A Plus Attitudes

I went out for a run early this morning and ran into a former classmate. It had been a few years since we had seen each other so we had a lot of catching up to do.

So much had happened in a few short years both happy and sad. Last I saw her, her children were still school-aged. At this point her youngest is a sophomore in college and her oldest is happily married and living in California. She lost a nephew, brother-in-law, sister and both parents with-in a span of 8 years. I could see the sadness in her eyes (and could relate because I had been trough similar tragic losses) when she talked about her losses, especially the passing of her sister. She and her sister were 17 years apart but were best friends and they lived just a few blocks away from each other.

I extended my best wishes and condolences and turned around to head back home. While running back, I began to feel this great sense of gratitude for my own family. Life is so fleeting and fragile. It’s important that we make sure we tell our loved ones how much we appreciate and love them and show our love and gratitude through kind words, a soft, gentle touch and a warm, embracing hug. Our time together is a precious gift to be cherished because we just never know when that gift will be taken away.

My 100 days of gratitude practice helps me focus on what is truly important in life. I’m 3 weeks into my practice and I find I want to spend more time with my family. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, I just want to be together. I also noticed I’m giving more hugs and telling them how much I appreciate and love them and how wonderful they truly are.

So very grateful for my loved ones.