With Valentine’s Day just two weeks away, many businesses are gearing up for one of the most commercialise holidays. I see Valentine’s Day packages and special deals almost everywhere I go, listen or read; different hotels are tying up with banks to allure you with their Valentine’s Day Hotel packages and deals. One is throwing in a 5-course dinner by their hotel poolside rooms by their star chef. Not only that, it is topping up that dinner by welcoming you with chocolate pralines, bouquet of roses and personalised him/her bathrobes. Are you not tempted enough?
Then, there are other hotels that pamper you with complimentary spa with sparkling wine. If you are a very family person and want to share this joy with your children, they are even willing to include complimentary breakfast and extra bed.
And since Valentine’s Day falls on the weekend this year, some of you may be planning for a short weekend getaway. A trip to a beach resort or warmer location may be good. Or how about a weekend cruise? Whatever you may have in mind, I believe you will be able to find great Valentine’s Day travel deals and packages.
With much focus on Valentine’s Day these days, we are truly spoiled for choices - but only if we allow ourselves to be caught up in all the marketing buzz. How are you spending your Valentine’s Day in 2010? Would it just be quiet moments with your loved one? Or would it be a day with your family or friends?
However, beyond the plan you may have, what is most important is how are we loving our loved ones.
Take Valentine’s day as a day to retake love vows for each other. Find the magic in saying, “I’d marry you all over again.” And it can also be a day to show gratitude for the good times and bad times you and your loved one had weathered together.
From just a traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other, Valentine’s Day has evolved and extended that expression of love to both family and friends too. The question is, “Are we showing enough love and appreciation to our families and friends?” It is not difficult for us to show our love and appreciation to our families and friends on Valentine’s Day since it is only a day’s affair. The challenge is showing the love and appreciation to them throughout the year.
Let us remember to regularly show our love and appreciation to those we love. We must learn to shower our loved ones, families and friends with gratitude so they will always feel loved and appreciated. We do not have to wait for a special day like Valentine’s Day. Do it every day.
“When your thoughts are geared in a positive direction, your feelings are peaceful.” - Richard Carlson, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff ———————-
When our thoughts are positive, we will tend to see possibilities from the difficult situations we are facing. However, when our thoughts are negative, we can be easily irritated or agitated. The good news is, we always have a choice. We cannot always control of what goes on outside. But we can always control what goes on inside.
High-Mindedness is a concept which I read from the book, Calm and Compassionate Children, by Susan Usha Dermond. It is the practice of focusing our thoughts in a positive direction. Although the book explores the usage of this concept in parenting, I believe we can adapt this concept in our everyday life.
Practicing high-mindedness is to focus on uplifting moments in everyday life by paying attention to the positive energy surrounding us. The book shares, “Paying attention to the beauty and kindness surrounding us develops sensitivity and gives a calmer outlook on life because it brings our focus to the moment, away from anxiety about the future or past,”
What we can do, as shares by the book, to practice high-mindedness is noticing, which is an activity to share simple joy of uplifting moments with others; for example, the freshness of the morning breeze, the wind rustling the leaves, the smell of a freshly baked loaf of bread or the cloudless blue sky. When we noticed these simple joys, we shared them with others by bringing it to their attention.
Noticing not only helps us to focus our attention to uplifting moments, but also helps us to count our blessings and be grateful for them. Inevitably, we will also be happier when we are finding more time to notice and rejoice in life’s little blessings.
Noticing is one activity which we can carry out with our family and friends. What is being proposed in the book is for family to share gratitude moments at dinner every evening, where everyone shares something from the day that they are grateful for. It will be challenging and may seem unnatural at first, but practice makes better; eventually everyone will find it easy to share moments from the day they are grateful for.
Practicing high-mindedness through noticing will allow us to focus in the positive direction, to appreciate the simple joys in life and to be grateful for the daily blessings that are coming to us. Through that feeling of peacefulness in gratitude, comes happiness.
A question from the book, “What was your most inspiring moment of the day?“
Since Thanksgiving is just a few days away. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Let us remember to give thanks and to express our gratitudes to our family and friends. As Ella Wheeler Wilcox said,
“…blessings are like friends, I hold, who love and labor near us. We ought to raise our notes of praise while living hearts can hear us.”
It certainly makes more sense for us to give sincere appreciation to our family and friends while they are still around. Life can be really fragile and we are not always guaranteed of tomorrow. There is little room for regrets in life and we must generously lavish our family and friends with gratitude and thanks throughout the year. And perhaps, along the way, we can also reach out a helping hand to others who are in need too.
