I'd Like To Thank The Academy. . .

I was thinking about what I would say if I gave an acceptance speech for an award (kind of a fun flight of fancy to take) and here's what I came up with. What would yours say???

I would like to thank the Academy for this award: It represents hard work, and the hopes, dreams, love and encouragement of a great many people who have held me up along the way.

I've long said I'm not a human being, I'm a human becoming. There is an old Spanish proverb that says: In our lives, we have two or three opportunities to be a hero, but almost every day, we have the opportunity not to be a coward.

This life is a hero's journey. Anyone who sticks it out and gives it their best shot is heroic, in my estimation. What we call normal is so often extraordinary. Just overcoming the weight of the world, and making a genuine effort to identify and honor our true-path is profound. Kudos to anyone who is making a genuine effort to get through this life with originality,awareness and authenticity. ~Jeff Brown

I Get To - For Those Trying Loved Ones Moments

I GET TO
by Darlene A. Buechel

Last night, on my drive home from work, I heard a Country song that gave me a truly "Aha!" moment.

It wasn't the usual down-home twang, "I was drunk the day my mama got out of prison." No, this song was entitled, "I Get To" and had great lyrics beautifully sung by the group Blue County.

It tells the story of a boy who used to have to go to church, cut the grass, and help his dad. The boy grew into a man and, especially since his father's heart attack, says, "These days helping dad is something I don't have to do... I get to."

When he met his true love he used to have to say "I love you," until he dreamt she died. He concludes, "Now I realize I don't have to say I love you... I get to."

Wow! The meaning behind the lyrics really made me think as I trudged into the house and reached into the fridge for an OJ carton containing... 3 whole drops!

Instead of thinking I HAVE TO run to the store to spend $80 on groceries since Ben chugged a whole gallon of OJ last night, I'll think I GET TO buy groceries for my family because I have the money and I have a family, including 19-year-old Ben who inhales the refrigerator contents in Guinness Record Time

The next time I hear 21-year-old Dani bemoan the fact she "HAS TO" commute to college, HAS TO work part-time, and HAS TO squeeze in time for her fiance, I'll mention this song.

Since I regret the fact I didn't go to college, I'll stress she should be glad she GETS TO go to school, GETS TO work, and is lucky enough to have found a great guy who GETS TO help her make nine million wedding plans for the big day.

As for myself, I work full-time to provide health insurance since my husband is a self-employed dairy farmer. I put in my 40 hour work week off the farm, but Rich easily puts in 13-hour days because you HAVE TO milk those Jersey Cows twice a day along with all the other chores. Of course, he should look at the fact he GETS TO work as his own boss and fulfill his boyhood dream of owning a dairy.

Putting in those long farming days can be a challenge. Take this morning -- a cold December Saturday in Northeastern Wisconsin. The wind howled outside our bedroom window as the alarm clock beeps us awake at the ghastly hour of 4:45am.

After hitting the snooze a few times, Rich finally shut it off, gave me a kiss, and headed to the porch for barn clothes and boots.

But wait. He must have got my message when I talked about the song, since he turned around with a message of his own. "I know I don't HAVE TO trudge through the snow to go milk those bossies... I GET TO," he said with just a twinge of sarcasm.

Oh well. It's a start.

Speaking of starts, the Christmas season is once again starting to frazzle most folks I know. Along with work, school, or changing smelly diapers, they're expected to shop, wrap gifts, trim-a-tree, and bake tasty treats.

This year, I'll try to change my Grinch attitude of previous yuletides. Instead of thinking I was on my feet eight hours at work today and still have to wrap presents, trim the tree, and bake three dozen gingerbread cookies, I'll think, I GET TO wrap these great gifts. I also GET TO decorate this tree that will bring joy to family and friends. I GET TO bake these cookies that might make me gain three pounds, but at least we have enough food that I even have to worry about the zipper on my favorite jeans.

During this holiday season and throughout the New Year I think we should count our blessings and make the GET TO theory a part of our lives.

Remember, we don't have to cook, clean, and wrap in preparation for visits with family and friends -- WE GET TO.

-- Darlene A. Buechel

__________________________________________________
Darlene, a Wisconsin Cheesehead, wrote this story a few years ago. Since then her daughter earned her college degree, moved out and got married. Her son is still home gulping the OJ, her husband is still milking those cows, and she still GETS TO enjoy reading, writing, and life on the farm.

WHO ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?

December 1, 2003

As the holiday of Thanksgiving approaches, I wish each of you a happy holiday and ask you to think about the meaning of the word Thanksgiving. So often we get caught up in the pageantry that surrounds this holiday, and forget just who we are thankful for.

