Hypothesis: Optimism and Gratitude Go Hand-In-Hand

What I think is especially great about Tim is that he's teaching his children to be angels too. Now, that's what I call a legacy to be proud of!

@janchan I enjoyed reading your post. What a beautiful acount. Tim is indeed an angel, and I am so glad that God sent him to you to "walk alongside" you. That's what I call a true guardian angel! So, on this Thanksgiving Day, even though I don't know him, I thank God for Tim. May the Lord bless him for the unparalleled kindness that he has shown you.
🙏🏼💕

Update: Tim just came to my door with 2 plates of food being carried by his two daughters. And for the first time, I met his son (now legal) plus a surprise! Twins who were born a few months ago! Tim looks so happy and proud of his little clan. It's wonderful to see how this beautiful family has been blessed!

I understand what you're saying, @celia16. It took a long time and a lot of hard times for me to realize that angels are all around us, and come in many forms. For example, my latest angel appeared to me late one night when I was taking my trash bins to the curb for pickup the next day. I was in the habit of taking them to the street after I thought my neighbors were asleep because I didn't want anyone to see me using a walker because some of them had been cruel to me about it. I had just gotten out of the hospital after spending 6 months there, several weeks in a coma at the beginning and the rest on a ventilator, so I was still feeling fragile and since it was at the start of the pandemic, more than a little fearful of people who were under a lot of pressure due to lockdowns and uncertainty about the future. On this particular night, I took my first bin to the street using a technique I had developed using my walker, then returned to my garage and was resting a bit before taking the second one to the street. As I sat there, I saw a tall man with grease on his clothes walking down the middle of the street, coming my way. Given how fearful I was of people at the time, it struck me later that I was not afraid of him, not even when he smiled and started walking toward me. Without a word, he grasped my second trash bin and took it to the street, then came back and said, "Good evening. My name is Tim." It turned out that he was a neighbor who lived across the street and two houses up from me, and he had just gotten home from work as an independent mechanic of semi trucks. We chatted for a while and then he went home. But that wasn't the end of it. From then on, whenever it showed, he came to my house to shovel my driveway, and eventually, his daughter (a cute little 8-year-old) started coming to take my trash to the street every Tuesday, then return the next day to bring my bins back up to the house. At Christmas, he and his two young daughters bring me plates of food and then the girls sing Christmas carols for me. Tim is my angel. He may have grease on his hands, he doesn't have wings (that I know of--smile) but he is my angel who not only reminds me that people can be incredibly good, but makes me feel safe in a neighborhood where I once feared being seen. Those are the angels I think are all around us--they look, act, and live like regular people, but they do more. They care for, help, and protect others. I hope everyone finds their angels today and throughout the year.

I have found that keeping a gratitude journal is helping me. Every night I list 3 different things I'm grateful for before bed. Also when I have a negative thought during the day I replace it with 2 positive. It can be hard at times because I suffer from anxiety and depression. Doing it in repetition is suppose to rewire the brain as my therapist has said. I also have alot of excess worry about everything as well. I need to work on that if anyone has any tips