(In case you saw the original title of this post “Happy Thanksgiving 2009”, there’s a simple explanation. I had just finished Thanksgiving dinner and sat down on the couch to hurriedly type this post. Apparently all that turkey tryptophan got to my brain, because I forgot what year it was and didn’t realize it until the comments started coming in đ )
I try to avoid making the clichĂ© “holiday blog posts”. After all, do you really need to read ANOTHER sappy “I’m so thankful for…” article?
And in the Internet marketing world the way it usually works is the marketer says… Happy thanksgiving, now go buy this.
The fact is, I am incredibly grateful for my life and the people in it. But I’ll spare you the stereotypical thanksgiving “stuffing”, because I want to do something a little different.
First, I want everyone who reads this newsletter to know that I’m thankful for YOU. Without you, Eric’s Tips wouldn’t exist.
Here’s a FREE small gift as a token of my appreciation. It’s an ebook called Firesale Profits Revealed. I’ve made tens of thousands of dollars from quick little firesales, so this ebook talks about how to do it (Note: I didn’t write it… it was ghost written)…
Click Here to Download Now (Includes Master Resale Rights)
It also comes with Master Resale Rights and a full sales page for you to sell it from. Here’s the rights…
[YES] Can resell it and keep 100% of the profits
[YES] Can sell resale rights
[YES] Can give it away
[YES] Can bundle with other products
[YES] Can use as bonus
[YES] Can add to membership site
[NO] Includes Private Label Rights
Second, instead of making a huge list of things I’m thankful for, I want to know what YOU are thankful for. Please post in the comments below what you are thankful for.
UPDATE:
Thank you so much to every one who posted a comment below. Many of them brought tears to my eyes. I’m sure the comments have touched and inspired hundreds of people who have read through them.
I honestly did not know what to expect. I knew I would get some comments, but the depth and sincerity of them really surprised me, particularly in light of the difficult time the world is currently going through.
Thank you for reminding me that the difficult times reveal to us what we have to be thankful for.
There were so many great comments… honorable mentions include Michael Robinson, Keith, Michaela, Ron, Simon W Rosenberg DMD, Ray, Pete Bass, Glenn Hughes, Carol Huskison, and too many others to mention them all.
My “runner up” would be Scott, whose website is Ask the Wealth Squad, who said:
I am thankful for
The pain I sometimes wake up to make me enjoy the freedom of pain.
My divorce for making me realize what was missing in my life – a strong relationship with God and his son Jesus
My recent layoff from work which gave me time to think about what I wanted to do with my life when I grow up (Currently age 40 but not wanting to grow up just yet)
The recent drop in the stock market as it created the realization that invested in ourselves in the best stock to buy.
The courts for granting me custody of my wonderful son 13 years ago.
My parents for feeding me while I am laid off
My years of plenty and Godâs wisdom to store some wealth so that I can live for a bit without worry.
The worry that comes from that time I can live on my savings which gives me courage to do something new.
My friends and family for doubting me when I was young as it gave me the strength to succeed.
My dogs who love me no matter what the world does.
The USA and the opportunities it brings to anyone who is willing to work and sacrifice.
Our soldiers who have died protecting those rights.
The 2nd Amendment which protects us from our government reaching too far.
The Constitution and the brilliance it brings to our lives.
Austrian economics to understand business cycles and realize that this too shall pass.
Your website and the generosity you show – and the realization that you can be focused on doing good in the world and making a profit at it.
The interest and the ease of access to information to see how the world really works.
My travels overseas to fully understand how different our country is.
For my website which is still a work in progress – so this post has to stir me to action to finish it đ
For God sending his son to suffer and die for me.
For every breath
For every step
For every tear
For every pain
For every fear
For every doubterFor without struggle how can we say we have overcome? How can we know victory without knowing loss?
We fail not when we fall but when we donât get up.
Scott
For the “winning” comment, I am choosing Kathryn Duerst, whose comment embodies the spirit of thankfulness. Thank you for reminding me to take a second look to see the divine.
Kathryn said,
Gratefulness is the ability to see the good in every circumstance, as even the hard times and trials are intended by God to shape us into His beautiful image and build our character. This is what I have heard all my life, but it does not come naturally without the practice of seeing as He sees. At first glance, I see the human side only, and it takes a second look to see the divine.