In life, you will meet many people along the way. Each person who touches our life brings a gift. Some will touch you more than others, but each person comes into your life for a reason. Many times we don't exactly know why. This person could be a teacher, a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a friend or a stranger. Maybe this person listens when we need to talk or cry. Maybe they help us financially when we are broke. Maybe they talk to us, when we need a different perspective. Maybe they hold us when we don't deserve it. Maybe they sit with us when our grief is too much to bear alone. Maybe they are just there, so we know we are not alone.

How have we acknowledged this help? Have we taken their gifts of love, compassion, and hope out into the world and offered it to others? We all need to give something back to this world that will help others along their paths. I think we all need to be more thankful. This year, stop, think, and remember all of the people who have crossed your paths and be thankful for them. Say it out loud, say it in silence, but say it.

--- Marlene

SOURCE: http://www.motivateus.com/stories/whoare.htm

Thank Yous

All from The Thank You Book, Robyn Freedman Spizman. Thank you Robyn!

Multiple person Thank You Letter

You are receiving this Thank you letter because you are a person who
has shown immeasurable kindness and unending thoughtfulness. You
deserve to be thanked for making such a difference in my life as well
as others. You have made your corner of the earth more hospitable,
gentler, and more meaningful with your smile, good deeds, and wonderful
ways. If everyone thanks one additional person for making his or her
world a better place, we all just might inspire more kindness and good
deeds! You are someone I am thankful for!

Email Thank You Letter

Here's a cyber thank you, since I couldn't wait to say, you fill my
life with happiness, each and every day. Your thoughtful deed was
noticed, you've been a friend right from the start. This thank you was
sent in cyberspace but it came straight from my heart.

Statements that compliment

You have outdone yourself, of course you always do.

Your outstanding taste is reflected in your beautiful gift.

I will always treasure your gift and most of all the beautiful thoughts
that accompany it.

A special person like you deserves the best.

This gift was definitely a tribute to your excellent taste.

Your beautiful gift is only matched by your continued caring.

Leave it to creative you to find such a fabulous gift.

You both are the perfect pair and represent a role model for us to
follow.

I could never fill your footsteps, but will be inspired by your gestrue
and beautiful book of wisdom.

Every time I look at your gift, I will think of your unending
thoughtfulness.

You are one in a million and I'm so lucky to call you my friend.

My thanks to you for being someone I can count on no matter what.

Thank you quotes:

Well done is better than well said. Ben Franklin.

The purpose of life is a life of purpose. Robert Byrne.

A friend is a gift you give yourself. Robert Louis Stevenson.

It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35.

A true friend is the most precious of all possessions and the one we
take the least thought about acquiring. La Rochefoucauld, Maxims.

Always be a little kinder than necessary. James M. Barrie.

Whoever is happy will make others happy too. He who has courage and
faith will never perish in misery. Anne Frank.

Thank you note for teachers

An apple for our teacher would never be enough, for teaching us abut
the world and lots of other stuff. But perhaps a world of thank yous
is what we all should say, to tell you, teacher, how much you mean to
all of us each day. So thank you, our dear teacher, for everything you
do, we all feel very lucky that each of us has you!

Words to describe your feelings of thanks:

delighted, honored, thankful, appreciative, grateful, obliged,
beholding to, indebted to, touched, moved, inspired, speechless,
complimented, enjoy, relish, ecstatic.

Words to describe the gift/deed

captivating, irresistable, charming, loveable, adorable, colorful,
gracious, exciting, fabulous, gorgeous, memorable, moving, lovely,
soothing, friendly, amazing, striking, sensational, thoughtful,
dazzling, stunning, unforgettable, remarkable, superb, glorious,
monumental, pleasurable, genuine, exquisite, state of the art, magical,
ravishing, stylish, outragous, phenomenal, awesome, cuddly, picture
perfect, whimsical, eye catching, special, elegant, exceptional,
outstanding, luxurious, mouthwatering, delectiable, unparalleled,
unique, prize winning, knockout, sumptous, compelling.

Counting Blessings

Thanksgiving is a great holiday. It focuses our minds on our blessings rather than on our problems.

It makes the heart glad for what we have been given, and it takes our minds off the burdens we all have.

Thanksgiving recognizes the giver as well as the gift. It keeps it on the positive side.

In a life of plenty of prosperity, we seem to take things for granted. How appreciative we should be for our blessings, and what a wonderful thing is a holiday which focuses our attention on them.

Thanksgiving is therapy we all need to keep cognizant of the blessings and beauty of living.

This year let's set aside a few minutes of the holiday to sit alone and think of the many things for which we are thankful - - then this great holiday will have true meaning for us.

