliness as much as for what uplifts us is one lesson that I learned from certain characters which came to life via the talented imagination of Larry McMurtry. The author rode into his own Western sunset this past week at 84…

Several years ago, when I was living in Florida, I rented a beautiful condo on the river. The lanai overlooked the water, where I could see boats, kayaks, and all sorts of wildlife. My neighbors told me to watch for the dolphins that come around…

I had a biggish birthday recently. It wasn’t a milestone birthday, but rather – as one of the cards a friend sent me put it – “Somewhere between 29 and ‘none of your business’.” Because we are in lockdown here in the UK…

Did you know that writing gratitude lists boosts your mood and improves happiness? I sometimes forget this in my day-to-day grumblings about hangnails and hay fever, but today, I’ve dusted off my gratitude list. Firstly, I am grateful for my…

When we refuse to judge others, we express love and compassion. Love does not mean we become passive and allow others to abuse us. It is quite the contrary. Compassion is not weak but strong. It allows us to see where the suffering…

When good things happen to us, we feel grateful. We’re thankful for our family, a comfortable home, caring friends, purposeful activities in retirement or paid employment, health, life in a free country, a pretty sunset, and more…

I Had a Handle on Life but It Broke, is the title of a book by fellow professional speaker Mary LoVerde out of Denver, Colorado. Thankfully, you can’t copyright titles, although I’ll always attribute. This one’s too good not to steal…

We’ve all heard it many times and many different ways during our lives. Count your blessings, give thanks, feel lucky for what you have, think of people who don’t have as much. We understand the words, but seldom do we stop to think…

Halloween dawned, or tried to, with the famous Blue Moon likely to be hidden behind some clouds. This year I spent it a long way away from where I was last year at this time, having moved myself Lock Stock and Barrel to another part of America…

Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with large family gatherings. We eat communally prepared feasts, share family stories, and spend hours indoors playing games, working puzzles, and watching televised…