An Hour That Made All The Difference In My Life
There are a few people who have passed through my life who I say I would never be able to repay. One of them who left the most impact was my art teacher Mr. Cataldo.
I went to a very rough middle school and that is a difficult age to be in an unsafe environment. I was bullied and mistreated on a regular basis. Perhaps the other students could see the victim in me, but all of that changed the day that I came into art class.
Mr. Cataldo let every student of his know that this was a safe zone and no bullying or bad behavior could happen on his watch. He fostered a good environment for learning and growing. It was only an hour a day, but it saved my life at the time. So thanks, Mr.C for giving me a little haven of peace in an otherwise dark and disturbing middle school experience. I think about you often!
- Posted by kayazdani
- Jan 19, 2015
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A Gift In The Mail
For the love and the thoughtfulness that shaped my childhood and still cocoons me today, I can never repay my grandfather or my father... I felt the back of my grandfather’s rough fingers caress my jawline today as he used to when he was still alive; when I was but a child… I received a beautifully stamped envelope from the States in the mail. I immediately recognized Edith Piaf on one of the stamps and my father’s scrawl below. Carefully, I used a knife to open the envelope, knowing that my father occasionally sends me valuable treasure through the mail. Inside, I found another envelope. On it, I saw two scripts. The first one bore my father’s explanation: In the 40’s, my great-grandfather bought a desk. He used it in his office at the family restaurant and when he passed away, my grandfather started using the desk. When the family restaurant sold, the desk was moved ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by guetv
- Jan 18, 2015
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Charting gratitude!
Bought blank charts yesterday and my sister, my niece and I filled our charts with gratitude :) It was a fun experience as we all sat together and wrote down all the things we are grateful for. My niece has fullest chart so far, she is 11 :)
- Posted by Naazie
- Jan 17, 2015
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To My Dad
I can never repay my father for all of the lessons he taught me that made me the person I am today.
From my father, I learned that giving is only that when you expect nothing in return. You give from your heart.
I learned that a day without laughter is a wasted day. I never let a day go by without finding humor in something, but never at the expense of another. That was one of his other lessons - if it is hurtful to someone else, it is never funny.
My Dad supported me in so many ways, encouraging me to go back to school and finish my college degree. While he wasn't sitting in the stands watching me walk that stage, I know he was smiling down with pride in his eyes.
And although I will never be able to repay him, I can honor him by passing these lessons on to others. Thank you, Dad.
- Posted by carolynmcdonough
- Jan 16, 2015
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Unknown kindness
There are many people in my life who I can never repay. During the most difficult time in my life, the only reason I survived was because of the kindness of strangers.
It's now nearly 30 years later, and I still try every day to pay that kindness forward. To someone, it could mean everything.
- Posted by jkay
- Jan 16, 2015
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The Hospital Of Gratitude
I have a whole basketful of gratitude, gathered during my husband's hospital stay this week when everyone on the cardiac floor made him feel cared about, supported, and comfortable. They even listened to his long stories and corny jokes, with smiles on their faces.
It's wonderful to find such a large organization with uniformly high morale and the universal expertise to work as a giant team, right down to the laughing lady who dumped the trash and the security guard in the parking lot.
Thank you, thank you, hospital people for saving my husband's life and for reminding me, again and again, how wonderful people can really be.
- Posted by pkandrj
- Jan 15, 2015
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Feeding the kids
I found out yesterday that my local school is struggling with recent government budget cuts, just as the families in our tiny town also are.
There are families who send the kids to school with no lunch, and the school always makes sure they get something to eat, but are finding it harder and harder to do.
I am going to give the bread and fruit every week for them to use, and today dropped off a big jar of sandwich spread, margarine and a massive packet of cheese slices.
I might be struggling myself, but I am grateful my kid always eats, and this is an act of kindness I can do to help other kids and their families, and the school too.
