Tag Archives: gratitude

Apologies and Thanks

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I’ve discovered that many of you have liked my posts, and that some of you have even taken the time to leave comments, all of which have gone unacknowledged by me.

Please forgive me.  I feel a deep sense of gratitude for your time and attention, and a deep sense of shame for having ignored them for so long.

I haven’t paid enough attention to the mechanics of blogging.  I kept seeing this stat for comments, approved, and spam, but couldn’t figure out who was doing the approving or spamming, or where the comments were going.

Then finally I went into the email I use for businesses, where I expect to get lots of unwanted email, to look for something from WordPress.  But when I typed in the search for WordPress, screen after screen of emails came up; emails looking for approval for comments, or a notice of being “liked.”

I’ve had the blinders on, totally focused on writing a post every day.  And I missed the opportunity to converse with you.

I’m committed to work through your emails, respond to your comments, and to read your blogs.  I pledge to set aside an hour each day to do just that.  But it’s going to take some time to get through them all.  So I hope you’ll be patient with me.

Thank you for reading my blog, for liking my posts, and especially for sharing your thoughts in the form of comments.  I will try to do better.

Practicing Contentment

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He who knows enough is enough will always have enough – Lao Tzu.

How do you know when enough is enough?

Jesus said something that bothered me for years:

25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” (Mark 4:25, NIV)

I’ve chewed that verse like a cow chews cud.  It just didn’t seem fair to me.

I grew up a glass half empty person.  It was as if I had negative vision: I could only see what wasn’t there.  And not just possessions; accomplishments, skills, physical attributes… the list was unending.  I saw what was lacking in my life, and everywhere I looked I came up short.

Whoever doesn’t have, even what they have will be taken from them.  It’s unpleasant to be around a person with negative vision.  They aren’t thankful for anything, and complain about everything.  They are jealous.  They are insecure.  They are easily offended, because the whole world is an insult to them.

I should know, for that man was me.

Here’s what that verse has come to mean to me: we all have something to be grateful for.  The issue isn’t possession, but recognition.  We’ve all been blessed with life.  And if we’re alive, then we have air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat.  Give thanks.

We’ve all been blessed with some interest, some activity we like to do.  Enjoy it.  Practice it.  And give thanks.

We all know people who are better than us in those things we’re interested in or like to do.  Admire them.  Get to know them.  Learn from them.  And give thanks.

Whoever has will be given more: this is the path to true wealth.  Before long you not only discover how blessed you are, but that you are a blessing too.