At first glance, I see the folks I care for at my jobs, elderly and handicapped people, and I think how difficult it must be for them to live in a body that does not perform as one wishes it could. Then I recall my training, that these people are gifted and special, and I am to come alongside as a friend, enjoying them and the value they contribute to my life. They do not want pity.
Seeing the one who has his feeding through a tube, I am grateful I can taste food and feel it going down my throat. Seeing the one who depends on me to be his eyes, I relish the many beautiful colors, shapes, lights, and bright eyes I can see. Seeing those who must move slowly in a wheelchair or with a cane, I exult in my bouncing steps down the hallway to answer the next call. These people make me know how good I have it.
And I wonder, if I was in their situation, would I be as pleasant? The blind man is so full of stories, memories from almost a century of life. He is one of my favorite people.
The one who gets a tube feeding every morning is so sweet and cooperative as I brush his teeth, lift him to his bath, and pour rinse water over his head; he trusts me completely. What faith! He seems grateful to have me there to help. I get to feel very needed and useful.
Then I think how much we all depend on each other. I depend on people like Eric to teach me everything about Internet marketing; without a mentor, I would be very handicapped online. I am so grateful there are people with a spirit of giving, to help me see hope in my circumstances. They breathe the divine viewpoint into my perspective.So I am not just a struggling laborer, working for ten dollars an hour, 60 hours a week, a single parent of seven, wondering when I will get my lucky break. I am part of a divine drama in which God has me and others doing whatever most demonstrates His love to one another each moment.
I am grateful I can serve and help the people I care for, and I am grateful I have some time left over after all the hours I put in at work to pay the bills, so I can be with my family a little while, and I can work online, too, for the day my online business will free me to be wherever I am needed most, just because I want to be.
This evening, I am spending the time with my family and the family of my daughterâs fiancĂ©, and I have a few days off before the wedding to prepare for it. I feel incredibly blessed to enjoy this special time and relish it, because in a few days, the happy couple will be moving 2000 miles away, and I will be working hard to be able to afford to visit them whenever I want to. Gratefulness makes the most of what I have now, and it sees the potential in the future. I am grateful for these blessings.
Kathryn from Minnesota
I will be mailing Kathryn the Traffic Stampede course as a prize.
Although the contest is over, it’s not too late to post your comment of thankfulness. I know I will return to this page for inspiration when I’m feeling discouraged. You might want to bookmark it and do the same.
Have a great day and a happy Thanksgiving!
Thank god for making us, and thank us for making internet! đ
Happy Thanksgiving eric and everyone else.
very nice offer that you have made.
Thank you for your gift,is a great gift
Two days ago saw the conviction of Hannah Fosters murderer. After a mamouth manhunt and legal minefield.
The 16 year old was raped and strangled not 5 miles from where I sit now. She was abducted not 200 yards from her home.
The Fosters went thru hell trying to catch the guy and to get him extrodited from India.
The murder happened roughly 6 years ago and has been in the forefront of every ones minds locally.
So this man recieved 24 years if it had been up to his father he would of had him hanged.
The upshot of this is the guy who turned him in took his reward money and …………. built a school the first year he had 20 students now he has 127 students at the Hannah memorial academy it teaches the children of the tea pickers in Darjeeling who on average earn a dollar a day…….
The aftermath of this is I blubbed like a little girl.
I’m thankful that there are still great people in this world who think of giving first.
Happy Turkey Day, Eric – thanks for all your great posts and advice. AND, now for the download.
Blessings to you and yours.
I’m thankful for my two legs to take me where I want to go, for my arms to let me hold what I want, for my eyes to allow me to see beauties around me, my ears for the sounds of my family, my mouth to partake of the wonderous bounties, and a God to bless me no matter how hard life can get. Everything else is irrelevent….
I am thankful for my beautiful wife and 2 great kids. Without their support, I would not be here today.
Hi Eric,
Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for you and your tips that help me enough to want to continue on, even though adversity faces me around every turn.
