Children’s Valentine, 1940–1950 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Of course I love being able to search for anything at any time…. but I’ll confess to being a big fan of the doodles, too! Enjoy!
12 Google Doodles for Valentine’s Day.
Long before Oprah’s attention caused gratitude journals to soar in popularity Dale Carnegie taught us all to “give honest, sincere appreciation.” And Irving Berlin penned the lyrics “When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep.”
People have been encouraging us to get grateful for a long time.
So what’s the great about gratitude?
Well for one thing, it’s good for your health. (I’m grateful that we have lots of research on the subject!) A ten-week study cited in this post tells us that subjects focused on gratitude exercised more, reported fewer complaints and symptoms and reported being 25% happier than others.
Not only are grateful people said to engage in better self-care, some studies link gratitude’s close cousin “optimism” with stronger immune function.
The ability to feel and express gratitude is an important skill to share with our children. I don’t think it matters HOW we teach our kids to share gratitude and appreciation: a blessing before a meal, regular sharing about the best parts of each of our days, practicing good manners, making lists or journaling together are all reasonable choices.
Which one will you try first?
German Shepherd Dogs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
…for family, friends, health and happiness of course. I’m grateful for people who read my work or listen to my talks and tell me what they think! I’m grateful for the people that this job allows me to meet…. and the ones who stay in touch.
Here are some updates about a few of those people….
Tim Vandehey, editor and friend, has a new blog for writers.
Tom Tuohy and Dreams for Kids continue to grow and flourish.
Tina Binheimer rescues German Shepherd dogs and retrains them for a life of service.
Want to share about someone or something that makes YOU feel grateful? Please comment — I’d love to hear about them. (And will probably add a few of my own when I get out of the car a bit later!)
Happy Thanksgiving.
