Learning to Appreciate....I woke up this morning to an e- mail that touched my heart..... And the desire to reach out and share it with you was overwhelming!! It was a story about appreciating a loved on and acknowledging their anniversary of their life on earth!! It spoke of a woman who lived 97 years and always gave to others... Even on her death bed her greatest concern was whether or not that the doctor had eaten dinner.... The story told of how this beautiful woman read to her long time husband when he lost his sight....He loved literature and she refused to let him "go without" after he lost his sight! "As I look back on my memories of Papa and Mama - I cannot help but be amazed at her devotion to the man she fell in love with as a young girl. I can only imagine Papa's frustration when he lost his eyesight. It must have been terrible for a man to whom words meant so much to be deprived of his ability to read. But then Mama became his eyes. Who can forget the daily ritual of her reading aloud to Papa and stopping to check the dictionary or the encyclopedia ever so often, on his request? Who can forget his constant cries of "Lena, Lena"? And I never once heard her complain through all this. What better example could she have set me - one of love and devotion to the man she had 15 children with? We can all learn from this amazing dedication of Love!!And I must add...Holly said it best.... "Yes, and no matter how bad we think we have it, there is always someone worse off. " This person who reaches down deep and gives with True Love and Dedication is to be respected and admired.U R Abundant Because Abundance is All there Is "Feeling appreciated is one of the most important needs that people have. When you share with someone your appreciation and gratitude, they will not forget you. Appreciation will return to you many times." Steve Brunkhorst "Before someone's tomorrow has been taken away, cherish those you love, appreciate them today." Michelle C. Ustaszeski "Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." Author Unknown "The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated." William James "Be verbal in acknowledging your appreciation." Catherine Pulsifer "Life holds so many simple blessings, each day bringing its own individual wonder." John McLeod (Jaymac)Attract Abundance in Every Area of YOUR Life "Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart." Seneca "If you don't think every day is a great day try going without one." Jim Evans As you consider the power of appreciation in your life, keep in mind two meanings of appreciate from Webster: 1. To think well of; value; enjoy; esteem 2. To rise in value This is how the appreciative life works: By valuing, enjoying, thinking well of, and holding in esteem the best of who we are as human beings, we can help those elements rise in value. So much self-help is focused on fixing what is wrong with ourselves. We try to hack away at our negative tendencies with a focus on our weaknesses and thus create internal anger toward ourselves. The appreciative approach is to find what we value and desire and to notice those elements, encourage them to arise in life, and express self- gratitude when those elements arise. This appreciative approach may sound sane and simple, but it seems to run against human nature. Most people seem wired to see their faults clearly and dwell on failures and at the same time ignore strengths. By dwelling on what we don't want and keeping the focus on negative habits of thought and action, we are actually helping those things appreciate and grow in our lives. If you want to appreciate the ability to be mindful and pay attention to the present moment, you will no doubt quickly notice how often your mind strays from the present moment. You will notice forgetfulness and will be tempted to see yourself as a failure in being mindful. But every act of seeing forgetfulness is a moment of mindfulness. If you want to move from patience to impatience, notice and value your increasing patience. if you are angry and want to be more peaceful, notice what brings peace to you and when you help others to find peace. Reflection on what you are creating in your life will add to valuing what you want to appreciate and you will increase those elements in your life. What do you wish to appreciate in value in your life? When in the last day have you seen those elements more prominent in your life? What do you want to grow in value in your life that will bring you greater contentment and happiness? What do you want to appreciate in value that will allow you to be of greater service and help to lift up the world? Life is short and our time is much better spent appreciating what we want instead of dwelling on and attempting to avoid what we don't want. "All that we are is the result of what we have thought; it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts." - The Buddha from: http://www.appreciateyourlife.com/appreciation/ Love - Success :)Forever Yours - 3rd Force