December 17, 2013 was a big day in America. MegaMillions Lottery’s jackpot was $636 million. The odds of winning were 1 in 259 million. Not bad. There were two winners, one in California and one in Georgia. This Grandma lives in South Florida. This Grandma has won the lottery. Not MegaMillions. The lottery of life.
My Mother, GG (great grandmother) used to say she won the lottery. She survived the Holocaust, saw her entire family and entire village murdered, but she lived. She was allowed to immigrate with me and my father to America. She lived to see a great grandchild. She said her diamonds were her children and her millions her grandchildren and great grandchild. My Mother said, as long as you have your health in life, you have everything. GG was a wise woman who appreciated life despite the hardships she had suffered in her life.
This Grandma has diamonds and millions too. And this Grandma has the good fortune of good health.
Yes, this Grandma bought more MegaMillions tickets than she should have. After all, dreaming is wonderful. Like most other dreamers, most of the money was already designated. Yes, charities would have been very happy. The U.S. Holocaust Museum which has GG (great grandfather’s) tapes of his experiences in the Holocaust, M.D. Anderson Cancer Hospital (which cared for GG), and the Kiwanis Club Backpack program (which feeds hungry American children) will have to do with smaller donations than I dreamed about.
Dreaming is good.
A long (we never say old) friend studies Kabbalah. She advised me to list one small thing I am grateful for each day. She says such a gratitude journal can extend one’s life and make one’s life better. Every day, I follow her advice. I want to be around a long time to watch my precious grandchildren grow up and hopefully, experience the joy of witnessing the birth of a great grandchild.
I looked up gratitude journal and Kabbalah on the internet and found the following at kabbalah.com.
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward
Thank you. It’s one of the first phrases taught to young children just learning to speak and interact with the world. When they forget, grown-ups are right there to remind them, What do you say? Eventually, it becomes second nature, even to the point of saying thank you when we are not truly appreciative. But expressing gratitude is more than simply showing good manners. The act of being thankful can actually improve your relationships, well-being, and invite more blessings into your life.
Every person that you interact with offers a great deal of blessings in your life—blessings we ought to show thanks for. Kabbalistically, a heartfelt thank you creates more Light in the world. Whether you show your gratitude with a hug, a note, a handshake, a gift, a cake, or a smile, the person being thanked not only associates you with this Light, they feel they have made a difference in the world and are more likely to pay it forward.
It doesn’t take much to give thanks to those who help us out or make our days a little brighter. But what about the people who challenge us or force us to examine our shortcomings? It’s not as easy to see challenges as blessings. All to often we place blame on others for making our lives harder or blocking our path to achieving our goals. However, those who challenge us deserve our gratitude as well. You may be wondering how gratitude for the person who steals your parking space is even possible. But whether they assist us by giving us exactly what we want or by forcing us to grow through overcoming an obstacle, those who help us are channels of Light—hard to believe some days, but true. If we neglect to show our gratitude, we are cutting ourselves off from the source of more blessings.
There are thousands of things to be thankful for daily and conscientiously reflecting on gratitude can positively impact one’s attitude and approach to life. When psychology professors, Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough, studied the connection between gratitude and daily well being, they instructed participants to keep a gratitude journal. Each week those in the study wrote down five things they were grateful for. Their responses didn’t have to be long, just one sentence. But over an extended period of time, those who kept the journal reported feeling more optimistic, happier, and engaged in more activities than those who didn’t take note of weekly blessings.. . .
It’s never too late to say thank you, even if it is for something someone did for you 15 years ago. Take a moment to reflect on the blessings you’ve been given over the course of your life. An employer who took a chance on you, a mentor or coach who didn’t accept less than your best, a friend who helped you through a troubling time—each of them deserve gratitude for the opportunities and blessings they helped provide you. Reach out and show your appreciation.
“Start every day by taking a moment to ground yourself in the here-and-now. When you do you will realize that you have never been in this moment before; it’s unique, so savor every aspect of its newness.” – Michael Berg
At this holiday time of year, this is a good message to ponder. It is even a great idea for a New Year’s Resolution.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy life to read this blog on life by this Grandma.
May the New Year 2014 bring you “feeling more optimistic, happier, and engaged in more activities.” May the “act of being thankful . . . actually improve your relationships, well-being, and invite more blessings into your life” in 2014.
I have learned that feeling like you have won the lottery of life makes you feel like you have won the lottery. Being an American for me is winning the lottery of life. Everything else in my life is icing on the cake, with the grandchildren being the sweetest icing of all!
Joy,
Mema