Prayer and Daily Expression of Gratitude

[Guide Dog]

I don't know if this is too warm and fuzzy for DBMA.  I know that constantly dwelling in nothing but hard, cold reality can often lead to fatalism, so I'll try this:  

Recently, I was reminded many cultures in the world teach that a daily expression of gratitude can serve to "build up a storehouse for when adversity comes, because you know it is going to come", as a peer stated so powerfully last weekend.  

So, this thread is quite simple: try to post one thing a day for which you are grateful.  It can be big or small.

Today, I am grateful for my health and the ability to walk, run, and challenge myself on a physical basis.

[Crafty_Dog]

Woof All:

This thread was started by Guide Dog on the DBMA Ass'n forum too, and there it has hit the ground running.  If "warm and fuzzy" feels weird, feel free to be humorous.

TAC,
CD

[Guide Dog]

Today I am grateful for the promise of a new opportunity that has come my way.

[Crafty_Dog]

I am grateful for the time yesterday when my 5 year old daughter played iwth "Magna-stix" on floor of my office as I worked and for the time I had pitching to my son before dinner with my daughter chasing the balls he hit on her scooter and brining them to me; the wonderful dinner that my wife cooked, and our time together as a family.

[Hawke]

Reminded of a John Wooden quote, ""You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

A kind sincere word is free to give and can definitely put a smile on a fellow human being.

I am grateful for being raised by a loving mom.

[Crafty_Dog]

I like that quote.

[Doug Sutton]

Great thread!  I'm grateful to have had the pleasure of meeting and training with Guro Crafty and for the group of guys back in Illinois that I had the pleasure of training with for a short time.  I feel great knowing that they are continuing on this path and have stayed committed to their training. 

I'm grateful for my health!!  Late last year, I was having anxiety, stress, and a fluttering sensation in my heart and had gotten out of shape, focusing too much on work.  I went to a cardiologist who performed a nuclear stress test where they put radioactive dye in the blood and the test came back saying that I had at least a 70% blockage in my LAD (at 33 years old).  They scheduled an angiogram and I had applied a lot of meditative disciplines and visualization techniques that I believe in and long story short, when they went in there for the procedure, they found nothing!  I'm still taking medication to get my cholesterol and blood pressure in check however have full intentions of being off of all meds by the end of the year.

I'm also grateful for my new career and for the positive contribution that I'm able to make in people's lives as a result.  Part of what we do is have our clients do gratitude statements so this is very much in alignment with that and it's amazing how this process creates positive momentum in people's lives.  What we give energy to grows, what we appreciate, appreciates.

Wishing you all the best,
Doug

[Guide Dog]

Today, I am grateful for my mother.  Without her, I would not be.

[David]

Great thread!  I'm grateful to have been born in a free and prosperous country with many paths to happiness, for my wife, dog, family, and to live in a safe environment.

Expanding on the quote Hawke provided, I wish everyone would do a little bit for those that are less fortunate than we are.  There are such a great number of people born without the freedoms most of us had/have, with no or bad education, no rights, limited food sources, etc.  The people in Myanmar are having a horrible time now, and I hope more people will come to their aid.  Helping others makes the world a better place, and makes you feel good, even if they never know who you are.

David

[Guide Dog]

Today, I am grateful for the world right outside of the room in which I work.  I know it is waiting for me when I finish my workday.

[Maxx]

Today I am grateful that I woke up. It's not alot but if I didnt wake up then that would be pretty bad. 

[Crafty_Dog]

I am grateful that my daughter played for a couple of hours before school (she starts at 11:15) on my office floor this morning with "Magna-Stix" while I worked.

[Hawke]

I am grateful for my friends and family that hang in there with me during hard times.

[Guide Dog]

Today I am grateful for the sum total of my 29 years on this Earth.  I am grateful for the people that have passed in and out of my life.  I am grateful for the places that I have been, and the places that I have not yet had a chance to visit that are calling me.  I am grateful for all of the things that have happened to me, great and terrible, because without them, I would not be who I am, and I am actually starting to like myself a bit after all these years (I don't mean that in an arrogant way).  I am grateful for the things that I have had the chance to do.

I know that nothing is guaranteed, but if live expectancy keeps going up, hopefully I will two more whole sets of the years that have gone by.  That's a long time!  I know that it flies and it crawls, simultaneously it seems, but I  am grateful for the promise of time.  If it turns out that it is my time sooner than that, than I am grateful for the time I had.

