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Heidi Y's Grateful Page

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Heidi Y's Grateful Page

2023 is my 'Year of living gratefully.' My focus? Looking for, finding and celebrating all the wonderful things life has to offer. My hope?

Making gratitude a habit might make life shine a little brighter. Join me and we will find out.

01/23/2023

January 23.2023

This morning I woke up feeling scratchy and sad, but I wasn’t sure exactly why. So not like me! Remember, I’m the one who loves Mondays. This afternoon when I sat down at my desk in my home office, I noticed a Christmas ornament on my file cabinet. I don’t know who it belongs to or where it came from, or when it arrived at its current perch but this message got my attention:

“Those we love don’t go away; they walk beside us every day. Unheard but always near, still loved, still missed and very dear.”

Instantly, the source of my sadness came into clear focus: two years ago, my father-in-law passed away. I’m sad because I miss him.

Grief sucks.

But today, I’m grateful to love deeply even though sometimes grief is part of that package. I’m also grateful to whoever left this wonderful reminder that those we love still walk beside us after they pass.

01/20/2023

January 20, 2023
Storms pass. The sun comes out. We get some relief. We survey the damage and pick up the pieces. Sometimes we even get a rainbow. In California, the storms brought some chaos, but they also helped refill the bone-dry reservoirs. Step by step, day by day, we make the needed repairs. I’m grateful when we are in this recovery time…so often, these times show us we are stronger than we realized. They also show us that we aren’t alone. People come together to help each other out. Stay strong my California peeps and everyone who is weathering a storm right now.

01/19/2023

January 19, 2023
When the storm is raging all around us, when do we know it is time to move to higher ground? Sometimes, police come by and broadcast on blowhorns that it’s time to go. This has happened to family and friends in Colorado and Sonoma County, CA when fires were raging around them and a sudden shift in the way the wind was blowing turned a distant threat into a clear and present danger. In both cases, these people I love had 10 minutes to evacuate--this is when having a Go Bag ready comes in very handy. However, when the storms we are living through aren’t threatening us with fast moving fires or rising water, it can be less clear when we need to make a change to save ourselves. The ’danger’ may not be life threatening, but it often keeps us from living our best life. The storm might come in the form of a toxic relationship, dead end job or a health crisis. Whatever it is, sometimes just getting out of the chaos of the storm and getting into a calm and safe space is what we need to figure out the next best step. Your gut instinct might be the internal blowhorn telling you to get out of the danger zone. Pay attention to that and listen to the guidance of experts while leaning into the support of people who love you. I’m grateful for all of the things that provide the safe space we need to weather the storms of our lives.

01/18/2023

January 18, 2023
The heavy rains flooding my home state of California has me thinking about the value of staying calm during a storm. The possibility of earthquakes, fires and the occasional epic rain storm made having a “Go Bag” at the ready (one in your car and one in your garage) a good idea if you lived in the Golden State. Go Bags are packed with essentials like flashlights, batteries, medications, water, bad weather boots and gear, clothing and blankets, phone and device chargers, etc. It’s also a good idea to have a plan for where to reconnect with our loved ones if our home is damaged by a storm or a fire. This, coupled with keeping an eye on the forecast helps us feel prepared for what could be a rough ride. I think the same is true about the figurative storms of life. My emotional “Go Bag” is filled with faith, family and friends. These are the pillars that have helped me weather storms in my life. I am so grateful for that. I’m also grateful for the wisdom of others so please share what helps you get through life’s storms. Please also keep a good thought for the people in California as they continue to weather one storm after another.

01/16/2023

I'm grateful for Martin Luther King, Jr. -- for his vision, courage, faith and his dream of freedom for EVERYONE.

He said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

He also said, “When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Let it be so! Amen.

01/11/2023

January 11, 2023
Over the past few months, I have watched with admiration as several friends and family members made fresh starts. Whether the changes were making new commitments to physical or mental health, making job or relationship changes, learning how to cook or taking steps (literally) to getting fit, fresh starts are fueled by a vision for a better life. By the time these changes start to take shape, people pursuing a fresh start have already been doing serious internal work on assessing what isn’t working in their lives, carefully considering what changes are needed and gathering their courage and creativity to make new things happen. None of this is easy. All of it is inspirational. I am grateful to have a front row seat to see people I love take bold steps toward a better future. To all of you making a fresh start, I’m cheering you on!

