Chapter 11, Page 30, Book 17

 Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.

Hamilton Wright Mabie

November 30th

Today I’m thankful for Love

Your greatest power is the power to be.
To be more loving. To be more courageous.
To be more joyous. To be more friendly.
To be more sensitive. To be more aware.
To be more forgiving. To be more tolerant.
To be more humble. To be more patient.
To be more helpful.
To be a greater human being.

Wilfred A. Peterson 

I believe that in order to live fully, we need to love freely.  Love yourself, love others, and love life.  When all is said and done, the truth is that love never fails.  

The world sure would be a different place if we lacked the ability to love. Without love life has no meaning.

Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody's business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy

Thomas Merton

Unconditional love is the most powerful force in the universe.   Unconditional love means loving another in their essence, as they are, no matter what they do or fail to do

It requires a great deal of thought, action, and faith to love unconditionally, to act with love under all conditions.   The way to receive unconditional love is to give it away. Unconditional love doesn't come with any expectations or strings attached. It is present whether or not we succeed or fail and isn't attached to what we do but to who we are.

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.

Denis Waitley

Happiness is a choice and so is love.  To be happy, you need to love deeply, you need to love life, be passionate and not afraid.  Let’s choose to live life fully and make it a happy one. Let’s choose to fill it with love.

There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.

George Sand

Love is powerful enough to make hard and sometimes irrational decisions. Love is powerful enough to commit to something for the long-haul. Love is powerful enough to get you out of bed at 5AM and get to work. Love is powerful enough to learn things and acquire skills to benefit the lives of others. Love is powerful enough to change you into someone more and better than you currently are.

The only thing we never get enough of is love; and the only thing we never give enough of is love.

Henry Miller

Chapter 11, Page 29, Book 17

When I learn something new – and it happens every day – I feel a little more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.

Bill Moyers

November 29th

Today I’m Thankful for the ability to learn

Knowledge is when you learn something new every day, wisdom is when you let something go every day

 Emerson

The ability to learn new things means we have endless potential.  Believe it or not, your head will expand to fit whatever you try to stuff into it!  

There are a lot of good, practical reasons to make learning something new a part of your daily routine, but the best reason has nothing to do with practicality,  because we are learning creatures, learning is what makes us humans and our lives worthwhile

To get something you never had, you have to do something you've never done. 

Author Unknown

It’s impossible for us to know everything because things are always changing. We change too and that’s why it’s important for us to learn something new.  Some folks may think they know it all and refuse to think about or do something different. But just as a new day comes again and again, new things are always going to happen

You learn something every day if you pay attention. 

Ray LeBlond

Chapter 11, Page 28, Book 17

Life is about accepting the challenges along the way, choosing to keep moving forward, and savoring the journey.

 Roy T. Bennett

November 28th

Today I’m thankful for Challenges

Perspective is everything when you are experiencing the challenges of life. 

Joni Eareckson Tada

Without challenges in life, we wouldn’t be the people we are now. We don't grow when things are easy, we grow when we face challenges.

We should focus on solutions rather than situations. When we focus on our problems, we give them strength and feed their growth, our problems take us where they want us to go.  Often what wears us down most is not the actual problem, but the constant thinking about it.

Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost.

Helen Keller

When we focus on solutions, our lives are more productive because our goal is to exhaust all our options. This change in perspective causes us to see a glass that is half full.

Challenging circumstances serve the purpose of teaching us how to enjoy the moment and we are more inclined to seize new opportunities. 

If you so choose, the challenges can make you stronger. If you so choose, the disappointments can make you more determined. 

Ralph Marston

Chapter 11, Page 27, Book 17

Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy. 

John Denver

November 27th

Today I’m thankful for Sunshine

I think you might dispense with half your doctors if you would only consult Dr. Sun more. 

Henry Ward Beecher

 Without sunlight, life as we know it could not exist.  While it is true that excessive sunlight can increase the risk of skin cancer and cataracts, sun in moderate amounts has many benefits.

Fruits and vegetables that receive the direct rays of the sun grow much better than those that are exposed to artificial light.

The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they'll ease
Your will they'll mend
And charge you not a shilling.

Nursery rhyme 

Sunshine is also one of the most effective healing agents known.  Fresh air and sunlight are life giving.

The sun unlocks the vitamins in food. Without the sun's rays, we could not get the full value from our food. The sun's rays gives plants the ability, through a process known as photosynthesis, to take carbon dioxide and oxygen from the air and combine these into the basic food substances by which all things live.

Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. 

Benjamin Franklin

The sun is such a magnificent energy.  Energy from the sun's rays act on certain substances in the skin, changing them to vitamin D, one of the essential vitamins to the body.  Sunlight kills many germs and enhances the immune system.

Sunshine is good for the body and the soul.  There is a beauty all around us, yet, many never notice it. When you begin to notice the little things, your life takes on a brighter hue.

