Many Messengers, One Message
Today I am grateful for the opportunity to speak with parents last evening and for the invitation to do so from my former colleague Kate. Thanks Kate and thanks to the parents who were there and shared of their time and experiences.
They became part of a "many messengers, one message" idea that came to me this morning for this post.
The overall topics of my presentation to the parents revolved around positive psychology-focusing on strengths, identifying what works in keeping us on the right track and continuing to use that. The concept of resiliency (handling stress and challenges in healthy ways) and the practice of gratitude fit very nicely into the overall idea of "using what works."
I hope the parents got some food for thought from me. I know I got some from them. I think the idea of gratitude practice struck a chord with several of them. One mom talked about how gratitude is love expressed. Isn't that a great way to look at it? One dad talked about reading an article about the true power of prayer is how it helps the person doing the praying. Taking simple actions to get out of myself helps give me a better perception.
I got a message on Sunday at church too. "Give Thanks" is a contemporary hymn we sometimes use. I like the song and the sentiment, and I especially liked what happened on Sunday when it was time for that song. As I flipped the 800-plus-page hymnal open, the first page was the one I was looking for, the one with "Give Thanks" on it. Sometimes it is that easy.
Oliver, our cockapoo, gave me a message last evening when I got home. It had been a full day and I was exhausted. But it had been a good day. Oliver was happy to see me, and he was happy to roll around on the carpet and make a spectacle of himself, bringing a smile to my face. Roll with it. Just roll with it.
Many messengers. One message. Gratitude is always available and always possible.
They became part of a "many messengers, one message" idea that came to me this morning for this post.
The overall topics of my presentation to the parents revolved around positive psychology-focusing on strengths, identifying what works in keeping us on the right track and continuing to use that. The concept of resiliency (handling stress and challenges in healthy ways) and the practice of gratitude fit very nicely into the overall idea of "using what works."
I hope the parents got some food for thought from me. I know I got some from them. I think the idea of gratitude practice struck a chord with several of them. One mom talked about how gratitude is love expressed. Isn't that a great way to look at it? One dad talked about reading an article about the true power of prayer is how it helps the person doing the praying. Taking simple actions to get out of myself helps give me a better perception.
I got a message on Sunday at church too. "Give Thanks" is a contemporary hymn we sometimes use. I like the song and the sentiment, and I especially liked what happened on Sunday when it was time for that song. As I flipped the 800-plus-page hymnal open, the first page was the one I was looking for, the one with "Give Thanks" on it. Sometimes it is that easy.
Oliver, our cockapoo, gave me a message last evening when I got home. It had been a full day and I was exhausted. But it had been a good day. Oliver was happy to see me, and he was happy to roll around on the carpet and make a spectacle of himself, bringing a smile to my face. Roll with it. Just roll with it.
Many messengers. One message. Gratitude is always available and always possible.
This made me smile... Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSmiles are good! One of my favorite sayings about smiles is "Everyone smiles in the same language." :-) Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDelete