Gratitude Therapy- By Carolyn Dickman

I took my granddaughter, Alexis, to see Cirque du Soleil. I highly recommend the

experience…not only of seeing the most unique circus in the world, but traveling

with Alexis. They both inspire awe and gratitude for how wonderful people can be.

Many of you know that children tend to keep adult feet firmly on the ground. There

are no delusions with children. Spending time with them can help you see things

more openly and inquisitively. Then you’re set up for gratitude.

Gratitude Therapy and Acting Like a Kid

Alexis told her mom and dad that she just loved it that her grandma was just like a

little kid. Wow! I was just bustin’ my buttons. I got ready to hear the details like:

“She’s so curious. She plays. She looks at things the way I do. She skips…” She said,

“We only got as far as Tiffin (17 miles from home) and she had to go to the

bathroom!” (This final one inspires terrific gratitude for rest stops.)

Gratitude for Birth and Life

There’s another one for my little book titled, Things Worth Remembering. I keep

this book to document the big events in our family life, and my work life. The book

keeps growing with things worth remembering and feeling utterly grateful for. They

are the inspiring moments, large and small, that fill our lives. For example, we have

two more Grand babies, Ellie (Ellie Belle) and Alayna (Laynie). These were definitely

big things to be grateful for!

Gratitude for Miracles Large and Small

Their births are in the book along with the exciting surrounding circumstances. Ellie

was an almost home birth. I was on the phone the entire 11 miles to my daughter’s

house telling her, “Blow-blow-blow.” (For those unfamiliar, exhaling air rapidly

can afford some control over the urge to push in last stage labor – I said “some.”) I

pushed – the accelerator.

We waited for the ambulance and blew, blew, blew. It was frightening and

exhilarating. So many of life’s most gracious moments come at the end of an ordeal

that we can’t discredit them. Mommy delivered in the ER still wearing her running

shoes. I think little seven-pound Ellie is destined to follow her mom to the Boston

Marathon. The delivery was met by a standing ovation from everyone in the

department; I think the janitor was even in the room! Afterwards the staff told us

what a delight it was to have a baby born in their department because so often they

deal with the other end of life. Thank God for miracles of all sizes.

Alayna’s birth was almost as exciting but for the fact that we were already at the

hospital. Laynie was in a big hurry to get through all that smushing and pushing.

Beth’s husband, his mom (a long-time friend of mine), and I massaged mom’s feet,

back, neck and face as contractions came one on top of another – first baby, less than

3 hours of hard work. I really don’t know how these wonderfully strong women I

reared have accomplished this, as my first babies were over 20 hour journeys.

Alayna’s mommy is a teacher. One of her students asked the sub, “Is Mrs. P. going

to the office to have her baby and then coming back to us?” I guess we have to

remember in the experience of being a kindergartner, anything important happens in

the office.

Counting Your Blessings and Your Value Og Mandino, motivational speaker and

author, gives us 17 rules to live by in one of his books, A BETTER WAY TO LIVE.

The very first rule, “Count your blessings.” Once you realize how valuable you are

and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out,

the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward toward the life that

God intended for you…with grace, strength, courage, and confidence. That doesn’t

mean everything in life will always be peachy, but counting your blessings and

realizing your true worth can help you get through any ordeal.

Life is full of so many wonderful moments that there is no reason not to expect great

things around every corner.

The Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety12300 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 325

Los Angeles, CA 90025CALL: 1-866-771-9858

Website: www.midwestcenter.com