~Robert N. Filie

The Thankful Chair

All stories copyright 2006 Bob Perks

Today's Message:

"The Thankful Chair"

by Bob Perks

"I have so much to be thankful for. I wouldn't know where to

begin," she said.

I wouldn't know either. As I looked around her home I couldn't find a

thing that she could include.

I have discovered that the friendliest, most welcoming people in

the world are those who have little to offer. What they lack in

possessions they make up for in spirit and love.

I had been working for the Commission on Economic Opportunity.

It was the year following the flood. My job was to interview low income

families and assess their needs. Up until that moment I thought I had

seen it all. The odd thing was I was looking at nothing at all and this

woman was thankful.

The home had actually been out of the flood area, yet it looked like it

had been a part of the destruction. The front porch steps were missing,

replaced by a few cinder blocks and planks. There were several broken

windows and part of the foundation had caved in exposing the basement to the weather.

That particular day it was in the upper thirties with a heavy wind blowing snow from the west.

Thanksgiving Day was approaching and quite frankly my heart

was not into doing these surveys. Like many others, I just wanted to

start my holiday early. This was the last stop for me. Tomorrow like millions of

other families we would be snuggled around the table filling ourselves to capacity.

Oddly I hadn't even thought about what this family was looking

forward to. I just figured they would be taken care of by some

organization or church. I looked around the kitchen for some sign

of a charitable box of goodies but saw nothing there.

The house was bitter cold. The young children ran several times

through the kitchen playing, laughing like any other child. I happened

to notice that they were bare foot on this cold linoleum floor.

At one point I said to one of the youngest girls, "You should go put

your socks and shoes on before you get sick."

She replied, "Mommy did this man bring me some shoes I can wear?"

"No, Sissy. He didn't. Go put on a pair of mine. He's right you

need something on your feet."

I was embarrassed for having put her in that position.

"Well, I'm finished here. Thank you for your time. I hope you have

a wonderful...." I didn't know what to say. How could they possibly

have a wonderful anything.

"Look, I'm sorry. I know there must not be much to be thankful for

these days," I said nervously.

"Well, you certainly are wrong about that!" she said emphatically.

Then rising to her feet she walked into the living room and stood in the middle.

"My dear, I am truly blessed for all of this. I know it doesn't look

like much. But who made the rules that say that we can only be

thankful for things that cost money?" she said.

"Sit here on this chair," she told me. "That chair may be worthless

even to a junk dealer. But I sat in that chair and waited for months when

my son was in the Vietnam war. That was my worry chair. I sat in that chair,

prayed and gave thanks when the good Lord brought him safely home to me.

It was in that same chair I was sitting in when they announced that John F.

Kennedy was dead. I wept in that chair. It was in that same chair I was sitting

when my daughter came home from school and told me she was going to

college cause she got a full scholarship. It was my joyful chair.

It was also in that chair that I sat holding my Daddy's hand when he died. They

had sent him home telling us there was nothing more they could do. He wanted

to be at home. I ate, slept and cried as I sat in that chair holding his hand. He was all

the world to me when I was growing up. I owed him that much.

So how much is that chair worth in dollars? Nothing. But I wouldn't trade it," she said.

Then walking over to a picture on the wall she said "You see this man? He's my man.

He's the man that has loved me for all these years. He's at work now. He doesn't make

much but he works hard for it. He paid for that chair in sweat. How much money value

do I put on him? There isn't enough money in all the world for the true value of love."

"Those kids out in the yard. Yeah, maybe someone would say I'm not a good parent.

But you go and ask them if they love their Mommy and Daddy. Then tell me how much

that is worth," she said.

Then walking closer to where I was seated she looked down at me and said, "I'm

thankful for my sight, the touch of my baby's hand on my face. I am thankful that I have

good health considering everything else. I am thankful for my faith. Oh, how thankful I am

that I have something to believe in. I am thankful for the smell of hot biscuits and honey on

Christmas morning. I am thankful for the second hand quilt the lady down the street gave me yesterday."

Then tilting her head and cupping her ear she said, "Listen....do you hear that?

That's laughter. My kids are laughing as they are playing with all the other kids in the

neighborhood. How much would you pay to find something to laugh about when things

aren't so good?"

Grabbing my briefcase, I stood up and walked toward her.

"So my dear. Should I go on? There is so much more I am thankful for that most

people take for granted."

"No." I said. "Thank you."

"Oh sir," she said. "One more thing."

She walked over to the chair and sat down.

"I call this my "Thankful Chair". Tomorrow when we gather round the table to

share whatever meal God will provide, and he always provides, I will be thankful that

He had sent you here to talk to me," she said smiling.

"I believe that one day I will find that priceless," I said and walked out the door.

I was right.

"I believe in You!"

Bob Perks

Bob@BobPerks.com

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