- Posted by evajune
- Jan 14, 2015
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Share A Smile
When I was in middle school,I got mad at my parents because they would never give anything to the homeless that would pass us by. On a family vacation in Washington DC there was a homeless man down the street who would say the same thing "food, money, a smile?" My family always walked past with our eyes at our feet. On our final day in the city, when my parents went for an evening walk I snuck out of our hotel room and ran down the street to the homeless man. He looked at me with curiosity, surely not expecting anything from a middle school girl. I asked him what he would have for dinner if he could have anything in the world. He replied 'lunchables'. I ran into the grocery store down the block and bought 5 lunchables, 3 bags of chips, one chocolate bar, my favorite candy, 1 smoothie, 1 ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by amanda.m.stapp
- Jan 13, 2015
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An Unusual Christmas Gift For Me
On Christmas eve and Christmas day I found myself alone. This was a first for me. I am 63 years old and had never been alone for any holiday, especially not Christmas. It was my mother's favorite day of the year and she died 2 years ago. I had created bags of necessities for homeless people days before with the idea of giving them out during the cold weather we are experiencing. But, on Christmas eve I ventured out to find folks who needed something to give them hope for their lives. My zip lock plastic bags contained protein bars, tooth brush and paste and hair brush and candy and tissues and baby wipes and candles and razors and shaving cream and lotion and lip balm and shampoo and a Christmas card which read "No matter how bad things get, Remember that somebody loves you". I had about 35 of these bags ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by nikikaren
- Jan 12, 2015
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Car help
My old manager bought me tires once when I was without family and had nothing. He refused payback and insisted I accept.
The only terms were that when I was in a financial position I had to help a person struggling in the same way. I look forward to the day I pay that forward.
- Posted by ilosthebet
- Jan 12, 2015
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Gratitude Power
I have a loving family, that despite our differences and our distance, we remain close at heart and open and always there to support each other.
I am grateful that my integrity and character remain intact and not jaded by hurtful situations or by what appears to be socially acceptable these days.
I'm inspired by the words "treat others as you want to be treated" and I am grateful that I practice this method.
I'm more than grateful to live in a beautiful place, surrounded by all that is breathtaking, from oceans to forests, rivers,lakes, fall, and mountains.
Last but not least, I am grateful that no matter how long the road you've been traveling, you can always turn around.
- Posted by rhonda_bcca
- Jan 11, 2015
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The Universe Gives Me What I Need When I Need It
I have enough of.....everything! I realized this morning as I was thinking about the idea of sufficient that the universe has given me exactly what I have needed when I needed it.
I am grateful for this revelation which made me want to give more of myself to everyone that I met. I was on the train and had the pleasure to speaking to three older women...who did not feel like strangers... for 55 minutes which gave me such joy because I am enough.
I am grateful for the love of my son who hugs me everyday and tells me he loves me....I have enough love. I am grateful for my friends because they are enough.....and I am grateful for the friends who are no longer friends because what they gave me was enough.
Thank you Universe for providing me with enough every single day.
- Posted by shatoddy
- Jan 10, 2015
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Positivity In The Workplace
Today I started talking at a co-workers desk about a conference call he was just on and he stated it was disappointing that everyone only focused on the negative. It started a conversation about inspiring ourselves and others to be positive!
Our conversation ended up attracting two other people to walk over and share the conversation thread with us! Everyone was complimentary and focused on how we could help ourselves and the team as a whole to stay cohesive and positive and how we could include our new manager and spread this positivity to the other locations and the corporate office.
We were all smiling and positive and this organic meeting seemed to bloom in front of my eyes. It was so beautiful to be a part of it!
- Posted by caringirl
- Jan 10, 2015
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Thoughts on Simple Living
On this eve of the 21-Day Simple Living challenge I'm sitting in reflection of what the term simple means to me. Over the past two+ years I've taken step after step, some conscious others not at all, towards simplifying my life. As such I've stepped into a much slower, much more mindful day-to-day existence although it's often I step back into the busy and faster pace that I once knew. I believe Duane shared on a few Awakin calls ago that in simplifying we have the opportunity to realize what really matters most to us. That also has shown truth for me, as I stepped into forming Wild Dream Walks, an organization that uses walking as a tool to connect community and lead people down the path of what matters to them most. This alone has given me the opportunity to serve from my heart for many people. This year I created ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by Anonymous
- Jan 9, 2015
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Spreading Love in Doha
My fiance and I just got back from our 1-month honeymoon in Bali. We realized that we needed to just slowww down... and breathe, and simply be. It's been such a fun month of frolicking, resting, writing, meeting interesting healers and spiritual gurus, beach-bumming, wildlife gazing... Icing on the cake was on New Years Eve. We landed in the Doha airport at 11:40pm, and were determined to do something fun and different, even though we were a little sleepy. The idea - getting huge bags of chocolates and passing them out to strangers in the Doha airport, along with a chirpy "Happy New Year!". At first, we got rejected, and the staff looked at us strangely (they have strict rules on not accepting gifts - even tiny ones). Passersby thought we were crazy and trying to sell something... but we persevered (with trepidation!). We ended up meeting at least 80 strangers and listening ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by Anonymous
- Jan 8, 2015
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Post-it Notes
A sweet kind person stuck a post-it note on my car car window which said, 'You're beautiful'! I was so touched that now I have been doing the same thing for the past year and a half'. I prepare the notes in advance which say 'You're awesome'. It's such an easy thing to do! I've even put these on people's bikes.
- Posted by annieofmanypeaks
- Jan 7, 2015
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Day 1: Sufficiency
Sufficiency in my life: As the weather begins to turn cold in the Midwest, I feel gratitude towards the blessings that keep me warm: beef stew in the crockpot, a warm and cozy blanket, cuddles from my children and a sweet kiss from my husband.
As the days grow shorter we tend to spend more time inside, however I appreciate the time to connect and converse with my family. At the dinner table, I've asked my kids during the month of November to share and reflect on kind deeds they accomplished during the day.
My son explained today how he helped another student clean up a mess after this child had spilled his lunch. I could see in his smile and hear in the tone of his voice a sense of accomplishment he felt in helping others.
- Posted by theconroys
- Jan 7, 2015
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Grateful For People That Enrich My Life
Today I shared my time with my parents, a small repayment for all the time they took to nurture me. I showed people in my community that they were loved. I helped my children to embrace this day, and showed my husband how much I love him.
We do not have a lot, but we have love and with that, all is possible.
There is always a negative side, always the speed bumps that trip us up in "fulfilling" our lives. Yet each day we can look for the good, share what we can, make this place better for one, or many. I am grateful that I am surrounded by people that care. This is not the path I would have chosen, but I am grateful for those that share the journey with me.
- Posted by kmskd
- Jan 7, 2015
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Thankful For God's Blessing -- My Husband
Last night I was being silly with my husband. He laughed, paused, looked at me with sincerity and said: "I never would have imagined that my wife would be as amazing as you are."
Earlier yesterday I had prayed that God would open my eyes to why I exist at all, and in that moment I felt such gratitude for God's blessing and for my husband's kind soul.
- Posted by elise.mayberry
- Jan 6, 2015
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10 Ways to Live Simply in 2015
Although simplicity has a long history, we are now entering radically changing times—ecological, social, economic, and psycho-spiritual—and we should expect the worldly expressions of simplicity to evolve and grow in response. For more than thirty years I’ve explored the “simple life” and I’ve found that simplicity is not simple. I’ve encountered such a diversity of expressions of the simple life that I find the most accurate way of describing this approach to living is with the metaphor of a garden. A Garden of Simplicity To portray the richness of simplicity, here are ten different flowerings of expression that I see growing in the “garden of simplicity.” Although there is overlap among them, each expression of simplicity seems sufficiently distinct to warrant a separate category. So there would be no favoritism in listing, they are placed in alphabetical order based on the brief name I associated with each. 1. Choiceful Simplicity: Simplicity means choosing ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by Duane Elgin
- Jan 5, 2015
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