Have a great and prosperous future.
http://magicbusiness101.com
Im thankful for having the the space in the last three years to heal from the death of our daughter who died after giving birth at 21 years old, I am thank ful that we could afford the 3 years of work to take the time to do this, I have realized that time is short and it can be taken away without warning. My goal is to try and make a living online so as I can continue to spend every day with my wife.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family
peter marshall
Hi
I have a lot to be thankful for and it really is difficult to choose one thing as I feel that everything in life is precious at the right moment. There is always a need and that need is fulfilled by a specific gift that we have been blessed with which happens to be right for that moment.
As an example I will share with you the time of the birth of my first child. Normally I am a very squeamish person and the mere sight of blood would bring me out in a sweat. But when my first child was born my wife had to undergo an emergency ceasarian. It was a time for me to be strong and to ensure that she gained some measure of comfort from that strength. Thakfully we got through it and I was able (through sheer necessity) to tap into a strength that I never knew I had and see my wife through this difficult time.
My first child is now 8 years old and we have another 2 children. The birth of each one required a different something from both myself and my wife and we are thankful that God provided for our wants at the time with the right gifts to see us through that moment. We continue to be blessed in this way on a daily basis.
Thank you and sorry if I went on a bit too much.
Shamsul Hayat
Recently an affordable new condo project offered folks a chance to buy one based on a lottery system. My mother says God is taking care of me because I’ve been a good boy. Yes, I won the lottery. This is the chance I’ve been waiting for to purchase my own own home. Never too late for one’s first home. Just turned 64 though it seems like life is in the beginning stages.
I am thankful for each day that I spend with my family and seeing my kids grow. I am also thankful for all the good people that GOD has put on this earth to remind us of his will and love, which motivate me to keep going and help as many souls as I can without expecting anything in return.
Finally thank you for your help in guiding us through the internet marketing mazes and pitfalls for free.
GOD Bless you and your family.
Hi Eric
I am thankful to God for the fact that I live in a beautiful country that is a place of peace. I am thankful for my family, and all those I love who enrich my life. I am thankful for the capacity to grow and learn. And I am thankful for people such as Eric Holmlund who give so freely of their knowledge and expertise so that I can learn even more.
Blessings of the season to you and yours.
Jenni Wright
Adelaide Australia
I am profoundly grateful for the freedom to practice my religious beliefs in relative peace and safety, which was why the Pilgrims came to America in 1620.
I am thankful for my loving family. I am also thankful for the ability to work from home and be with my family. Finally, I am thankful to coaches like Eric, who continually provides guidance and inspiration to those who have not “hit the bigtime” yet. God bless you and yours.
Rudy
Hi Eric,
Happy Thanksgiving from the UK. We don’t celebrate thanksgiving here but I think of all of the things that I have to be thankful for every day.
I am thankful for;
3 great children who have grown up into great adults and are all my best friends
The 8 grandchildren that I have been blessed with who are a joy
The ability, and health and strength to continue to earn money and provide myself with a truly magical lifestyle even though I’m past normal retirement age
The joy of music and ability to play instruments and pleasure I receive from both
The joy of friendships
I am thankful for waking up each day and living in a country where I have the freedom to do pretty much what I want
I am thankful for the joy of travel
I am thankful for the pleasure that the Internet has brought and continues to bring to so many people
I am grateful for the Law of Attraction that allows us to control what happens in our lives
I am happy and grateful to be part of nature and enjoy the immense diversity of it
I am grateful to be alive and able to be grateful
I have just sat and reflected on your question. Then I realised that the easy answer that first came to mind was not what real the answer.
What I am really thankfull for are the challenges that life throws at me. These can be family, teaching, therapy, a practical project or any number of things. Without these challenges my life would be stale and as a person I would not have learned and developed. Yes i love my family and friends but with out being challenged and made to reach solutions to problems I would be a very lackluster person. And consequently not as useful for others.
Happy Thanks Giving to my US friends.
Regards
Ian
Hello Eric,
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
I am thankful this year for the length of life that has been granted to my Dad and Mom. Both are ill at this, yet remain a very positive force in my life. Both are 81 years old and are suffering with various problems, yet are very thankful for every day they have! They have encouraged me with every endeavor I have undertaken and it was not till I reached middle-aged that I realized what wonderful parents I have been blessed with!
Best,
JB
i am thankful that this year i have been able to determine (somewhat) who has been trying to sincerely help me expand my IM business and who the definite sheisters are.
