GRATITUDE - December 31, 2011

I AM GRATEFUL FOR YET ANOTHER YEAR.

Here we are on New Year's Eve 2011.  I have been graced with another year.  What a grand opportunity to show gratitude to all that I have experienced, people that are significant in my life and for the opportunity to expand those relationships and experiences.

Showing Gratitude: Because it reminds you of the positive things in your life. It makes you happy about the people in your life, whether they’re loved ones or just a stranger you met who was kind to you in some way.




GRATITUDE VIDEO - Paul Potts

Take the poll at the bottom of the page.  What are you most Grateful for?

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GRATITUDE - December 30, 2011

I AM GRATEFUL FOR MY WIFE, LISE.

So much to say here, and as the provided internet space would not be enough, I will just quote Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets" (1997) ... complimenting Helen Hunt after she inspired him to take his meds when he didn't want to ... "You make me want to be a better man."  


That just about sums it up for me.

"Be grateful, because it reminds you of the positive things in life.  It makes you happy about the people you have interacted with in your life and why you are better for it."

Gratitude Video

Take the poll at the bottom of the page.  What are you most Grateful for?

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-       http://gratitude-alittlegoesalongway.blogspot.com/ 

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GRATITUDE - December 29, 2011

I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE SENSE OF TASTE.

I started cooking when I was about 11 years old.  My Mom was a single parent and I embraced the cooking chores.  Admittedly, in the beginning, it was TV dinners ... ah, but in the oven, as microwaves we beyond the horizon in 1958.  Graduated to hamburgers and cakes.  I put myself through college by cooking in restaurants.  I started in the dorm cafeteria and graduated to Italian restaurants.  I was bitten by the bug.  I probably own over 50 cookbooks or more.  I always enjoyed a good meal, but an odd circumstance elevated my appreciation for the tastes of  great food.


In 2008 I was diagnosed with Tonsil Cancer.  Part of the solution to take the Devil into overtime in the game of life was 35 days of radiation, 15 minutes at a time,  over a period of seven weeks, to both sides of my neck and mouth.  Because I am here telling the story three years later, it had great effects and did its job.

Gastric feeding tube

That said, the big downside was my radiation treatments, burned out my taste-buds and the scar tissue in my throat closed it up and I couldn't even sip water.  All food tasted like cardboard and all liquids, even water, tasted nasty.


Several months of taking sustenance through a gastric feeding tube. where nothing was swallowed, was difficult for a foodie.  Ironically, I could remember the tastes mentally.  I would watch cooking shows and read cookbooks for pleasure and I 'knew" what everything tasted like.


Here I am some years later and I sincerely enjoy all the foods available to me (diet starts tomorrow).  What has not returned fully, however, is my sweet tooth appreciation.  For the first two years after treatment, I could not stand ice cream or chocolate.  Didn't like the texture or taste.  Now I can hold my own, but not an obsessive fan of chocolate like before "C".

Dessert Buffet - Alaska Cruise

I have traveled extensively and have the good fortune to dine on many exotic dishes around the world.  Definitely, one of the great pleasures and I am grateful for the return of my taste-buds.  I appreciate the sense much more that before when I took this gift seriously.


GRATITUDE VIDEO


"When you are grateful it will remind you to think of and thank others.  The simple act telling someone "Thank You" can make a huge difference in someone's life.  Do you know the feeling when your efforts are ignored?  People like being appreciated for what they do and what they mean in your life." 

It takes one second and a costs you nothing - the value is enormous. When you make someone happy, you are happy...no downside.

Take the poll at the bottom of the page.  What are you most Grateful for?

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-       http://robertweltonremembers.blogspot.com/

-       http://robertweltonanotherdayinparadise.blogspot.com/

-       http://gratitude-alittlegoesalongway.blogspot.com/       

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GRATITUDE - December 28, 2011

I AM GRATEFUL FOR MY ABILITY TO HEAR.

However, for those unfortunate souls that have to repeat (repeating, slowly enunciating and a bit louder while looking right at me) after hearing me say, "Say again"... this may seem like a strange Gratitude.


Too many years of loud Rock - n - Roll did  their damage.  Being 60 something probably didn't help much either.  Without the gift of hearing I would have never had heard:


*  "I love you."
*  The first cry of my new born children
*  "I will never forget you."
*  O Mio Babbino Caro
*  "Thank you, Dad."
*  My children's name announced, as they strode across the stage to receive thir    diplomas.
*  "...and the winner is....."
*  My daughter's beautiful cello performances and the applause, as she left the stage.
*  "We are going to have a baby."
*  Adagio for Strings - Samuel Barber played at my Moms's funeral
*  "Hey Dad, you are going to be a Grandfather!"
*   "Amazing Grace - Scottish Bagpipers" in honor of my Mom (I still cry every time)
*  "I am proud of you."

*   My band - Another Day in Paradise /House of the Rising Sun with my daughter singing, my wife on keyboards, me on bass.
*  ... and so much more


I finally got hearing aids this past year as a gift to my family, giving me yet another Gratitude - the gift of Silence.  When the noise, chatter, and annoying noises of everyday life overwhelm me  - unlike others - I can just tune it out by taking them out and instantly enjoy the bliss of solitude.


rlw

"When you are grateful it will remind you to think of and thank others.  The simple act telling someone "Thank You" can make a huge difference in someone's life.  Do you know the feeling when your efforts are ignored?  People like being appreciated for what they do and what they mean in your life. 

It takes one second and a costs you nothing - the value is enormous. When you make someone happy, you are happy...no downside."

VIDEO:   GRATITUDE - FINISH STRONG

Take the poll at the bottom of the page.  What are you most Grateful for?

