“What has a little house with no windows and no doors, but a star inside?” 

It was exactly 3:14 am this morning when St. M announced the time to me as I rolled out of bed toward the bathroom.  Obviously, he was thinking about Pi; in my world, this means I ponder Pie.  Once back in bed, I asked St. M the age-old riddle, but he simply commented, “How about baking an APPLE pie with STARS on the crust today?”  While I can never catch him off guard, I get points for trying, huh?!  He then added, “Sweetheart, you have lots of brilliant stars inside your little house; they shine gloriously all the time.”  🙂   Yes, this is just one reason why I love this man so…  It also begs the question on Day #31:

How will you gratefully shine your inward stars out into the world in the coming year?  

We ALL have stars of light within to shine onto others, so remain grateful and hopeful we find our best way to reflect gloriously together.  And just in case you are curious, yes, we have apple pie with star leaves along the crumbly topping for dessert tonight.  Who’s bringing the Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla to go with it?  🙂

Children say and do some of the funniest things!  An acting friend of mine always notes, “Never take the stage with children or animals; you (and your character) will never have the lead.”

While going through another stack of school memorabilia recently, a most enlightening witty piece we entitled Simple Truths caught my eye.  This special letter of gratefulness was written by my classroom learners at the time and contained a list of ten things they were grateful to have learned about life so far:

10. The best place to be when you are sad is in Granny’s lap.
9. Don’t try to use the vacuum cleaner and the cat at the same time.
8. You can’t hide a piece of broccoli (or anything) in a glass of milk.
7. Puppies and kitties still have bad breath even after eating a mint.
6. Absolutely don’t sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
5. You can’t trust dogs to watch your food while you go to the bathroom.
4. Never ask your little brother to hold a tomato.
3. If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always catch the second person.
2. When your mom is mad at your dad, don’t let her brush your hair.
and then…
1. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t baptize the cat.

My students and I shared this piece with our parents that November as part of our focus on gratefulness.  To say we garnered some chuckles and responses is an understatement.  It gratefully opened the door to deep conversation about being observers and active listeners in life–noticing those interesting little things popping into your world out of nowhere in particular.

So on Day #30:  When and how do you take opportunities to gratefully observe your simple truths? 

I am beyond grateful for the many decades I was truly privileged to be a part of these profound observations and discussions on a daily basis!  Here’s hoping you take time to enJOY and appreciate the simple truths around you too!

My Granny B told me, “Gratitude is your best attitude each day.”  Her Granny B’isms (as I’ve come to call them) were her little pearls of wisdom imparted during the important work in her kitchen.  I spent a great deal of time with my maternal grandparents during my formative years.

Granny loved being in the kitchen and planned elaborate baking opportunities for us on Saturdays (in between watching Julia Child on PBS each week) as she told me stories and quietly dispensed her B’isms.  Ironically (although never formally diagnosed), she was manic depressive.  Before there were self-help books, talk shows, and the medications used today, she created her own form of self-help and hope.  She believed strongly in her faith journey and in the power of gratitude as her personal prescription toward a deeper gratefulness for life.  Celebrating daily gratitude became her habit, her attitude, and her unspoken effort.  I know she struggled many days, but she always kept giving her personal best.  Gratefulness was a powerful way to positively connect with those around her.  And who doesn’t like being around a person who’s genuinely grateful?

So today, think back over your formative years.  Who first demonstrated the power of gratefulness with an attitude of gratitude?  If given the opportunity, what would you say to this person?

In our complicated society, it is my sincerest hope we continue to seek and find an attitude of gratitude daily…and as always, gratefully choose to lead with love.

I take full responsibility for my actions, but just couldn’t stop myself.  My thought bubble burst wide open and everything just spewed out all over the entire scene.

It all started this morning when I stopped at the local coffee house for an extra cup of sanity on my way to drop off the gratitude goodies feverishly baked yesterday.  Placing my order and minding my own business, the conversation behind the counter turned on me.  I was absolutely determined to get my hot drink, my weekly bag of fresh roasted beans, and leave; no further interaction or comment required (other than, “thank you; see you next week”). Really. Just be quiet, smile, and leave with my items.

• Adult #1:  So, what do you think of all the fake media hype and election outcomes, Beth?
• Me: (smiling and pondering my response; perhaps if we took more time to really ponder, words would never hurt us?)
• Adult #2:  Being from out-of-state, she’s probably a bleeding liberal anyway…
• Adult #1:  Absolutely not; she’s a retired educator so she’s highly trained in choosing her words carefully to safely keep neutral. Look, she’s choosing them now!
  