Jon
I am thankful for:
my family, even the dysfunctional ones!
my husband, especially when he cooks for me!
the stars in the sky
the birds in the trees
my ability to create
the wonder I still see in the world after thiry one years on this earth
my eyesight
my network of friends and acquaintances who bring me joy
Hi Eric and Eric’s Tips readers
I am thankful that I live in a peaceful country. I can’t imagine how life would be in a place like Iraq, Afghanistan or the other trouble spots in the world.
My thoughts go to people living in those countries and hope one day they can experience life without having to worry about all that goes on around them.
I am also thankful each day that I spend time with my wife and daughter. I enjoyed my daughters first ballet performance last weekend and was so proud seeing her on stage.
All the best
Rob
As a Vietnam Combat Veteran 66-68 I am just plain Thankful for LIFE in general.
The lives I saved(I hope).
The life I created(children).
The life I have.
And the future life of this Great Country the United States America.
Life.. the most precious thing God gives.
Eric:
I am thankful to be alive. I think each day is a marvelous opportunity to give, share and offer whatever knowledge I have to help others.
With the economic crisis we need to work together, help one another so that we can all survive.
I am thankful for my friends, family and eager to turn an unknown face to a new best friend.
Most of all I am thankful for the presence of God in my life.
And of course last but not least, I am thankful for you Eric and your generosity.
Hi Eric,
I’m a fairly new subscriber to your tips, and I am SO pleased I found you!! You’re giving me greater confidence with every email I get. So thanks!
So… what am I thankful for…? Well, I’m housebound due to disability so I am eternally thankful for the Internet and all the opportunities and fun it gives. Thanks to the internet I’ve been able to get cutting edge research on my condition that I can share with my doctor, and I can build friendships with people all over the world that know what I’m going through. Thanks to the Internet, when I feel down all I need to go is watch a funny video on YouTube or post to a forum. Most of all, the Internet has given me the chance to start building a career despite my physical limitations. I’m thankful for the fact it’s made life less lonely, and I hope I can help other people in the same way!
Happy Thanksgiving đ
I am thankful that I can shoot for my aim: Health, love, wealth and time to enjoy them;
and at the same time keep my integrity intact by following my belief: To thine own self be true.
Eric,
I totally didn’t get this was a contest – I was just saying thanks, but since you asked:
I am grateful right down to my soul for every day, no, every moment that I have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of my patients. I’m a nurse in a psychiatric facility where the patients have deep wounds. You just can’t see them.
I come home, and no matter what’s waiting for me there: the news (usually bad), bills, exhaustion from working 12 hour shifts, I am thankful. We all have so much to be grateful for that we take for granted. It’s humbling coming home after spending all night caring for patients with debilitating mental illness.
I have no lack. I am blessed. My cup runneth over.
I am thankful to Jehovah God for every second of my life.Even with the tough times we are having,there are those who have it worse.
I am thankful everyday to help others who are less fortunate as I am. There is always someone out there who has it worse than I do. I had opportunity to serve thanksgiving dinner.in a homeless shelter. The power of giving to help others feels awesome.
Hi Eric,
I am thankful for being me! If I wasnt the way I am, things would get on top of me all the time and my life would be mediocre at best. But because I am the way I am, I have the drive and determination to see that my wife and child, along with my own family and my wifes family and all of our close friends receive my help (either financially or by me giving my time up… what little I have) to help them in their times of need.
I come from a poor family (by modern western standards that is!) background raised by my mum with two other brothers and no father. To say we struggled is an understatement, but I didnt know the pain and struggles my mum went through to bring us up. I have worked hard though, got educated (still learning!) and got a good job so I am able to help financially when my mum or brothers need it most. They rarely ask, but they know that if their backs were against the wall, I would do anything to raise the money to help them. However my wish is to increase my earnings exponentially so that I can pay off my own debts and help them pay off theirs (not just the monthly servicing but the whole lot) so that I can buy them financial freedom. Then, like a stone thrown into a pond, the ripple effect works its magic and I hope that I may be blessed to be in a position to help others much more.