01/10/2023

January 10, 2023
It’s two-fer Tuesday so here are TWO things I’m grateful for that are especially important to me. The first is TRUTH. I could wax poetic about why I’m so fond of the truth, but today, I’m just appreciating the practicality of it: truth sets a solid foundation for anything associated with it. It also eliminates the chaos that invariably comes with anything that veers down the slippery slope that denies truth. Best of all, truth is an essential ingredient in fostering trust. Clarity shares these attributes and builds on them by cultivating understanding. My career is in communications making truth and clarity primary tools of my trade, but the basic human need for connection is the driving force behind my affinity for truth and clarity. Without treating ourselves and others with generous helpings of these two things, human connection is impossible. I’m grateful for anything that lays the groundwork for love and connection and that’s why I’m grateful for truth and clarity.

01/09/2023

January 9, 2023
Yes, it’s true. I love Mondays. Always have. Mondays feel like a clean slate…a fresh start for the week. On Monday mornings, I’m coming off a weekend that gave me time to rest, relax, connect with friends and family and recharge. Usually, I have some goals I hope to accomplish in the coming week and that gives me a sense of purpose. The other thing I like about Mondays is the adventurous sense that anything can happen. Today marks the start of Week 2 in my “Year of Living Gratefully” challenge to myself. Making gratitude a priority adds to that sense of adventure. In these nascent stages, I’m noticing how much happier I feel when I keep my focus on the good stuff of life. How do you feel about Mondays? Here’s to getting the week off to a great start! Happy Monday!

01/06/2023

I woke up in the middle of the night last night and couldn't get back to sleep. Life is good and I don't have any big worries on my mind so that couldn't be the reason for the wakefulness, and then I remembered. A year ago on the night of January 5, I was pretty sure I was going to die. I'd been in the hospital since Jan. 1, 2022 with influenza A, RSV and pnemonia. I couldn't get enough air no matter how hard I tried. Instead of the sound of air smoothly flowing in and out of my lungs with ease, each attempt to breathe elicited a very disturbing sound like someone was shaking a box of rocks. I couldn't get any response to my calls for help (learned later my call button was broken), so I found a pen, wheeled my IV to the bathroom to get a paper towel to write on to get help (I couldn't speak at that point b/c my lungs were such a mess). I had to disconnect my oxygen to do this which was like trying to swim underwater without a breath. I got back to my bed, reconnected my oxygen to get some of the little air it offered and wrote out my note. I had to disconnect my oxygen again to get to the door of my isolation room and get the nurses attention. They quickly sprang into action and I got on high-flow oxygen and big guns antibiotics to beat back the pneumonia. Nine days later, I left the hospital. I'm so much better now and still recovering a year later and have learned two important things. First, when faced with any problem (life-threatening or not), figure out what you need and ask for it...vehemently if necessary. Secondly, remember every breath is a gift. Cherish it. Life is good.

01/05/2023

I just started reading a book called Grit by Angela Duckworth. The premise is that passion, perseverance and a willingness to work hard trumps talent or intelligence as arbiters of success. What I love about this is that anything is possible when you work hard and persistently on the dreams that capture your heart. I'm so grateful for that!

01/04/2023

January 4, 2023
Last night, my husband and I were watching “Angels in the Outfield” and feeling grateful for at-home date night, this fan favorite movie and the magic of baseball. Two of our girls were in the kitchen making a racket while making the last batch of Christmas cookies. We just turned up the TV. They kept laughing and banging mixing bowls and cookie sheets around. We turned up the TV again. Their laughter just got louder. Is it possible that a date-night with my husband, a hope-filled movie, happy kids, Christmas cookies and the spirit of this wonderful season could make my grateful cup overflow?
“It could happen!”

01/03/2023

January 3, 2023
I'm notorious for making ambitious 'To Do' lists. If I don't get everything crossed off my list in the (unreasonable) amount of time I've allotted, I often get frustrated or disappointed in myself. NOT TODAY! Over the long holiday weekend, I got a lot done and I'm celebrating that progress. There are still things to cross off that 'To Do' list, but I'll get to that next weekend. This may not sound like a big deal to most folks, but it is a HUGE deal for me. I'm grateful to be making progress and having fun doing it! I also like this uncharacteristically 'chill' feeling that comes with my new attitude. Here’s to PROGRESS (not perfection)!

01/02/2023

Yesterday, a dear friend posted one of my favorite poems as part of her New Year inspiration. The poem is "Promise Yourself" by Christian D. Larson and it is one of the framed favorites on our 'inspiration wall' in our family room. I'm grateful for wonderful, like-minded friends and this poem ~ both help keep me on the right track. Here are some excerpts from "Promise Yourself." I hope it lifts you up today.

01/01/2023

This morning, I woke up to an email from a friend who has been battling cancer. She is winning the fight and is back at home recovering after a month of in-hospital treatment. Then I got a text from a friend who lost her husband last year, but remains ever hopeful and always positive and filled with faith. These strong, resilient women inspire me. Today (and always), I am grateful for them!

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