Gratitude

Picture taken on Thanksgiving (2009)

at the Pettry Family House.

Front row left to right: Jimmy Pettry (my brother), Danny Pettry (holding my nephew Gage), Emily Pettry (my sister-in-law).
Back row left to right: Danny Pettry (senior – my father), Teresa Pettry (my mother), Carrie Pettry (my sister), Matthew Lively (Sister’s boyfriend) and his daughter (Haley).

Family is one thing to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day. As you may already know, I work with children who come from broken families. Some of these children do not have any families at all. I’m fully aware that I’m fortunate to have a family.

Gratitude is something I teach every day at work. All the children who take my self-esteem building group session have a gratitude journal. Each day, they’re allowed to write something they’re glad about in their journal and they can share aloud what they’re thankful for, too. Based on my experiences, new children at the hospital often have a hard time focusing on things to be glad about. They can easily focus on all the negatives that have happened in life. Sometimes, I’ll hear them say, “Nothing, I don’t have anything to be glad about.” Their face even shows despair. I ask if they’re glad about having a meal to eat for breakfast, eyes to see, hands to use, being in a group session with the other kids, and so on. Even finding one little thing to be glad about it a lot more powerful than several negatives (at least I think so).

Self-improvement experts are big on gratitude. They believe this is the way to get better. It is just a change in focus. Here is just a small list of self-improvement experts who recommend daily gratitude: Marci Shimoff, Jack Canfield, Wallace D. Wattles, Joe Vitale, Bob Proctor, John Gray, and of course, so many more. It is the key to the "law of attraction. (LOA)" Google search LOA for more info.

I’m glad about everything.