I already give of my time to several organisations here in the UK, examples are The Scouts (a youth organisation), a local association helping elderly leaseholders with leasehold issues like high repair chages etc that they cannot afford on a fixed pension, I go into a local school close to where I work and read with a child that has learning difficulties and self confidence issues. He is responding well according to his teacher and I am overjoyed that he is taking to reading, such an important skill to learn.
So… sorry for the ramble, but in essence if I was not me, I probably would not take on all this stuff and so I am grateful for being ME.
Kind regards.
Gareth C Thomas
P.S. of course it goes without saying I am grateful for my health, my family, the love of my family and friends, my job (right now banking is NOT a good place to be!), my car that starts every time I use it, etc, etc.
This is an email which I just sent as a reply to Travis. I hope you don’t mind my mentioning him.
Hello Travis,
To my surprise, I find myself responding to your final sentence… “You may…if you wish…share your list with me”!
I live in Canada and we celebrate Thanksgiving a few weeks earlier that you Americans do.
I love the exercise you share with your wife. Unfortunately, I don’t currently have anyone in my life to share my list with. I just had a relationship end and have been feeling somewhat down today. I am living on a very meager disability pension and seem unable to get past a few little marks on my brain and productively use all the drive and ambition and intelligence which are buried inside. I’ve been frustrated today because there are several pieces of software which I want to purchase but cannot afford.
All in all, life has knocked me way down from the pinnacle of my success some years back when the world was my oyster and my ego was a big as the world.
And yet, I have no desire to return to former times when things seemed so positive and the outside eye saw, sometimes with envy, a life which looked ideal.
I have been truly humbled, lost everything I once cherised, including a wife and business and dreams.
I don’t know what pushed me to write this email but I guess I want to share something with you. Reading so much email and looking at so many marketing websites, I sense that many of the “highly successful” internet marketers have no sense at all what success is really about. The big house, the impressive car and all the “fixings” mean nothing. They may be giving “thanks” for their success today. I don’t know. But hearing their egos talk about their marketing success, it is hard to imagine an inner peace.
I wish and hope that everyone includes all their friends and family in things to be thankful for. But more than that, I wish and hope that they live their lives each and every day as if they were thankful for the presence of these love ones. So often, spouses and children are treated with the same appreciation as the chattels which people own.
Show your “thanks” by being patient with your wife and children and family, show your “thanks” by accepting the differences and even rejoicing in the differences. Relish in the excitement of seeing these people as the unique and wonderful people they are…. even when you are tired, even when you disagree with them, even when you are asked to do something which seems an interruption, even when you are asked to hear their feelings or thoughts or ideas about something extreme.
I think you know what I am saying.
But there is one other thing to be thankful for….. I’ve learned the hard way to be thankful for who I am. I have been stripped of all the things which at one time defined me. I have no car, I have no house, I have no job, I have no elevated income….. but with all those losses, I am thankful for the person I am. I am human… no longer seeking perfection, no longer seeking to be right, no longer seeking to outdo someone else.
I must admit that I have a few tears in my eyes as I finish this. But they aren’t tears of sadness nor tears of loss. They are tears of acceptance in the most positive sense. Tears of acceptance that although I have lost “everything” and am not functioning “productively”, I am the best person I have ever been.
I finally like who I am… and that is truly something to be thankful for.
If I had been able to develop this “acceptance” of who I am at an earlier age, my life would have been very different. I’ve had a good life and I know that I have helped may people throughout my life. However, I was never thankful for being myself until now, at age 64 and with nothing material.
Robert
Hi Eric and friends,
Today, I’m grateful for the four basic factors necessary for life,
for being able to meet my six human needs and for having great
people to interact with online as well as offline.
The simplest things in life are the most taken for granted, yet
are truly the most valuable.
Perhaps as we pause to give thanks on special days like today,
it will be useful to remember the pioneers who’ve gone before
us, blazing new trails and opening up new territories. Brave
souls who risked their livelihoods in many cases to explore
and chart unknown places to make it easier for the rest of us
to follow.
Special kudos to you Eric, for taking your risks, building on
your successes, and having the courage to stick to your own
convictions and share your experiences with integrity.
May each of you who read these words enjoy a safe, joyous
holiday season and a prosperous, abundance filled New Year.