• Adult #3:  You know she’s a red-head, right?  Don’t mess with a red-head and then expect calm.
• Me:  (with my sweetest smile and blue eyes burning) While I will not favor you with my political views, I will calmly remind you, as hopefully your mommas did while you were growing up, to THINK before you speak.  Is what you say TRUE?  Is it HELPFUL?  Does it INSPIRE?  Is it NECESSARY? – and – this is my personal favorite, Is it KIND? Just THINK; fire up those dendrites in your brain and try it sometime…and I sincerely hope you have a fabulous Friday (as I exit the shop).

Now, I’m not proud of taking their bait, yet I’m grateful the public platform to  kindly (if not so gently) remind others to THINK was blatantly given to me in an extraordinary way. Heaven only knows what happened after my exit… and St. M is now gonna need to get the bags of roasted beans for a while.

So today, I’m truly grateful for the ability to THINK (and still THINK fast on my aging feet after pondering).

Day #27:  What would happen if we all just gratefully took a little more time to THINK?

As my Granny B often reminded me, “It is easier and faster to go down the hill and take the shorter route than climb up the long and more thoughtful way, but the view is so much better from the top.”   Staying on “top” of our words is an important lesson in life; perhaps we all need a group time-out in order to just THINK. 🙂

The first message of my day in BOLD letters read: “A terrible shooting in Thousand Oaks Ca.  Lots of Pepperdine students dead… She is OK.” 

The “she” is my youngest niece, an exceptional student currently attending Pepperdine University.  Thankfully, she is safe.  Several of her friends and fellow students, however, are not OK.  They will not be returning home alive to their families for the upcoming holidays.  They will not be graduating with their hard-earned degrees from a highly competitive university in a few months.  They will not be given the opportunity to change this country… My heart shatters yet again in deepest grief for the senseless loss of human life.  In the face of another unspeakable gun tragedy, the question surfaces yet again:  What will it take before we answer these repeated calls to come together in our country to enact some common sense reform?

Fortunately, as Bishop Michael Curry reflects in his new book, “The opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s self-centeredness.  Human community depends on love and selflessness to survive.”  When it’s difficult to find a shred of hope or joy, I feel profound gratefulness for selfless humans in all capacities who willingly serve their communities in unconditional love through responding and answering calls.  Gratefully, there were brave first responders in California who courageously answered the initial 911 call, running straight into bullets, and ultimately sacrificing personal life to save others.  And since I don’t live in California to assist in some capacity, the local fire, police, and sheriff stations will have special deliveries of goodies tomorrow as a simple act of kindness for their service to our community.  As my Momma would often remind me, “Sharing gratefulness with others helps us to find it within ourselves.”

So here’s your challenge on Day #26:

How will you choose to answer the call and share selflessness and love with another in the coming days?   

Here’s hoping we all find a multitude of ways to provide the healing balm of grace as a selfless, loving answer to the call.

Einstein reflected:  “There are only two ways to live your life; one as though nothing is a miracle, the other as though everything is a miracle.” 

At dawn, our home is resplendently peaceful.  Men and beasts sleep onward at the hour I rise.  Hunkering deeply into a blanket on a back porch chair, I miraculously await the day in solitude (well, almost). In this profoundly reflective moment, I am grateful…

…for glorious leaves swishing and swirling in the crisp autumn breeze like colorful snowflakes on the yard…

…for the sparrow’s chorus at the bird feeder as the cardinal family approaches to partake in their morning ritual while geese honk to encourage one another above…

…for the aroma of freshly baked bread (bread machines are magical!) mingling with the fragrance of pine and the scent of freshly mowed lawn sprinkled in morning dew…

…for the slightest hint of chocolate in the locally roasted and freshly ground brew in my steaming cup of coffee…

…for the soft warmth of our furry “grandma kitty” who squeezes her sizeable frame next to mine in the chair for early morning snuggle time… sooo, on Day #25:

What miracles are you gratefully living in your moment today? 

Be blessed and grateful; sending blessings and gratefulness your way!

