The Gratitude Project

"Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it."
-- Ralph Marston

There are so many people in my life that I appreciate.  There are so many people who I feel have really contributed to who I am as a person.  People who were in my life a long time ago.  People who are in my life now. People who were in my life for a short while. People who have been in my life for as long as I can remember.  I feel as though every time my heart beats it is grabbing onto the love that I have for those people.  I am so fortunate to have been shown love by so many different people who have each had something to contribute to my life.  My life has been very full because of them.  I've been reflecting a lot lately on how grateful I am for the many connections that I have made with other people in my life - even those people with whom I have reconnected through social media despite not having seen them in many years.  I've also been reflecting on whether or not these people who I value so much and hold so dear in my heart know how grateful I am for their presence in my life.  As a culture, we tend not to express our appreciation or affection to people unless we feel that we are very close to them. Even then, we may say "I love you" or "thank you" and give them a kiss or a hug.  But it is very rare for people to express exactly what it is about a friend or loved one that they really appreciate - that has really made a difference in their life.  I have decided that in order to enrich the lives of the people who I appreciate and love, I am going to express my gratitude to them.  I want them to understand that I value them.  That I am happy that they are in my life.  You never know what tomorrow holds.  I don't want a day to come that I regret not having shown my love, appreciation and gratitude to someone who is important to me.  I am making this promise to myself today.  And if you are reading this, I really appreciate you taking the time to read my thoughts.  I am flattered that you care enough about me and value my ideas enough to read them.  And I encourage you to join me in expressing gratitude.  Let me know how it goes.  I'd love to hear your stories!