Giving Thanks - All Year Round

Today, we're delighted to welcome a guest blogger, Sherry Richert Belul. Sherry, mom to a witty and wonderful 10-year-old boy and founder of SimplyCelebrate.net, shares her secrets about giving thanks. Like Martin Luther King, She has a dream - to bring more gratitude into the world.

Some of the best moments of parenthood are those first recognizable words that pop out of our children’s mouths. You know: When ma-ma-mamoo shifts into a solid, “Mama” and it’s obvious that his “dee-dee” refers to the fluffy kitty he is patting with pudgy hand. Usually it isn’t too long after those first thrilling words, that we begin teaching our children the dynamic duo, “Thank you.” (Usually parroted in the oh-so-endearing, “tank-you.”)

Ours is a polite society and it doesn’t take long for children to catch on to saying “thank you” when someone offers them something or does something nice for them. It becomes an automatic response. As well, it’s fabulous that our country has deemed the last Thursday in November as an annual day of thanks. Those two things are so wonderful. But they’re actually just the very tips of the great gratitude iceberg.

In my own life I’ve learned that it’s possible to create an ongoing practice for myself and my family that is a conscious effort to bring gratitude into our lives throughout the day, in a variety of ways. I promise you, if you commit to trying just a couple of these practices for just a couple weeks, you’ll experience the magic of gratitude. Because here’s the secret: every single time we pause to express gratitude for something in our lives, we get to experience receiving that thing all over again. When we’re giving thanks, we’re receiving more of what we’re grateful for. Saying thank you instantly multiples what we have!

Wanna start your own gratitude practice? Below is a “Chinese Menu” of places to begin. These are all simple things that you can incorporate into your day — and suggest to or model for your family. I hope you’ll write and let me know how it goes!

Lists
Gratitude lists are the easiest and most foolproof places to begin bringing more joy into our lives. This is what you do: first thing upon waking or last thing before going to bed, grab a piece of paper or the laptop and make a list of ten things you are grateful for in your life. Could be your daughter’s bubbly laugh. Could be that you can walk, see, or dream. Might be having a fridge full of food. Could be having shared a cup of tea with your friend. Don’t think that the items on your list have to be spectacular, like winning the lottery! In fact, the more we can allow ourselves to feel grateful for the everyday things in our lives, the more things we have to be grateful for!

Lists are a great way to involve your family. In our house, before our meals we go around the table once or twice and each list something we’re grateful for. You can also set aside a time before bed or in the morn when your family writes your list of ten things silently together but then share an item or two that you each wrote down. (Or if the kids are small, you can go around in a circle and share verbally!)

Glitz
Something go your way? Did you get some praise or a raise at work? Find a parking spot at the busy shopping center? Your four-year-old eat some broccoli? You slipped, but didn’t get hurt? Take a moment to offer thanks for these kinds of sparkly moments. Lots of times, I’ll just stop for a few seconds, look at the sky, and whisper “thank you.” Not only does it offer us a chance to truly experience our good fortune, but also I’ve found that it reinforces my desire to look for or create more glitzy situations!

Log on again Wednesday – Sherry will tell us lots more ways to express our gratitude.You can sign up for Simply Celebrate’s free newsletter at www.SimplyCelebrate.net. And learn more about Sherry's ebook, "Present Perfect: It Really is the Thought That Counts," that includes dozens of no-to-low cost gifts that are fun to make and full of love.

Excitement about the Inauguration

With Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th President of the United States tomorrow, some are expecting high drama. This ceremony has always been seen as a sacred renewal but, with our country in crisis and the election of the first African American president, this may be the most exciting one in memory.

Today is Martin Luther King Day, a national day of service to others. The activites building up to the inauguration are taking place close to where King made his famous "I have a dream" speech in 1963. His words inform a lot of the emotion evoked by this election - the idea of volunteering, sacrificing, giving back.

Pundits are calling the president elect AbeBama and he has claim to Lincoln's legacy – high emotional intelligence, open to new ideas and engaging people through plain speaking.

Despite a crisis in confidence and no model for how to fix what our country is going through, there's solidarity around this new leader. Barack Obama says he knows there's work to be done and it's time to do it. He's as hopeful as ever. Are you?

Click on the link above to read about what Oprah's support of Obama has to do with Sandwiched Boomers. And stay tuned as we look at the events of this week in light of the new first family.

Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. today, Americans may wonder how much progress has been made toward realizing his dream, so eloquently stated that steamy August day, 1963, in Washington, D.C. According to a poll done by CNN/Opinion Research, a significant majority of blacks and whites believe that the dream of racial equality has evolved in our society. A full 72% of whites and 61% of blacks are of the opinion that America in 2008 would be accepting of a black President.

According to the same poll, slightly fewer voters, around 63%, believe that we are ready for a woman President. No questions were asked about the likelihood of electing the first Mormon President nor the first multiply-divorced President nor the first septuagenarian President nor the first evangelical minister President. With "change" the new buzzword, it is likely that the chosen candidates will be the "first" in something. It's up to you to help determine what that first will be.

So, Sandwiched Boomers, this is your time to get involved - watch the debates, study the candidates' proposals, learn about their advisors, listen to their speeches, find out about their past actions. Support whomever you think is the best candidate - your choice as a voter may bring to office the next President of the United States.

As the day approaches for Americans to acknowledge and pay respect to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his accomplishments, Democrats seem to be going from bad to worse as they wrangle over who played the race card first when evaluating Dr. King's legacy. Supporters of both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama imply the other's comments brought racism into the primaries. It's hard to say who threw the first punch, but clearly the campaigning is getting dirty.

What happens within your own family when you have conflicts? Do you begin to hit below the belt? Learning to fight fairly is important, especially for Sandwiched Boomers who are stressed daily by the struggles of caring for aging parents and growing children. When you are feeling frustrated and exhausted by your responsibilities as a caregiver to your family in flux, resist the tendency to unload your raw anger on those nearest and dearest to you. Make a commitment to address the issues openly and honestly - but without rancor. You can let others know what you need without blaming them for your situation. Talk about how they can change their behaviors rather than attacking their character traits. As you continue to work on improving the relations within your family, you will all grow in respect for one another. And respecting each person in the family of man honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his message every day.