The first stories I remembered were told by my paternal grandmother and father. They spoke of challenge, resilience, humor, adventure, the Old West and achievement. I loved the stories and the storytellers. I love remembering them today. I also heard stories of historical figures and saints in my Catholic schools – role models. I feel challenged and liberated by these stories, not limited. The stories I tell myself about me are similar to the ones I was told. I also tell stories about memorable and rewaring experiences I’ve had. They make me happy. I choose to remember the good, the true and the beautiful and to release or reframe stories that harm me. This conscious practice works well for me. I am grateful for it.

I was fired from a job because I did not do a very important project for the CEO even though I had ample time to do it. I was distracted by the plethora of responsibilities I had and did not prioritize this one at a high enough level. It was the first time I was fired and I felt ashamed. The job loss had very serious financial impacts for my family. I deeply regretted the situation. I was able to accept it because I recognized that the firing was just. I was angry at myself but not at others. I learned more about humility, accountability and the importance of focus. All in all, it was a growthful experience for me and one from which I recovered.

I have been really disturbed by the bitter political polarization in our nation, states, communities, work organizations, places of worship, family and associates. I have personally been distressed by the strong political differences between my nuclear family, a brother-in-law raised in the Mid-West and a cousin raised in the Deep South. In an effort to understand their perspectives, maintain family unity and practice loving kindness toward them, I’ve been reading and reflecting on Colin Woodard’s book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America (Viking Adult; First Edition, 2011). Woodard informed and enriched my point of view toward my own relatives and others who hold a diametrically different political view from my own. While I don’t agree with them and never will, I am no longer judgmental about their perspectives. This helps me stay in a positive relationship with these family members and that’s my goal. Thank you, Colin Woodard.

I am thankful to God and my parents for my life. I am thankful for my faith, family, friends, teachers and colleagues. I have been accompanied by so many wonderful people throughout my life – people I’ve known in person or virtually through books, media and the internet. They inspire, challenge and encourage me to be the best person I can be at this time in this place. I am thankful for the wonderful pets who shared my life – dogs, cats and horses. I am thankful for nature, the performing arts, education and democracy. I am thankful for food, water, housing, heat and other comforts. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful to be a small part of this magnificent whole. Deo Gratias!

I am filled with wonder when in nature. I feel very close to God and deeply grateful when I experience the Northern Lights, photos of the Cosmos, Princess Louisa Inlet, the Greek Isles, the Gulf & San Juan Islands, Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helen’s, Mt. Baker, the Pacific Ocean, the Olympic, Cascade and Rocky Mountains, California’s Redwood Forest, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and our US and Canadian national parks, etc. The natural beauty, scale, grandeur and balanced order of these sacred places fills me with wonder, peace and gratitude. They refresh my spirit and draw me closer to our Creator. Deo Gratias!

In the past, I’ve found playfulness and adventure in riding my horses, walking in nature, boating, camping, travel, attending live theatre and concerts and spending time with family and friends. Due to my age – entering the 79th year of my life, minor disabilities, reduced retirement income and the pandemic, these ways of being playful and adventurous needed to be adapted. Now I enjoy being playful and adventurous by viewing British situation comedies, viewing travelogues on TV or the internet, exploring the cosmos and nature through reading and playing with our grand-dog. Sometimes we have video calls and face-to-face visits with family and friends. I remember special places and activities we enjoyed in the past too.

I admire many women and men who’ve taught me in formal and informal ways to be a better person and global citizen. They prepared me for my professional work and retirement. Lately I’ve been remembering my 1959 – 1960 high school World Affairs teacher and debate coach – Sister Virginia Mary of Bishop Blanchet High School in Seattle. She was a great teacher who inspired me to care about what was happening in the world, read the newspaper, talk about articles that interested me and why they mattered to me. She coached me to become a skillful debater and public speaker so I could share my ideas with others. She told us “You are the intelligentsia and it is your responsibility to know (and care) about what is happening in the world. That mission has guided my life for the past 60 years. I hope she would be pleased with me. I regret I never directly told her how much she meant to me and how much she influenced my life. Thank you Sister Virginia Mary, you were an outstanding person and teacher who made a real difference in my life.

I express gratitude, experience inner peace and serve peace in the world by taking time every day to pray, reflect, read, journal and talk with others about appreciating the gifts we’ve received. I strengthen my spiritual practice by participating in Well Connected Gratitude meetings daily and visiting this website. Sometimes I have longer, deeper conversations with others about living this way. When I do that, I feel renewed and empowered to go forth and set the world on fire as Saint Ignatius of Loyola commissioned us to do. Deo Gratias!

I need to be conscious. I need to notice when my thoughts and, even more important to me, my feelings focus on the negative. I need to ask myself how long I choose to dwell in this space. I need to ask myself when I am ready to focus on the positive. I need to use my resources to make and sustain the desired change. Resources that help me include: prayer, meditation, this website, my daily gratitude journal, reading, music, a daily Well Connected Program on gratitude, related group activities and relationships with some key individuals.

The arts are very important to me. My father was a nationally known public speaker and storyteller. He coached me from the 6th grade on to be public speaker, debater and actress. I won public speaking and oral interpretation contests in grade school, high school and at a liberal arts college where I majored in speech and drama. I have always loved the human story told in prose, poetry, live theater and film. I also love the musical and visual arts. Learning and appreciating the humanities through artistic expression helps us understand, value and protect life in its myriad forms. I hope in this age of STEM, we remember what helps us to be fully human and to appreciate our common humanity. The future of people and our planet depend on it.