Your friend in and out of the trenches,
@MichaelMillman ~ Twitter
I am thankful for being reunited with the love of my life, thirty years after we last saw each other. We still have not seen each other, communicating by phone and internet each and every day since this February – she in USA, me in South Africa. We plan to marry next year!
I Am Thankful For:
– Waking up this morning
– Still caring about the person I see in the mirror
– Starting this day as if it is my first
– Hearing the laughter of my children
– Having a heart that still feels
– Giving family and friends BIG hugs (and meaning it)
– Still wanting to make a difference in others lives
– Still being able to learn âhowâ to serve others better
– Having hope that Iâm not âtoo oldâ to improve my life
– Receiving your email
– Being able to share what Iâm thankful for . . .
I am so thankful for my friends, family, internet friends. I have been blessed with the friendship of several people that I believe touched the world in a special way given their generosity of spirit and loving acceptance of all. I’m filled with gratitude at the opportunity to know and love them. Nan
I am thankful that, in my 81st year, I am still here. I am thankful that after 6 strokes, (two the first day) and four more over the next four months that I can still, and Do, swim 1,000 yards every day. I am thankful that I am among the eldest ‘Noobies’ in the IM business, I would imagine. I am thankful to everyone who has been so helpful and hope that I will be thankful this time next year for a great 2009. I am thankful that it appears that my wife and I may celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary on 16 April 2010. In the swimming pool in our birthday suits!.
I’m grateful that I got to be with my Mother right up to her death. She used to read Eric’s Tips, from her laptop on her bet. She dreamed of doing something in the ‘recipe’ world. She had 1,000’s.
That was her love. Besides me -) And, now I guess I’m even more grateful to Eric for providing this format for learning as I’m really working to honor my Mother by picking up here and following thru on what she thought would be a good thing. Gratitudes Eric, and Happy ThanksGiving to you as well.
Hi Eric,
Thank you for the awesome gift. Happy Thanksgiving…Now stop reading this and get back to your family!;-)
Iâm grateful that I got to be with my Mother right up to her death. She used to read Ericâs Tips, from her laptop on her bed. She dreamed of doing something in the ârecipeâ world. She had 1,000âs. That was her love. Besides me -) And, now I guess Iâm even more grateful to Eric for providing this format for learning as Iâm really working to honor my Mother by picking up here and following thru on what she thought would be a good thing. Gratitudes Eric, and Happy ThanksGiving to you as well.
Eric,
I have been receiving your tips for a long time, I am thankful for all of the information you have shared.
I am thankful that I am going to be a grandfather in May of 09. and 09 will be the best year ever. That I have been blessed beyond measure, with family, friends.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
God Bless.
Jay
I am thankful that I came into the world with nothing so, everything I now own is sheer PROFIT.
Hi Eric and fellow readers!
Well, i never had the pleasure of thanksgiving day becouse i live in Sweden..
Mostly, i am greatful and proud to be the father of litle Lejla who is now 9 months old..
She is the reason that i want to improve my sittuation today and start making money in ways that gives me more time with her đ
And through that i send me greatest thansk to people with a good heart who are open to help others improve their sittuation..
Eric, with more people like you, the world would be a much more plesent place to live in đ
Happy thanksgiving to you all!
Hi everyone,
I am thankful for my beautiful wife and 3 children who are all healthy.
Thankful that we live in a nation that provides us with the opportunities to do better.
Thankful for Gods daily provisions for us, our needs are met each and every day.
Thankful for all the wonderful resources and helpful people that are available to us.
Thankful just to live where we do. (Australia)
Thanks also to Eric’s tips for providing us with this opportunity to express our gratitude.
May you all have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!
Regards,
Fred
Hello Eric
Wishing you and your family a very
~Happy Thanks-Giving~..Enjoy your day and turkey feast!! I’m in Canada and we celebrated Thanks-Giving in October, and am thankful throughout the year for the many blessings that is shining upon my family.
But most of all, I shall say to Mother-Earth,
“My Gratitude-Heart is all for you, ALL FOR YOU”
Thank You Eric, for providing such helpful tips and tutorial, your time and effort and their value are much appreciated. THANK YOU
with Love
bg
Hi There,
You challenged me to confess that I am forever grateful, forever thankful, that God so loved the world (me) that he gave his one and only son so I could have eternal life.
