Saturday, November 24, 2007
I hope all of you had a happy Thanksgiving; and I especially hope you were able to take a few minutes to think about what you’re thankful for. When pain is our constant companion, sometimes it can be hard to focus on the positive aspects of our lives. But study after study has shown that having a positive, thankful attitude can actually improve our health and can even lessen our pain or make it more tolerable. A very good article by Deborah Norville in the October 2007 issue of Reader’s Digest, now available online, discusses “The New Science of Thank You” and how it can change your life. She describes several studies done on thankfulness and gives steps we can take to adopt a more thankful attitude.
I’d like to encourage each of you to read the article and, if you haven’t already done so, either comment here or do your own SharePost and share what you are thankful for. I’ll start the ball rolling. The top five things I’m thankful for are:
- Faith – that God loves and cares for me.
- Family – that I have the best children and grandchildren in the world. (Ok, I’m a little prejudiced – but they really are great kids!)
- Friends – I’m blessed to have old friends from as far back as high school as well as newer friends, all of whom are there for me when I need them.
- Pets – My dog and three cats are not only great company for me, they keep me laughing at their playful antics.
- Work – Being able to work from home enables me to continue support myself in spite of my illness.
Now it’s your turn. What are you most thankful for?
