Every Day Thankful. Becca Anderson

amount of Gratitude.

      —A.A. Milne

      16.

      True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have.

      —Seneca

      17.

      Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.

      —Cicero

      18.

      Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.

      —Voltaire

      19.

      Gratitude looks to the Past and love to the Present.

      —C.S. Lewis

      20.

      In normal life we hardly realize how much more we receive than we give, and life cannot be rich without such gratitude.

      —Dietrich Bonhoeffer

      21.

      We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

      —Thornton Wilder

      22.

      The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.

      —Henry Ward Beecher

      23.

      Gratitude is a divine emotion. It fills the heart, not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever. I like to taste leisurely of bliss. Devoured in haste,

       I do not know its flavor.

      —Charlotte Bronte

      24.

      Take full account of what Excellencies you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not.

      —Marcus Aurelius

      25.

      Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.

      —Henry Clay

      Choose to Be Happy

      This is your life; only you can truly control your choices, and choosing thankfulness and happiness is the best way to achieve being a good to yourself as well as the world. Here are some suggestions for how you can ensure simple joy in your life:

      • Be the best you can be by your own standards

      • Surround yourself with people who inspire you and make you feel good

      • Focus on what you have, not what you lack

      •Optimism trumps pessimism every time!

      • Smile often and genuinely

      • Be honest, to yourself and to others

      • Help others

      • Embrace your past, live in the present, and look forward for what is yet to come

      26.

      Be happy, noble heart, be blessed for all the good thou hast done and wilt do hereafter, and let my gratitude remain in obscurity like your good deeds.

      —Alexandre Dumas

      27.

      If you count all your assets, you always show a profit.

      —Robert Quillen

      28.

      The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.

      —Hannah Whitall Smith

      29.

      The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.

      —Friedrich Nietzsche

      30.

      Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

      —GK Chesterton

      31.

      The worship most acceptable to God comes from a thankful and cheerful heart.

      —Plutarch

      Teaching Gratitude

      Teach your children well. Sit down with your child and ask him or her to create a talk about thankfulness. Provide a simple starting point: “Thank you for…” Then ask your child to draw a picture to go with the concept and get started writing the first of MANY thank you notes for years to come!

      32.

      I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.

      —Ralph Waldo Emerson

      33.

      Sometimes I go about pitying myself, and all the while I am being carried across the sky by beautiful clouds.

      —Ojibway proverb

      34.

      When I’m not thank’d at all, I’m thank’d enough,

      I’ve done my duty, and I’ve done no more.

      —Henry Fielding

      35.

      Do not let the empty cup be your first teacher of the blessings you had when it was full.

      —Alexander Maclaren

      36.

      A grateful mind

      By owing owes not, but still pays, at once

      Indebted and discharg’d.

      —John Milton

      37.

      Thankfulness is the tune of angels.

      —Edmund Spenser

      38.

      Praise the bridge that carried you over.

      —George Colman the Younger

      39.

      Let the man, who would be grateful, think of repaying a kindness, even while receiving it.

      —Seneca the Younger

      40.

      Ingratitude calls forth reproaches as gratitude brings renewed kindnesses.

       —Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné

      41.

      From too much love of living,

      From hope and fear set free,

      We thank with brief thanksgiving

      Whatever gods may be.

      —Algernon Charles Swinburne

      Unplug (and Recharge!)

      Forego using technological devices today. Texting your friend, watching your favorite show, checking your email—all can wait until tomorrow! Turn off your devices and turn on your senses! Read a book, cook a meal, and enjoy the outdoors by taking a walk or tending to your garden. Technology distracts us from the real world, occupying our attention with game applications, chat rooms, social media websites, commercials, and so on. Want to know what’s going on in the news? Read a newspaper. Be aware of the here and now by finding activities that don’t require electricity or a battery. Make your own entertainment!

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