Or is it “Life is like a box of chocolates…”

We all remember Forrest Gump.

Mamma says…

Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.

To the Grateful person, this is a good thing.

But to the cynics and naysayers, losing control is tantamount to impending gloom and doom.

This leads to WHY the big G in Grace was chosen to be Gratitude!

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ” ~ John F. Kennedy

If you are not able to make peace with what happened to you, you will remain at the bottom of the valley of dread — until you look at even the worst experience of your life as a “glass half full” issue, rather than a “half empty” and losing more each day problem.

Being grateful for what you have, your memories and your experiences bridge the gap between a sense of loss and a sense of appreciation for what the future might have to offer you.

Fact: We do not live in the past…

We live in the now and the now always needs to be pointed to a future worth living.

In my case, the future was dark but now it’s not.

Pain, fear, loss, and negative emotions will linger well beyond what they need to if you let them.

So, don’t let them!

Pick up your stone of Gratitude and lock it into place. You are building a strong archway to your future.

How?

Some might advise you to slow down and smell the roses. Good advice — but go to a flower shop today and pick one out.

JFK got it right. We cannot just talk about gratitude, we have to act on it.

And even a small, what I call micro-action, will help move you from the negative to the positive.

Invest in a rose each week. Maybe a buck or two investment in you.

Carry it, smell it, and think about how wonderful life can be with you here in it.

Out here we have hundreds of street vendors selling flowers. Ditto all our markets. Of course flower shops.

If you feel that life is not worth living, think again.

You make your own bed of roses. You carry your own basket of dreams.

Nurture it!

God Bless,
Eric Richard Haas

Build your archway over the river
of tears by fostering Gratitude!