In our local independent bookstore today we stumbled upon a group of young writers (from the local elementary school) being led by their teacher.  While trying to play it cool, it took every ounce of my being not to join them (Daddy was with me and “shopping” so my time was limited).   What a privilege to witness some profound reflective few moments from this small group of writers discussing character point-of-view:

“Now take out your iPad and write your reader response to the character’s idea of finding gratitude and meaning in each day…” 

As one writer noted, “Gratitude is the surest way to heal a hurt and help you focus on what is good.”  Another commented, “I’ve found it’s a great way to make a difference in my day.”  A third shared, “I find more reasons to be grateful for all I have even when we really have very little in our life now.”  Finally, another chimed in, “So the way I see it, gratitude turns what you have into enough.”  BINGO!  🙂

The group challenged one another to list the things they are each thankful for today and to then pick one to write about by describing how it came to be in their life.  They asked big questions like, “What did you learn from it?” – and – “What meaning does this hold for you?”  Finally, they summed up the message by challenging each other to have an attitude of gratitude every day to make them aware of the blessings coming their way.

Good golly, I sure do miss small discussion groups, especially when young writers are involved!

So, without knowing it, they have inspired a BIG question for today:

How will you choose to have an attitude of gratitude so you appreciate the blessings coming your way?

Gratefulness is a mindset.  When we resolve to focus on the good, the good comes in miraculous ways.  I gratefully believe in you because you matter to me!

It’s no surprise to those who know and still love me anyway…I’m a recovering perfectionist and Type-A control freak.  It’s a powerful combination of strengths and weaknesses and at any given moment, our strengths often become our weaknesses.

There’s a precious, personally hand sewn reminder on my desk even today from my extraordinary former administrative assistant who worked with me for years when I served as an elementary principal (see photo–she nailed it!).  She is a master of gracefully managing my controlling perfectionism and I feel fairly certain she’s quietly in a recovery group somewhere to this day. 🙂

If we’re truly honest with ourselves, we all tend to control our lives based on our circumstances in that moment because we fear they determine our daily situations and outcomes. We quickly correlate our circumstances and feelings in place of learning to be content in any and all situations.  For a personal example, finding contentment as a current caregiver is a huge dose of this realization each day.  The exchange of caring and being cared for is full of dignity on both sides; it’s imperative we remain content in each moment regardless of what the situation presents or demands.

My truth:  I personally and gratefully work daily to be empowered by hope and JOY-filled connectedness in place of my perfectionism and controlling struggle.  The reality is everything is truly out of my control other than the attitude and effort I choose.

So here’s your grateful challenge today:

What do you personally yet gratefully work on daily in your life? 

We must be kind to ourselves; we are all working to adjust our glasses and see things daily from new transitional lenses, huh?!  Just remember to wipe away the gunk and always #ChooseLove for a sharper focus.  🙂

It’s no secret; I relish hiking with my sister and have racked up multiple miles through our years on foot with some stunning scenery in my memory.

As little girls, we hiked with our dad in the summers while on vacation in the mountains. One of us always looked up in awe of the daunting task ahead, wondering if our momentum and little legs would get us to the top. When we reached the top, our faces beamed with a sense of accomplishment, taking in the view and changing our perspective with greater confidence in place.  Dad always understood why we needed to be outside and climbing a mountain every now and then; it was his quiet way of teaching us about life. When we climbed mountains, faced challenges, hurdled obstacles, and learned from difficult situations, we were reminded we have the inner strength and power to overcome life’s challenges, just like the strength and power needed to hike for the best view.

At first even a little hill may seem like a big insurmountable mountain.  When you step back and steadily work your way up it, you realize you DO have the strength and power to achieve results. After all, the mountain, no matter how big it is, is no match for your faith and desire to climb it.  Attitude and effort are everything in life (and in climbing mountains); they are the only two things we really control. Mountains are meant to be climbed. Wounds are meant to be healed. Problems and failures are meant to become learning experiences. They all serve a purpose by making us stronger mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

While we often don’t control what happens to us, we can control how we see and climb the mountains of life (attitude and effort again). We can look at mountains as being in the way or as THE WAY to personal growth and success. We always have a choice. We can stand at the bottom overwhelmed and possibly defeated – or – we can dig down deep into our personal well to find the very best resources within ourselves and fearlessly hike onward. So here’s your question today:

What mountain are you hiking and how do you find a way to gratefully accept and conquer the challenge? 

Here’s to all of us gratefully hiking the journey called life! 🙂