[Guide Dog]

Today, I am grateful my parents raised me in such a way that I can think about others.  I am grateful that they raised me to have manners and to treat people fairly.

[Guide Dog]

Today, I am grateful for the sense that the world can sometimes feel small, in the sense that it's nice to run into good people that remember you and that you in turn remember.  I'm grateful for the feeling that sometimes I make a favorable impression and that people like seeing me.  It's nice to meet good folks that you keep running into here and there.

[Jonobos]

I am grateful for my training partners and instructors who know how to motivate me to train hard, while still allowing me to be myself and act like a goofball at times 

[Crafty_Dog]

I am grateful for getting to watch part of Guro Inosanto's yoga jitsu lesson with Roger Machado this morning. Some real gems of wisdom floating in the air 

[ponytotts]

for my voice and music. that i can make a living from my passion.
for my sons.
that love hurts sometimes when you do it right.

[Growling Dog]

Ok this one happened a two weeks ago but I am still grateful,
As I was driving Sled Dog to the seminar on May 3rd I was pulled over for having a busted tail light right in front of the seminar location so as Phil and the rest of the guys went into the gym I got to spend some quality time with the officer. Now I am grateful for the officer not giving me a ticket and I am also grateful that he used to train with my instructor and he was very grateful when I told him I would give him a discount on the upcoming Crafty Dog seminar in July.

[Guide Dog]

Today, I am grateful for days like yesterday.  It was Thursday and I spent most of the day wishing it was Friday.  Work was decidedly...work, and then it was over.  Even training just sort of was...

BUT, no one in my family was sick.  There were no maintenance issues in my home.  My car was running just fine.  It was REALLY hot, but that led to a feeling of anticipation for summer and summer vacation.  We need to appreciate those days that feel mundane, but in reality are good days, because everything is as it should be.

[Maxx]

Today I am showing gratitude that it is Friday and Sunday is almost here. Sunday I get to train at Guide Dogs and get a free grapple with Rio!

[Hawke]

I am grateful that my car has air conditioning. 

Grateful for all the amazing teachers that are pouring into my life at the moment.

[Crafty_Dog]

I am grateful that the edit for our "Dos Triques" DVD is finally done!!!

[Hawke]

Grateful for understanding professors.

Friends that I can share martial art knowledge for mutual benefit without having to deal with egos.

[Crafty_Dog]

Grateful for my son keeping me company during yesterday's KB workout and for our game of Scrabble afterwords.

[Guide Dog]

Today, as a school teacher, I am glad that it is almost June.   

[michael]

I am grateful that one of my co-workers, a police officer where I used to work and was shot today, is stable as of this writing and undergoing surgery. He was shot multiple times in the chest, but was apparently conscious and talking upon arrival at the hospital. This is the second time he has been shot.

[Guide Dog]

Today, I am grateful to have finished a paper for grad. school that I (how lame of me) left for the last moment.  The paper actually ended up coming out quite nice, and I submitted it electronically with ten minutes to spare!  That paper will be used for a seminar later this month in which I will try to get closer to fleshing out a topic for my dissertation.  I actually am quite proud of my product, despite having left it for the end!

Also, I posted this last night on the members' board, but my sad little dying computer at home crashed before I could post this here, and it was pretty late, so I gave up.  This is a bit embarrassing but here goes:

To be honest, tonight I was trying to demo a piece of material that I thought I had a better handle on.  I screwed up and ended up falling on my neck and head.  This was on a mat, but I was still lucky.  I am grateful that I did not break my neck or seriously injure myself.

My head and neck are a bit stiff today, but I'm okay, and still grateful. 

[Kaju Dog]

I am greatfull for having found out that all my hard work and studying has paid off.

Today I was notified that I passed my E-5 exam and picked up 2nd class Petty Officer.

*I am one of two people in the entire hospital that was promoted to HM2.
 

[Hawke]

I am grateful for study buddies since my finals are coming up.

[Tony Torre]

I am grateful for this thread.  Today had the makings of a real shitty day.  After reading this thread I put things in perspective and improved the day.  Thanks guys!

Tony Torre
Miami Arnis Group
www.miamiarnisgroup.com

[Crafty_Dog]

Congratulations Dog Dean!

Yesterday I was grateful to watch my son's growth in his hockey practice.  Happy, proud dad!

