GRATITUDE
FYI: I couldn’t wait another week to post this Blog- it’s THAT important.
INTRO:
Look at that PIC! Now, look again…. Only this time, look at each one individually. Each one reflecting FOUR different heart-felt expressions…Each one embodying a HUMBLE and HONEST appreciation. I find them all to be powerfully ENDEARING and MOST intriguing…Each one- has a STORY TO TELL. There is an incredible DEPTH of emotion conveyed by each. One can ACTUALLY FEEL – what they are feeling! I see a myriad of emotions coming into play here: A thankful-acceptance that nearly invokes pain, a deeply felt spiritual redemptive-acknowledgement, a much-needed peaceful-resignation, and a joyous long-awaited hope that finally came to fruition. Can you FEEL IT? Can you feel- THEIR STORY? Certainly, they are all Declarations of Truth that represent some of the BEST IN HUMANITY.
ANALYSIS:
Expressing gratitude not only REINFORCES the generosity of the Giver, but it sends out a magnet across the universe which attracts more of what you appreciate. A simple sincere Heartfelt Thank You goes such a looooog way in making this life so wonderful. Gratitude is the absolute BEST GIFT you can give your Giver! That’s all any good Giver wants- is APPRECIATION! When someone is authentically & emotionally TOUCHED by what you have done for them- it emotionally touches you!
BENEATH THE SURFACE OBSERVATION:
I have gleaned UNFILTERED expressions of gratefulness that instantly INFILTRATE the hearts & minds of Onlookers, thereby ENTICING ALL who witness the shared joyous event. Why, even the Uninvolved Casual Observer is immediately CAPTIVATED by the spirit of genuine appreciation & cannot help but EMPHATICALLY SMILE. As a mere Glancing Passerby, I too have smiled. Indeed, when RAW HUMILITY is engendered, a curious thing subtly occurs: The gracious Initial Giver becomes the Real Receiver & the grateful Initial Recipient becomes the True Giver! It seems GIVING BEGETS GIVING & E-V-E-R-Y-B-O-D-Y receives. Thus, generosity is exponentially multiplied. This miraculous exchange is absolutely- BEAUTIFUL!
MY DID I TELL YOU GAME:
Routinely, my wife & I play a wonderful appreciation game with each other. It’s how we playfully MACK (flirt) with each other. First of all, we try to take the other by surprise when they least expect it. Here’s how it goes: Wherever you’re at, whatever you’re doing with your loved one- Take a Time Out…Stop the World…Look your partner in the eye, act like you urgently forgot to tell them something & say, “Oh my goodness, I forgot to tell you…Did I tell YOU….”
The completion of the sentence can be as silly as “You are what made the cow jump over the moon, and what makes the plate run away with the spoon!” Or it can be as endearing and honest hearted as, “I love you.” The thing is, there are no rules, and anything goes. It’s a beautiful game of SWEET NOTHINGS- sweeter than candy & more fulfilling than any material gift. It’s a fantastic reinforcer and a confirmation of your attraction towards one another. Sweet Sentiments are the tastiest of morsels- they can only bring you closer, enhance the devotion, and strengthen your bonds. After years of playing this game, my wife & I will say or text “Did I tell you…” and there’s NO NEED to finish the sentence, because that phrase all by itself conveyed the affection!
CHECK OUT THESE PLAYFUL MACKS:
The following are some of my- Did I tell you lines, that I said to the Wife Of My Youth:
“Somedays you look better than others- but TODAY… you look better than ALL OTHERS!”
“They say beauty is only skin deep. Well, I went past the skin, and let me tell ya- IT’S DEEP!”
“If ya think a thought, and ya take that thought, and ya times that thought by two:
The thoughts you think, you thought you were think’n- was me, baby think’n of you. It’s true.”
“If by chance, you take a chance, and times that chance by 3: Chances are, there’s more than a chance, honey, you got a chance with me. You’ll see.”
“You see, I’ve learned to love, to learn how to really love. Because of you: Thank you and Thank God above!”
“Beautiful People are people who make other people- feel beautiful. And you my dear-are a Beautiful Person. Because every time I’m around you- I FEEL ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!”
The following poem,
TO WHENCE IT CAME,
spells out my philosophy:
Whatever I’ve got, I’ve got to give.
For once I’ve given what I got for you-
& sign it to my name:
The words I’ve written,
atone for those who didn’t-
& it returns To Whence It Came.
That’s where it all belongs-
In the person that feeling is for.
For without that person,
there would be no feeling-
& I would never know yours.
Though mine are evident,
the evidence-
Is somewhere inside of you.
Now whether you display it,
or come right out & say it-
determines what it turns into.
Whatever you’ve got, you’ve got to give.
For once you’ve given what you got for me-
& sign it to your name:
The words you’ve written,
atone for those who didn’t-
& it returns to To Whence It Came.
-Ethoas
P.S. So many times we will SNEAK A GLANCE at our loved one and think a fondness, yet time passes, we neglect to express it, and our loved one NEVER KNEW the beautiful thoughts we entertained. How much closer WE WOULD BE had we expressed it! My old friend Flint taught me not to cheat someone out of their SHARE OF COMPASSION. Yep…He GETS IT! That cat was a Real-Deal-Romeo! 😊
B.P.S. My FONDNESS MOTTO: If you think it- SAY IT! Life is so short. Don’t hold back. Don’t cheat them out of your affections. They will never know how fond you are of them UNTIL YOU EXPRESS IT! No one can read minds, and no one can read your heart. Please don’t hold back your gratitude, appreciation, fondness, & admiration. GIVING BEGETS GIVING & E-V-E-R-Y-B-O-D-Y receives. IF YOU THINK IT- SAY IT! A Motto whole-heartedly ENDORSED & PROMOTED….From the Lookout Post