That I could be loved in such a way is unfathomable to many.
For that gift I am forever thankful.
Many Blessings to you Eric,
Owen
As a newbie, Ive been ripped off several times b4 coming across you,Eric.
It’s like having a new friend now, I look forward to your mails..and share the love of the open air ( and the ability to jog!) so ..let’s paraise God for an abundance of fresh air and good health to enjoy it!
ps
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!
we have a food bank here to help the folk’s that need it,they were going to close it, as no one wanted to be responsable to run it
i thank god that i have been able to be there to keep it open for all those in need
and at 65 i give thank’s that i will be able to do it fore a long time to come if god willing.
Gratefulness is the ability to see the good in every circumstance, as even the hard times and trials are intended by God to shape us into His beautiful image and build our character. This is what I have heard all my life, but it does not come naturally without the practice of seeing as He sees. At first glance, I see the human side only, and it takes a second look to see the divine.
At first glance, I see the folks I care for at my jobs, elderly and handicapped people, and I think how difficult it must be for them to live in a body that does not perform as one wishes it could. Then I recall my training, that these people are gifted and special, and I am to come alongside as a friend, enjoying them and the value they contribute to my life. They do not want pity.
Seeing the one who has his feeding through a tube, I am grateful I can taste food and feel it going down my throat. Seeing the one who depends on me to be his eyes, I relish the many beautiful colors, shapes, lights, and bright eyes I can see. Seeing those who must move slowly in a wheelchair or with a cane, I exult in my bouncing steps down the hallway to answer the next call. These people make me know how good I have it.
And I wonder, if I was in their situation, would I be as pleasant? The blind man is so full of stories, memories from almost a century of life. He is one of my favorite people.
The one who gets a tube feeding every morning is so sweet and cooperative as I brush his teeth, lift him to his bath, and pour rinse water over his head; he trusts me completely. What faith! He seems grateful to have me there to help. I get to feel very needed and useful.
Then I think how much we all depend on each other. I depend on people like Eric to teach me everything about Internet marketing; without a mentor, I would be very handicapped online. I am so grateful there are people with a spirit of giving, to help me see hope in my circumstances. They breathe the divine viewpoint into my perspective.
So I am not just a struggling laborer, working for ten dollars an hour, 60 hours a week, a single parent of seven, wondering when I will get my lucky break. I am part of a divine drama in which God has me and others doing whatever most demonstrates His love to one another each moment.
I am grateful I can serve and help the people I care for, and I am grateful I have some time left over after all the hours I put in at work to pay the bills, so I can be with my family a little while, and I can work online, too, for the day my online business will free me to be whereever I am needed most, just because I want to be.
This evening, I am spending the time with my family and the family of my daughter’s fiance, and I have a few days off before the wedding to prepare for it. I feel incredibly blessed to enjoy this special time and relish it, because in a few days, the happy couple will be moving 2000 miles away, and I will be working hard to be able to afford to visit them whenever I want to. Gratefulness makes the most of what I have now, and it sees the potential in the future. I am grateful for these blessings.
Kathryn from Minnesota
I am grateful for all that I have in my life.
I have a wonderful family, a growing business, and wonderful friends.
im very grateful that we have a free country to live in and all the great things God has given me and great friends like eric. thank you eric and God Bless you and yours. david
I know one of the standards for this time of year is, “I’m glad to be alive and in good health”.
Well,’I am thankful to be alive’. And there’s good reason to be as glad as I am.
In order to put food on the table I work the night shift at the local 7-Eleven. Sad I know, but that’s not the bad part, even though it may sound like it.
A couple of years ago, Sunday morning, 5AM, a crack addict comes into the store. He jumps across the counter, grabs the young girl working with me, puts a knife to her throat, and pushes her towards me.
To make a long story short, he stabs me in the chest. The knife passed through the lung and into the heart.
A person of reasonable intelligence would rightly assume death was not far off. Happily for me a highly skilled Surgeon was on duty at the Hospital that night. I found out later that his being there was a rare moment. Needless to say he preformed a small miracle by way of a heart/lung operation.
A lot of pain and six months recover time put me back at work. Night shift at the local 7-Eleven.
But hey, ‘I am thankful to be alive’.
Michael