EXCITING NEWS!
You know how people watch pre-schoolers, then sigh, then say "Oh, to have that energy! Wish I could bottle it!" (Probably not those exact words, but do you get my gist?)
Here's something better than the little yard apes energy: KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNAL
What??? Here's a quote (with my highlights) from an article by Drs. Blair & Rita Justice regarding research on being thankful:
"Psychologists Robert Emmons at the University of California at Davis, and Michael McCullough, at the University of Miami, are foremost researchers in field of gratitude. What they have learned so far is that gratitude is good for you, really good for you.
In an experimental comparison, people who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events (Emmons & McCullough, 2003). It doesn’t end there.
Participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based). And there’s more. Young adults who practice a daily gratitude intervention (self-guided exercises) had higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to the group that focused on hassles or thinking of how they were better off than others. The researchers keep adding to the list benefits that come from practicing gratitude."
I heard a speaker mention this in March and tried it myself several times. It's really helpful! If you are interested in trying it, let me know and I'll explain what to do.
Hannah might be able to go home (or to a hospital in MN) this coming week. It was one month ago today that the accident happened and she is still in Rockford. Please continue to pray for the entire family. They all still have more recovery time to come. Hannah will need extensive physical therapy on her shoulder, so pray that she will gain full use of it. Also pray that her internal injuries will continue to heal properly. (Read back a few blogs if you don't know about this situation).
Pray for my writing. I worked on a piece for our family reunion in July, and realized how I need to write and be creative. When I don't write, I don't really live. I need to quit avoiding it and quit running away from it.
Tom looked through a pile of unopened mail yesterday and found a brochure for the writers conference I attended last year. I would have thrown it away had I seen it first. It's 600 miles from here, the week after we get back from WI, it costs money, I'll have to ask for more time off work (it'd be my 5th week off of the Penney's job I started in Feb!), but Tom wants me to go. That's enough reason to consider it, and now that I have considered it, I find I want to go! So pray that it'll come together if God wants me to go.
Thanks a bunch!
You know how people watch pre-schoolers, then sigh, then say "Oh, to have that energy! Wish I could bottle it!" (Probably not those exact words, but do you get my gist?)
Here's something better than the little yard apes energy: KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNAL
What??? Here's a quote (with my highlights) from an article by Drs. Blair & Rita Justice regarding research on being thankful:
"Psychologists Robert Emmons at the University of California at Davis, and Michael McCullough, at the University of Miami, are foremost researchers in field of gratitude. What they have learned so far is that gratitude is good for you, really good for you.
In an experimental comparison, people who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events (Emmons & McCullough, 2003). It doesn’t end there.
Participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based). And there’s more. Young adults who practice a daily gratitude intervention (self-guided exercises) had higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to the group that focused on hassles or thinking of how they were better off than others. The researchers keep adding to the list benefits that come from practicing gratitude."
I heard a speaker mention this in March and tried it myself several times. It's really helpful! If you are interested in trying it, let me know and I'll explain what to do.
Hannah might be able to go home (or to a hospital in MN) this coming week. It was one month ago today that the accident happened and she is still in Rockford. Please continue to pray for the entire family. They all still have more recovery time to come. Hannah will need extensive physical therapy on her shoulder, so pray that she will gain full use of it. Also pray that her internal injuries will continue to heal properly. (Read back a few blogs if you don't know about this situation).
Pray for my writing. I worked on a piece for our family reunion in July, and realized how I need to write and be creative. When I don't write, I don't really live. I need to quit avoiding it and quit running away from it.
Tom looked through a pile of unopened mail yesterday and found a brochure for the writers conference I attended last year. I would have thrown it away had I seen it first. It's 600 miles from here, the week after we get back from WI, it costs money, I'll have to ask for more time off work (it'd be my 5th week off of the Penney's job I started in Feb!), but Tom wants me to go. That's enough reason to consider it, and now that I have considered it, I find I want to go! So pray that it'll come together if God wants me to go.
Thanks a bunch!
