From lack to surplus in one fell swoop

This beautiful necklace came to me recently from my very sweet and unbelievably talented friend, Tonia Davenport. She is one not afraid to share her heart and many people are blessed because of it.

The black velveteen cloth with the bird and inscription on it was a gift from my dear friend Laurie Cleveland. This friend is known for her thoughtfulness and compassionate ear. With beautiful things given by beautiful friends such as these it's not hard to feel thankful, in fact the feeling of love associated with these gifts can be overwhelming.

But, once I heard advice that if you're having bad dreams and are awakened in the night simply begin to think of what you're are thankful for. For a time after my mother became sick I was having bad dreams. I'm ashamed to admit it took a few nights to come up with 10 things...but it wasn't long before there were countless things to be thankful for, and I could go and on. The power of thankfulness is amazing. I am a lucky person because I am thankful. And, you are lucky too, or you can be.

Melody Beattie beautifully writes: "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."