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-       http://robertweltonremembers.blogspot.com/

-       http://robertweltonanotherdayinparadise.blogspot.com/

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GRATITUDE - December 27, 2011

"I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE GIFT OF SIGHT"


Although I have trifocals addressing 20/1250 vision  [legal blindness is defined as visual acuity of 20/200]  and I have been diagnosed with and take daily treatments for Glaucoma  [Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness in the United States], I still have the benefits of sight.  Agreed, my sense of sight is not the best, but good enough to appreciate the abundance of beauty that surrounds me daily.

I have been blessed to have seen the Parthenon, the Great Pyramids, Stonehenge, the Sphinx, Saint Sophia, Mona Lisa, the Statue of David by Michelangelo, the Sistine Chapel, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, Half Dome, the Matterhorn, the Twin Towers, the Acropolis, the Blue Mosque, the Roman Coliseum, the ruins of Pompeii, King Tut's Tomb, Topkapi Palace, the British Museum, the Cairo Museum, the Palace of Fine Arts, the impossible, raging river twisting of the Class 4 rapids whitewater rafting, the power of a tornado a block away, the teeming market place in Guadalajara, Istanbul, Piccadilly Circus, as well as single bagpiper standing on cliff's edge at sunset in Ireland, with endless shades of green stretching across the hills, sunsets and sunrises through the mist in the jungles of Jamaica, over the beaches in Hawaii, over glaciers in Alaska, over the ocean in the Aegean Islands, over the Swiss Alps, over the Grand Canyon, from a rising hot air balloon over the Napa Valley,  dawn breaking over Hwy 1 along the coast of Carmel, on a motorcycle and much more. 

That said the best use of my gift of vision lies with my family.  I was there at the birth of all my four children and the first to hold them in my arms.  I have been able to hold and admire my two grandsons.  I am very fortunate to watch my son Ian become a wonderful father in his own right, and my son Nick to excel in sports and grow to be a handsome young man, my son Dustin walk across the stage in cap and gown and receive his college degree, and my daughter Sarah create beautiful music with her cello, as a soloist, and as part of a duo, trio and in an orchestra.  I saw Lise’s beautiful eyes shining, as we exchanged vows once again on our 15^th wedding anniversary in front of fifty friends.  I saw my talented mother, Grace, play out a wonderfully full life as God’s gift to the teaching profession and my sister, Sharon’s  face, as she proudly watched me lift off in a magical sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Napa Valley - a gift from her to mark my successful  bout with Cancer treatment.

Those film clips are locked forever in my mind.  I can clearly see them now, as I write this.  The senses we often take for granted have a value beyond compare and are mostly unappreciated until taken from us.  As diminished as my gift of sight may seem to the casual observer, I am grateful that I have had the magnificent opportunity to make use of mine many times over.

rlw


"Gratitude is valued because it is a reminder of what is important in our lives.  It is hard to complain about the little things when your family is alive and healthy or to give in to stress over house payments vs. being grateful you have a roof over your head."

VIDEO:  Gratitude

Take the poll at the bottom of the page.  What are you most Grateful for?

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-       http://robertweltonremembers.blogspot.com/

-       http://robertweltonanotherdayinparadise.blogspot.com/

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        Write Your Own Hub

GRATITUDE - December 26, 2011

"I AM GRATEFUL FOR AN OUTSTANDING TEAM OF RADIATION DOCTORS & TECHNICIANS."

100 years ago, or even 30-40 years ago, under similar circumstances, I most likely would not have been around this long after CANCER diagnosis.  The technology is amazing and although the treatment process is not in my top ten cool experiences in life, I AM GRATEFUL for the technology and skilled treatment I received to "burn" out the CANCER cells in my lymph nodes and tonsils. 

I had a special "custom" mask created to strap me down to a metal table. so I wouldn't - couldn't move my head during a 15 minute blast of radiation treatment...every day, five days a week for seven weeks.  Had a target drawn on the side, in black marker pen, designating where the affected lymph nodes were.  Very claustrophobic experience...God forbid that you should get an itch on your nose.  Arms and legs strapped down at the same time...you are really not going anywhere.


I AM GRATEFUL for the personal will power I conjured from somewhere, to not freak out for 15 really, really long minuets, immobile, alone in a dark, lead-lined room inside of a radiation tube.


Mostly, I AM GRATEFUL to be here to write this blog today.


rlw


QUOTE:   "Being GRATEFUL turns bad things into good things.  Having problems at work?  Be grateful you have work. Be grateful you have challenges and that life isn't boring.  Be grateful that you can learn from these challenges.  Be thankful they make you a stronger person."


VIDEO:  WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?


Take the poll at the bottom of the page.  What are you most grateful for?

GRATITUDE - December 25, 2011

"I AM GRATEFUL FOR A LARGE FAMILY THAT LOVES AND SUPPORTS ME IN ALL THAT I DO".

Merry Christmas!  Yesterday marked the end of a year of observations about the value of TIME in one of my other blogs: SUNRISE & TIME [http://sunriseandtime.blogspot.com/]. 

Today I embark on my observations about the value of GRATITUDE in our lives.  We all have much to be grateful for, but often the vision and value of what remains in our hourglass of life is obscured by the clouded vision of what what we perceive as missing.

Sometimes it takes being hit by a bus (figuratively, of course) to break the clouded shell we attempt to see through, in observing our life.  Like a scratched and faded visor on our helmet, flying off, allowing us to not only finally clearly see, but also feel, the daily beauty and magic that exists for all of us, being GRATEFUL, and becoming a better person for the experience.

rlw

                      VIDEO:     GRATITUDE LESSON

gratitude  (ˈɡrætɪˌtjuːd)
— n
	a feeling of thankfulness or appreciation

Take the poll at the bottom of the page.  What are you most grateful for?


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