Too Blessed

READY… "Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received.  Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling.  Thanksgiving is the following of that impluse."  ~ Henry Van Dyke 

AIM…  Ahhh, Thanksgiving week.  The one day a year when everyone looks forward to an amazing meal cooked to perfection.  The one day a year folks take time to be thankful for life and all their comforts.  The one day…wait a minute!  Why in the world do we wait all year for this ONE DAY to gather, cook and be grateful?  Earlier this month, many of my friends on Facebook started a daily thanks post about things they were thankful for leading up to Thanksgiving.  All their posts have been lovely, valid reasons to be grateful.  However, I also realized that initially, many of the things they were all mentioning, I was thankful for EVERY DAY of the year.  Granted, it’s difficult to gather the extended family every day (nor do some of you want to be gathered with your relatives every day.)  With working and family responsibilities, it can be difficult to prepare and cook the perfect meal for several people every day.  However, it doesn’t take any real effort to be thankful every day for the blessings in your life.  Just a brief moment while you’re sipping your coffee or during your morning commute is all it takes to recognize and utter words of gratefulness to the one who gives us our comforts, provides for our needs and loves us unconditionally every day.  Psalm 147:7 says to “Sing to the Lord with grateful praise.”  This Thanksgiving, let us sing to God our thanks for all He has blessed us with, be it your loving family, good health, financial provision or food on your table. Take time to feel blessed; not stressed.

FIRE!   We all know the typical things most folks are thankful for: God, family, friends, jobs, money, food, warm house, clothes, etc.  I’d like to know what quirky or unusual thing you are most thankful for this Thanksgiving.  It can be the one thing we all take for granted or something completely profound. Whatever it may be, give thanks, for all things!

**For me, well, I am thankful for coffee.  Coffee wakes me up in the morning.  It warms my body when I am cold.  It provides a great excuse to get together with friends to catch up and chat.  I enjoy it in all varieties of flavors and creative beverage and food concoctions.  Coffee is one silly little thing I am grateful for in my world this Thanksgiving.**

Be Excellent!
Lori

Grateful Me

READY… “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” -William Arthur Ward

AIM… I have been participating in a Facebook challenge to post something you are thankful for every day in the month of November leading up to Thanksgiving. Each day I wait until bedtime to review my day and recognize what I was most thankful for that day. I must admit, this week, I am SUPER grateful for my friend Mike who geniusly brought my computer back to life. After a week without my technology, I felt vastly deprived. Such is the way of our world these days, my friends. Computers…you can’t live with ‘em; you can’t live without ‘em! THAT is why you missed out on an Arrows message last week. I desperately tried to send it from my iphone, but alas, my AOI distribution list was on my beloved hard drive. Needless to say, we are back in action and I am most appreciative and thankful for modern technology that allows me to continue to inspire excellence and integrity into the lives of us all.

So…what are you most thankful for this Thanksgiving? The most common answers (as well they should be) are usually God, family, good friends, warm houses, food, clean water, etc. Beyond that list, what invokes your true feelings of gratitude? As you ponder, I will share a few of my favorite thankful things.

* I am thankful for coffee chats with my girlfriends. Nothing fills my soul more than a good cup of warmth and a healthy dose of uninterrupted, quality time connecting.

* I am thankful that my children still want to snuggle with me on the couch and ask for extra hugs at bedtime…even after the lights are out and I’ve left their rooms.

* I am thankful for the days I don’t have to cook at home, and we can enjoy a meal in a restaurant where the servers love what they do and offer excellent service as a result…and with a smile.

* I am thankful to live in a small city where there isn’t much traffic; the downtown is always decorated beautifully for the holidays, and the gals at my bank know me by name…even before they see it on my checks.

* Truly, I am thankful for all my loyal Arrows of Integrity readers. Your words of encouragement and support never go unnoticed, and, in fact, keep me motivated to continue writing each week. No matter what I write about, these divinely inspired messages always seem to touch at least one person with the message you needed to hear. Thank you for your continued love and desire to keep the Arrows coming.

May you all enjoy a beautiful Thanksgiving with hearts full of gratitude.

FIRE! There are 86,400 seconds in every day. Use at least ONE of them to share your gratitude this week of Thanksgiving. Surely, you can find someone with whom you are grateful!!

Be Excellent!
Lori