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Daily Question, August 5

In what creative ways can I show the ones I love that I am grateful for them today?

  • JoeytheHoff

    Sitting here in bed I am happy to reflect on the character of my family members. Thinking of each one and knowing that by spending time with them and telling them I love them will show them I am grateful. I will visit with each of them tomorrow to do so.

  • Susan

    I plan to teach a class in my neighborhood on how to make paper flowers made from old magazines, a recycled and re-purposed soda can as the vase, old buttons and floral wire.

    As I live in a 55+ community, I would like to give these flowers to those who are sick, shut-in, or just in need of flowers to brighten their day. This will be one of my ways to ‘love my neighbor’.

  • Paul Y

    My one friend hasn’t really heard the words that they are loved. She was in a dysfunctional family. Both of her parents drank and the father was abusive. I have told her on several occasions that I love her and I keep telling her that. It’s unfortunate that a person like her hasn’t been told that, she has so much to give of herself and she is a very loving person. I believe it’s important to let your family and friends know how much you care and back that up.

  • Antoinette

    Well, I could agree to get matching small tattoos with my oldest son for his 18th birthday! This is a very creative way of showing him I'm grateful for him and our amazing relationship!
    I just got home from my long vacation back home in the USA and my oldest son asked me to get matching tattoos!
    I don't have any tattoos and I I'm not to keen on the idea, but I will say it's creative!
    I made him a bracelet in California and told him that we would take a trip for his birthday.
    Another cre...

    Well, I could agree to get matching small tattoos with my oldest son for his 18th birthday! This is a very creative way of showing him I’m grateful for him and our amazing relationship!
    I just got home from my long vacation back home in the USA and my oldest son asked me to get matching tattoos!
    I don’t have any tattoos and I I’m not to keen on the idea, but I will say it’s creative!
    I made him a bracelet in California and told him that we would take a trip for his birthday.
    Another creative way to show ones we love gratitude is to spend our time with them and not on our screens!
    I asked my other two boys to play hide and go seek last weeek in our rental house!
    We had a blast playing like we used to!
    I hide in a place they never ended up finding me! Their 15 and 13 si this was very funny!
    It’s been a wonderful summer with family and I am deeply grateful that we were together.

    Read More
  • Trevor

    By sending out snazzy ecards from here today.

  • Pedal

    Not getting caught up in the small, minor annoyances of the day but instead letting the moment be authentic. Being there, present and connected.

  • Aine

    Well, knowing my husband as long as I have and as well as I do, I’d have to say Bacon, Chocolate, and Hugs.

    Yep. That about covers it!

  • Ben

    What comes to mind first is just to make sure to say it out loud! Not really so creative though 🙂

    I think a more creative approach might be to make a little book of drawings for a friend whose birthday is coming up, and who’s voiced appreciation of my drawings before.

    I also just returned from a week-long singing retreat, and saw how moved people are when singing to each other about how deeply we love and cherish one another.

    • Kevin

      Hi Ben, there is never enough singing! A whole week of it? Fantastic!

  • kathleen

    by being present

  • Hot Sauce

    For my animal companions, lots of love, affection, attention, play, and training work. For the humans I love, I might need your help. Thoughts? Keep in mind, I’m a bit short on money.

    • Paul Y

      Money can’t buy love, just be there for them and tell them that you love them. Listen to them when they need to talk and be supportive. I’m short on money too. But do the best you can to be there for them. I hope that this helps you a little.

    • Trevor

      demo.gratefulness.org/connect/send-an-e-card

      Free.

    • Aine

      Time. The gift of time spent with someone doing something they love or something for them, if they are older or ill and have a need, is worth more than you know.

    • Ben

      I say sing them a little song (you could rewrite some words to a song you already know and love, to make it about them), or draw them a card with kind words in it (I love the simple line drawings of Dallas Clayton as an example of this) or any other creative expression that you love and that comes naturally to you!

  • Deb

    Being present and interested.

  • Michael

    Presence.

  • Gina

    smile, be in the moment, be myself

  • Kevin

    This is a perfect question for this moment at this time for me! Today is the first day of a week long conference of 700 to 800 Quakers in New England, And my role is to serve as their pastoral counselor for the entire week. As I approach this ministry for today and the days to come and if I do so with love, that should serve as my answer to today’s question.

    • Aine

      Awesome! That sounds like a wonderful opportunity.

      • Kevin

        Hello Aine, It was wonderful, year after year, and tiring too! Takes me three days to recover once I get home!

  • Christina

    Believe I did that yesterday. My mother, who is almost 90, asked me to accompany her to a celebration for the Catholic diocese she worked for for many years. I was glad to do it: my mother loved her long career and is really a celebrity in the diocese. I’m glad to enable her to go to something she’ll really enjoy. On another note, I have let go of a 50-year hurt and resentment against her…enough already!! Now I wonder why I hung on so long! It frees ME!!

    • Susan

      You will miss your mother when she is gone. I certainly miss my mother. She passed away 10 years ago. You reminded me how important it is to forgive. I realized that I hadn’t really forgiven my mother about her lack of understanding about the creative side about me. As I write this, I do feel my mother’s presence and know she now understands me better.

    • Gina

      Nice, Christina, you did it for you!
      I struggle to let go of the hurts of my family from the past, forgiveness is hard but I am continually working on it,
      Love,
      Gina

      • Aine

        If it helps any, I see forgiveness not as a destination we arrive at but rather as a path we choose. It is an overall choice from which more choices follow, but all moving in the direction of freedom and forgiveness. Our pain tends to go on in layers and come off in layers, so we sometimes find we have to choose to forgive again and again. Did it mean we failed to forgive those other times? No, I don't believe so. I think humans simply do things in layers.

        I'd also like to add that forgivenes...

        If it helps any, I see forgiveness not as a destination we arrive at but rather as a path we choose. It is an overall choice from which more choices follow, but all moving in the direction of freedom and forgiveness. Our pain tends to go on in layers and come off in layers, so we sometimes find we have to choose to forgive again and again. Did it mean we failed to forgive those other times? No, I don’t believe so. I think humans simply do things in layers.

        I’d also like to add that forgiveness is not about coming to a point where you give someone another shot at you. Sometimes that is simply inappropriate as a response to that person or their behavior. It is about choosing to free ourselves, though, and that can be a lifelong task, depending on the depth of the hurt inflicted.

        I’m working on it, too, Gina. There are so many of us on this path together! 🙂

        Read More
      • Christina

        Hi Gina–Took years!! Now it seems so simple.

        • Paul Y

          I struggle in forgiving my father for all the things he has said to me. I haven’t spoken to him in 3 years. I do try and pray for him.

          • Susan

            I have found that it helps to light a candle for people I can’t talk to at the present time because of some conflict or issue I have with the. Either I don’t know how to express it or they are not open to discuss it. By lighting a candle, either a virtual one here at Gratefulness or a real candle, it just brings a sense of light and hope to the situation.

            This is just a thought that you might find helpful.

          • Paul Y

            Thanks Jill, I might just try that.

        • Gina

          okay, what’s the simple solution?

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