 A ray of sunshine melts my frown and blows my blues away. 

Jimmy Page

Sunlight deprivation can cause a condition called seasonal affective disorder know as SAD. SAD is a form of depression common in the winter months. It is also common in people who work long hours in office buildings and hardly get out for some sun. Studies show that increased exposure to sunlight does indeed enhance your mood. I have to say that I’m happier when I’m outside on a bright, beautiful sunny day than when I experience a gray, gloomy day.

 Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch. 

Walt Whitman

The sun’s warmth can brighten any day and like the sun, some people can radiate happiness and make everyone around them happy too.  When something radiates, it sends out waves or rays.  I am thankful for the people who bring sunshine into my life when circumstances make it feel like I'm living through a storm.  

 Optimism is the sunshine of the soul. 

Old Saying

We can be like the sun: move slowly, radiate warmth, and shine .  There are some days you just have to dig deep and bring your own sunshine to a cloudy day

 Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. 

Anthony J. D'Angelo

Chapter 11, Page 26, Book 17

The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.

 Bill Gates

November 26th

Today I’m thankful for the internet

A journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click. 

Author Unknown

The internet gives me plenty of reasons to be thankful.  First and foremost it enables me to keep in touch with my family and friends.  It saves me lots of money too, as I now read my favorite magazines and newspapers on line.   The internet is a fount of knowledge and I can find information on just about anything.

Being able to blog and keep a daily record of my thoughts is is another great benefit of the internet.  I’ve met so many new friends on blogger and am very thankful for them.  I’ve been able to see parts of the world I’d never been able to see otherwise.  

The internet had brought back the art of letter writing.  Emails flow back and forth as we continue to keep in touch with other  Although we pay for an internet connection, we no longer buy the amount of postage stamps that used to.  Thanks to the internet we can even pay our bills on line.

It no longer takes days and days for news to reach us.  Almost instantly we can know what’s going around us.  Both in the world and in our families it only takes a minute to catch up on what’s happening.

The internet even allows me to view TV.  When I first moved here last March I was told that there were too many trees blocking a good TV connection with Satellite,  but thanks to the internet I can watch TV by streaming my favorite shows.  The internet provided by our telephone company enables me to watch whatever I want too.

There is always something to be thankful for.

Home is where you hang your @.  

Author Unknown

Chapter 11, Page 25, Book 17

The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of life is to serve. The secret of life is to dare. The spice of life is to befriend. The beauty of life is to give. The joy of life is to love.

William Arthur Ward

November 25th

Today I’m thankful for change

Thanksgiving Memories

The past can teach us, nurture us, but it cannot
sustain us. The essence of life is change, and we
must move ever forward or the soul will wither and die.

Susanna Kearsley

We all face changes every day whether it is a simple change in the weather, our schedule or expected change of seasons. Change affects us all and we each deal with change differently. This is the only constant in life, the only thing we can be sure will happen.

Just like seasons, life and people change too. You get things the way you like it and then something beyond your control changes everything. 

Happy people roll with the punches. They know from experience that everything changes. Today's good fortune may vanish tomorrow, today's crisis may turn out to be tomorrow's good fortune.

Author Unknown

Sometimes life does not go as you planned.  When this happens, breathe and remember that life’s richness often comes from its unpredictability.  Every moment gives you a new beginning and a new ending.  Be thankful to start from where you are now.  Wishing for a different past will only waste your present.  

Life is what you make it, and change is no different! In fact, the only thing we can count on in life is that change will be constant!   But it is all a part of life and we can all learn and grow from it.

 Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different.

C. S. Lewis

Chapter 11, Page 24, Book 17

The five senses are the ministers of the soul. 

 Leonardo Da Vinci

November 24th

Today I’m thankful for my senses

Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day. 

Robert Caspar Lintner

I’m continuing on with my days of thankfulness until the end of November.  I never get tired of saying Thanks and I hope your not tired of reading about what I’m thankful for either.  Hopefully you are thankful for a lot of the same things.

Of all the senses, sight must be the most delightful. 

Helen Keller

Sense of sight – for letting you see the colors of life.. 

Nature has given us two ears, two eyes, and but one tongue--to the end that we should hear and see more than we speak.

 Socrates

Sense of hearing – for letting you hear the trickle of rain, the voices of your loved ones, and the harmonious chords of music.

If you can learn from hard knocks, you can also learn from soft touches. 

Carolyn Kenmore

 Sense of touch – for letting you feel the texture of your clothes, the breeze of the wind, the hands of your loved ones.

Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies. 

Erich Fromm

 Sense of smell – for letting you smell scented candles, perfumes, and beautiful flowers in your garden.

When one has tasted it Watermelon he knows what the angels eat. 

Mark Twain

 Sense of taste – for letting you savor the sweetness of fruits, the saltiness of seawater, the sourness of pickles, and the spiciness of chili.  