Besides expressing our gratitudes for our family and friends, we must also give thanks to the environment which has been providing unconditionally for us. And what would be a better way to give thanks to our environment than to protect it.
What are you thankful for this year? What would you be doing this Thanksgiving? Would you be doing anything special this year? Although I am not observing Thanksgiving here, it would be great to share your joy. Wishing you a Bless and Happy Thanksgiving week!
Thanksgiving by Edgar Albert Guest
Gettin’ together to smile an’ rejoice,
An’ eatin’ an’ laughin’ with folks of your choice;
An’ kissin’ the girls an’ declarin’ that they
Are growin’ more beautiful day after day;
Chattin’ an’ braggin’ a bit with the men,
Buildin’ the old family circle again;
Livin’ the wholesome an’ old-fashioned cheer,
Just for awhile at the end of the year.
Greetings fly fast as we crowd through the door
And under the old roof we gather once more
Just as we did when the youngsters were small;
Mother’s a little bit grayer, that’s all.
Father’s a little bit older, but still
Ready to romp an’ to laugh with a will.
Here we are back at the table again
Tellin’ our stories as women an’ men.
Bowed are our heads for a moment in prayer;
Oh, but we’re grateful an’ glad to be there.
Home from the east land an’ home from the west,
Home with the folks that are dearest an’ best.
Out of the sham of the cities afar
We’ve come for a time to be just what we are.
Here we can talk of ourselves an’ be frank,
Forgettin’ position an’ station an’ rank.
Give me the end of the year an’ its fun
When most of the plannin’ an’ toilin’ is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin’ with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An’ I’ll put soul in my Thanksgivin’ prayers.
————————————– Better World Books Holiday Sale $5 off orders of $30 or more, $10 off orders of $50 or more. Free shipping in the USA $3.97 Worldwide.
A friend shared this touching short film in Facebook. According to a user who posted the same short film in Youtube, it was made in Greek in 2007. With the help of Google, I found it being shown in the 30th Greek Short Film Festival in 2007.
“What is that?” is a short film directed by Constantin Pilavios about a conversation, between a father and his son, when sparrow landed in front of them.
There was an email, with a very similar story, which I received back in 2006. Whichever came first, I do not know. But I hope, through the conversation of the father and his son, we could all be brought back to the time when we were young. Did our parents not shower us with tender love and patience?
This short film reminded me of the many conservations between my inquisitive four years old niece and my mother. Whenever she was watching TV programs with my mother, she would always ask her grandmother what was going on in the show. When my mother answered her question, she would pause to think for a moment and continue to ask another question.
This process of question and answer would just go on and on; the little one never seemed to run out of questions. However, no matter how many questions the little one asked, my mother would always answer in a gentle, patient and loving manner.
I was also reminded of the few conversations one of my aunts had with my grandmother. My grandmother is going to ninety-five soon and she tends to forget about certain things. Like the father in the short film, she would ask the same question repetitively or repeat the same words again and again. But my aunt would always answer her gently and lovingly with a smile.
What similarity can you see between my niece and my grandmother? One is four years old and another at ninety-five years old. Now, if we think about it, my grandmother was once young like my niece and probably with an inquisitive mind. My niece will one day be old like my grandmother and may tend to get forgetful too.
The young will not be with us forever as they move out of the house one day to start their own lives. The best memories are the attention, love and acceptance we can give to them now; these will positively influence them to act the same way toward their children.
The old too will not be with us forever as they will pass on one day. Let them leave with loving thoughts, much as the love and care which they showered upon us when we were young.
Join the Mailing list for Daily Love Quote in your Email now and get a Free copy of "What
is Love?"
movie.
The name and email address collected are not sold, given, or in any way disclosed to a third party. We will never give out your email address.
Whether you're looking for a gift or a timeless reminder of love, check out Abazias. Anything from diamond necklaces to diamond engagement rings come at affordable prices.
Subscribe
With Valentine’s Day just two weeks away, many businesses are gearing up for one of the most commercialise holidays. I see Valentine’s Day packages and special deals almost everywhere I go, listen or read; different hotels are tying up with banks to allure you with their Valentine’s Day Hotel packages and deals. One is throwing in a 5-course dinner by their hotel poolside rooms by their star chef. Not only that, it is topping up that dinner by welcoming you with chocolate pralines, bouquet of roses and personalised him/her bathrobes. Are you not tempted enough?
