“There are two ways to live: one where you are thankful for almost nothing and the other where you are thankful for almost everything.
The difference really matters because:
If you focus on what you lack, you lose what you have.
If you focus on what you have, you gain what you lack.
Gratitude is much more than a tactic.
It can guide your whole life.
It can produce better results and relationships than anything else.”
-Greg McKeown
I have so much to be grateful for this year. On October 17, 2020, our beloved dog, Raffi, was diagnosed with cancer and given one month to live. For the next twelve months, we all lived like he was dying. Every day was a gift and not a minute with him was taken for granted. So, when we said our final goodbye on October 12, 2021, our extreme sadness was tinged with the gratitude for the bonus year that we all had together. I am radically grateful for the pain that we still experience because we loved him so deeply. My love letter to Raffi expresses my enduring gratitude for all that he was to our family and in this world.
“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard”.
– AA Milne/Winnie the Pooh
Since practicing gratitude is scientifically proven to enhance well-being, The Flourishing Center has produced The Lifter’s Guide to Gratitude to provide a series of writing prompts to induce positive emotions like gratitude. Download and enjoy!
Kenny, Greg, Amy & Danny Holdsman
Thanksgiving 2021
Wishing you peace, joy, and a deep sense of radical gratitude this holiday season.