Reason is founded on the evidence of our senses. 

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Chapter 11, Page 23, Book 17

Remember God's bounty in the year. String the pearls of His favor. Hide the dark parts, except so far as they are breaking out in light! Give this one day to thanks, to joy, to gratitude!

Henry Ward Beecher

November 23rd

Today I’m thankful for a day to celebrate Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude. 

E.P. Powell

 It’s a day to bend the knee and give thanks for all we’ve been given.  

We have this one day of the year set apart from all the others for the soul purpose of giving thanks and that is why I’m sharing a little of our Thanksgiving history with you all today.  

Thanksgiving Day can be traced back to the 1621 celebration at the Plymouth Plantation, where the religious refugees from England known popularly as the Pilgrims invited the local Native Americans to a harvest feast after a particularly successful growing season.

Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. 

Edward Sanford Martin

The National Thanksgiving Proclamation was the first formal proclamation of Thanksgiving in America. George Washington, the first president of the United States,  made this proclamation on Oct 3, 1789

 In 1863 at the height of the Civil War President Lincoln supported legislation which established a national holiday of Thanksgiving.  The day was set in stone by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 and approved by Congress in 1941, designating Thanksgiving as last Thursday in November, because there are sometimes five Thursdays in the month

Dear Lord; we beg but one boon more:
Peace in the hearts of all men living,
peace in the whole world this Thanksgiving.

Joseph Ausländer

Another Thanksgiving tradition is the Macy's parade in New York City which is an annual pageant of floats, marching bands and gigantic balloons.

The parade dates back to the 1920s when many of the immigrant workers at Macy's department store were keen to celebrate the American holiday with the sort of festival their parents had thrown in Europe. Macy’s gave the children of New York a particularly special Thanksgiving treat!

Ah! on Thanksgiving day....
When the care wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before.
What moistens the lips and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich pumpkin pie?

John Greenleaf Whittier

Although Thanksgiving Day always ends, our expressions of gratitude to God should continue throughout our daily lives.  

Always remember that : People with a cheerful heart have Thanksgiving 365 days a year. 

From my house to yours, I hope you all have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving !

Chapter 11, Page 22, Book 17

Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. And lo, no one was there.

Author Unknown

November 22nd

Today I am thankful for my faith

Faith is not without worry or care, but faith is fear that has said a prayer. 

Author unknown

Faith is an expression of hope for something better. More than a wish, it is closer to a belief, but not quite. A belief is rooted in the mind. Faith is based in the heart.To some extent I think we all have faith of some sort or another.  Without hope, there can be no faith.

If you think about it, we practice faith everyday of our lives. When you sit in a chair, you have faith that the chair will hold your body weight.  You probably base that faith in the fact that you’ve seen other people sit in the chair or the fact that you’ve sat in other chairs and they haven’t dropped you yet. Every time you step into a plane, you put faith in the incredible theory of aerodynamics that assures us that the plane can fly across the ocean, even though most of us don’t understand how.

Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys. 

Madeleine L’Engle

Faith is defined as belief with strong conviction; firm belief in something for which there may be no tangible proof; complete trust, confidence, reliance or devotion. Faith is the opposite of doubt.

We always need faith, and the longer we live the greater our need becomes.  Having  faith becomes even more important.  When things get tough, it’s faith that assures us that life will get better.  We need to trust the journey, even when we do not understand it. To accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in the road ahead.

Because of my faith I have meaning and purpose in my life.  Having just a little faith can do amazing things in your life and in the lives of those around you.    Faith is like a muscle. The more you use it, the bigger it gets.  

Faith is not about everything turning out okay, faith is about being okay no matter how things turn out. 

Author Unknown

Bless the Lord, my soul.

Chapter 11, Page 21, Book 17

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainty that just to be alive is a grand thing. 

Agatha Christie

November 21st 

Today I’m thankful for the gift of life

Thanksgiving is an attitude that must be rooted in the gift of life if we ever hope to be thankful for the gifts of life.

Craig D. Lounsbrough

When you wake each morning, you have the gift of being alive! Be thankful for it. From there, the day is ours for the making. How our lives pan out for that day comes down to how we approach our day from the moment we wake.

If we start each day by being thankful for our lives, we start off our day in a positive and happy way.

I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual... O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches. No run on my bank can drain it for my wealth is not possession but enjoyment.

Henry David Thoreau

It’s said that each of us comes into this life with a set of unique talents and special gifts.   Who you are, what you do, and how you show up in the world is special and unique. Everything you share, whether it’s your bright smile, your compassionate heart, your sharp intellect, or your quality of presence, has a ripple effect on everyone around you and beyond.

For life is a gift!  Unwrap it and discover what lies within. Cherish it! Live it! Enjoy it! It is there to be lived. Celebrate it and make the most of every moment of it.

Be glad of  life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.

Henry Van Dyke

My life is a gift. I'm grateful.