1. < Just Want to Talk

Gratitude Discussion Group

Posted by Debbra Williams, Alumna Mentor @debbraw, Nov 24, 2018

Hi everyone! Just before Thanksgiving @michellegraffradford posted a blog called Gratitude Changes Everything. She suggested three techniques to help incorporate gratitude into our daily lives:


  • Start the Day with Gratitude (before getting up think of three people you are grateful for)

  • Maintain a Gratitude Journal to record times when you are grateful

  • Count Blessings – not sheep! (Review the day and remember moments of gratitude)


Her blogpost was so inspiring that a lot of us decided we wanted to form a Gratitude Group to keep the attitude of gratitude going. The blogpost area is not an ideal space for a big discussion group so I am moving the discussion over here to the “Just Want to Talk” Group. Let’s use this space to share and discuss our Gratitude Journey. I’m going to suggest that we each try to take a minute from the day and post here what has made us feel thankful today. It can be as small as a stranger’s smile on the bus or as large as fulfilling a major life dream – or anywhere in between. We can also discuss how we are doing with the three techniques. Sometimes it is easier to form new habits with support from others.

Michelle's full blogpost is at the link below. You may want to review it or print it out to help get started!
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/living-with-mild-cognitive-impairment-mci/newsfeed/gratitude-changes-everything/
I look forward to hearing from others in the Gratitude Group and to having others join us here! Thanks to those who already shared great stories. If you haven't yet, what gratitude will you share today?!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Just Want to Talk Support Group.

Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Dec 11, 2018
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@hopeful33250 Here are my kitties and some of my favorite pictures of them. The black tuxedo..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@hopeful33250 Here are my kitties and some of my favorite pictures of them. The black tuxedo is my cuddly boy who was a year old when I got him, and the other two are girls. The tabby & white is the smallest at 5 lbs and the kittens are 2 years old now. The tabby was found with her mom and brother in a window well in December when she was small. The calico came from the feral cat colony in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico about 5 months before the hurricane hit there. She was rescued by a group there and sent to a shelter near me where I found her. She is the cat who loves to play in water and who steals things out of my purse, and the one who I found inside my closed dresser drawer. The girls play and chase each other and my tuxedo joins in too. It took them about a month to get used to each other when I brought the new kittens home before they decided they would get along. Recently I set up a photo session with the girls with some real flowers on a quilt, and did some paintings from the photos. They work for free, and are sweet little models if I can catch them in the right moment.

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Oh, @jenniferhunter, they are so sweet, cute and full of life!! Thanks for the pics!!!
It would be hard to be unhappy with these little friends living around you.

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Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Dec 11, 2018
In reply to @lioness "I was hurting so bad this morning but since I'm the one that does our exercises..." + (show)
@lioness

I was hurting so bad this morning but since I'm the one that does our exercises I had to go .Im grateful I did as the stretching made me feel better.

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That is so true, @lioness. Often when I feel less like exercising is when it does me the most good.

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Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Dec 11, 2018
In reply to @debbraw "Today I'm thankful for great books. If you love reading, I have two recommendations. Both are..." + (show)
@debbraw

Today I'm thankful for great books. If you love reading, I have two recommendations. Both are about overcoming obstacles and living an inspired and inspiring life. One is about one of the top brain surgeons in the country who is now at Mayo Jacksonville. I had the honor of hearing him speak when @colleenyoung invited me to the Social Media Conference in Jacksonville recently. I just finished his book - Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon. I loved this book! The second is The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. This one is fiction, but still a great story of a boy who is born with ocular albinism and struggles with being different as he grows up. I ended both books feeling good and recognizing that we can be grateful for both our opportunities and our challenges. Have a great day!

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@debbraw Thanks for the book recommendations, I just love to read. These books sound very good, I love stories of people who came up from difficult circumstances to become successful. It inspires me to be my best!

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Debbra Williams, Alumna Mentor | @debbraw | Dec 11, 2018

For my gratitude today, we are back to the plumber who came last Friday. My faucet had corroded over 10 years and he couldn't fix it. He told me to go to Lowe's, buy a new one and he would come back and install it. No additional service fee. I bought the faucet Saturday, plumber came back and installed it first thing this morning, and the price was reasonable. So now I am totally grateful for running water in the bathroom sink! What a joy to not have to go to the powder room to brush my teeth! It's a good day.

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lioness | @lioness | Dec 11, 2018

I am grateful my son took me out to dinner last night celebrating his wifes birthday and my grandson finished this juji math in 6 months it was suppose to take a year.yea .Im also gratful to Dr.Terry Wahl and her dialogue about gluten free and her cureing herself of MS .

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Debbra Williams, Alumna Mentor | @debbraw | Dec 12, 2018

I'm grateful for soup today. It is so comforting and warm. I made a bowl for a friend who had a knee replacement yesterday... and as I was making it, I decided to make more so I could have some and then I sent some to a friend across the street who lost his wife last year. And now I'm feeling warm - inside and out. Yeah for chicken soup!

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Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Dec 12, 2018
In reply to @debbraw "I'm grateful for soup today. It is so comforting and warm. I made a bowl for..." + (show)
@debbraw

I'm grateful for soup today. It is so comforting and warm. I made a bowl for a friend who had a knee replacement yesterday... and as I was making it, I decided to make more so I could have some and then I sent some to a friend across the street who lost his wife last year. And now I'm feeling warm - inside and out. Yeah for chicken soup!

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@debbraw
Chicken soup is the all time comfort food~thanks for your kindness to everyone.

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karen00 | @karen00 | Dec 12, 2018
In reply to @gingerw "@karen00 i hope each day you are feeling better. It never fails to impress me how..." + (show)
@gingerw

@karen00 i hope each day you are feeling better. It never fails to impress me how someone's attitude and approach changes when they are needed, doesn't it?
Ginger

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@gingerw hey Ginger, you sound like you are doing well! Good for you! I have some challenges, but I know that I am strong and will handle things. You kind of have to be strong - a warrior - when you have fibro!

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karen00 | @karen00 | Dec 12, 2018
In reply to @debbraw "@karen00 - What an ordeal you have been through. And how beautiful that you can feel..." + (show)
@debbraw

@karen00 - What an ordeal you have been through. And how beautiful that you can feel grateful for the fall because it led to finding the clot. Wishing you a quick recovery. Hope each day brings you a little more relief.

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@debbraw Hi! Thanks for the sweet note! I guess we have to look up, don’t we? My recovery is not as quick as I hoped. I’m sure things will work out.

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karen00 | @karen00 | Dec 12, 2018
In reply to @rosegold "@00karen How are you doing today?😊" + (show)
@rosegold

@00karen How are you doing today?😊

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@rosegold how are you? I don’t think I ever answered you. I think I was in the hospital. Bear with me if I’m repeating myself, but I passed out and EMT’s discovered I was in afib and eventually they found a clot in my lung. Anyway I’m home now, trying to come to terms with everything. Thank you for your note - how are you?

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