Being Grateful

When I taught writing, I asked my students to describe their parents by using the five senses. Gosh, does this writing exercise elicit vibrant responses! Here are some words my community college students, who ranged in age from 18 to 60, used to describe…

It’s easy to think of May as a month to honor mothers; however, there are those who were born to moms who did not want them, those they were estranged from, or mothers who’ve passed away. For these individuals, Mother’s Day can be a time…

Gratitude and appreciation have undeniable power. Being grateful can shift how we see our lives and help us become happier and focus on what matters. With or without crystals, practicing gratitude has numerous benefits…

Since time immemorial, people have been discussing the quality of gratitude. Plato (427–347 BCE) said, “A grateful mind is a great mind, which eventually attracts to itself great things.” Aristotle (384–322 BCE), a pupil of Plato, pointed out the relationship…

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…

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…

It’s the holiday season. In the last several weeks, most of us were concerned with buying gifts for family and friends. But have you thought about giving yourself a gift? How many times do you give yourself an important gift in your life?

When I was a little girl, my mother made my sister and I write thank-you notes to whoever gave us a gift, large or small, on our birthdays or for the Holidays. This from early on, when writing even one word was a laborious, tongue-biting experience…

December is not my favorite month. I call it the lost month. Why? Everyone is busy putting everything off until “after the holidays.” You saw the irony in that sentence, right? “Busy putting things off.” Everyone is shopping, wrapping, cleaning…

Perhaps it was the Thanksgiving holiday that made me look at my life through grateful eyes. The day after Thanksgiving a series of exchanges and events occurred that made me feel especially thankful…