This morning I am grateful for my chess game with my daughter.  She plays an excellent game for a girl who is still five.  Again, happy and proud dad!

[Poidog]

Today, I am thankful for the men and women, far better than myself, who gave their lives in service of this great country.

-- Poi

[Crafty_Dog]

About two months ago, my wife took her children along with her to the supermarket.  As she approached the van, a large aggressive panhandler came out from behind the van.  Her maternal spidersense tingled strongly.  The panhandler kept spewing his approach patter as she hustled our children behind her and sought to assert her space.  One of the men who worked for the supermarket happened to be outside and saw what happened.  Immediately and forcefully he got into the panhandler's face and ran him completely out of the parking lot.  My wife thanked him and came home.

That evening she told me of this Adventure in her day.  Inside I felt somehow wrong that I had not been there.  Foolish of course, but still, there it was.

When she was done I asked her to describe the man who had helped her.

For the past two months, I have looked for a man of that description whenever I was in the supermarket.  A couple of days ago I saw a man who matched the description helping another customer.  He carried himself with quiet dignity and pride in his work.  I waited for him to finish and approached and asked him if he had helped a woman of a certain height and hair color with children deal with an aggressive panhandler a couple of months ago.  He said he had.  "I'm the husband of that woman and the father of those children.  I want to shake your hand in thanks." 

As we shook hands I could sense his emotions at this unexpected moment in his workday.  Then a thought crossed his face as it crossed his mind.  "How did you know it was me?"

"I asked my wife for your description so I could personally thank you."

"Oh, the black guy" he guessed.

Actually the description had been slender build, about 60 years old, black, dignified-- but of course he was right that this had been part of the description-- a bummer that this touched something sad in him.   As he was there in front of me I sensed he had grown up in a different time and place-- a time and place where race could sneak up and ding a man if he weren't careful. 

Moving the conversation along, I repeated in my thanks in different words and we became simply one man thanking another for stepping forward to protect his family.  We shook hands again and I could feel his quiet pride as I walked away. 

And I felt whole for expressing my gratitude to him.

[Scott]

A long time ao, I was doing some work with a Social-Work agency that specialized in violent behaviors.  In the small amount of time that I was there, I met one of the young people in the program that was able to turn her life around and work towards climbing out of the shit-hole that her drug-addled parents dug for her.  Before I had finished my work there, she was found murdered in a cemetary, disembowelled and strewn about the place in an effort to make it look like some sort of occult ritual.
Today, I heard on the news that the lead detective never gave up.  Nearly 17 years later (yesterday, to be more specific), he broke the case and made an arrest.
I am thankful for every Officer that does not let the passage of time dilute the desire to see justice served!
  ~Scott

[Tony Torre]

Today I am grateful for my sons beautiful little smile as he tries to throw me kisses but only manages to blow bubbles.  I am also thankful for my wife, my rock, who encourages me when nobody else will.

Tony Torre
Miami Arnis Group
www.miamiarnisgroup.com

[Crafty_Dog]

I am grateful for the people whom I trained today and for my wife who takes care of our children while I do so.

[Tony Torre]

Today I am grateful for my son waking up at 5 A.M. to tell me" I love you."  Even though to every one else it sounds like EEEEEEEEEh! AAAAAAIIIIIII!  I am grateful for the extra hour or so this affords me to play with him.

Tony Torre
Miami Arnis Group
www.miamiarnisgroup.com

[Tony Torre]

Today I'm grateful for my new student who's private class fee will allow me to finish  paying for the next 2 months of day care for my son.  I'm also grateful that my mother was able to meet and recognize her grandson before her dimentia completely takes over. 

Tony Torre
Miami Arnis Group
www.miamiarnisgroup.com

[Guide Dog]

A few weeks ago, I fractured my right foot.  I have been off of the forum for a few weeks, because I have been bummed out.  The first doctor told me that I would be on crutches for 6 - 8 weeks.  No pressure on the broken foot.  The orthopedic doctor told me that the first doctor was crazy, and that he wanted me to start weening myself off of the crutches.  So, last week I attended all 40 hours of the Legends Camp at the Inosanto Academy, just with no kicking of any kind.  This week, I need to get my training group back together and start getting back in shape.  I am grateful that a summer of training that I have not been planning has not been blown by a broken foot.  I am also grateful for this forum, and I intend to get back on and remain active.

[Scotty Dog]

I'm gratefull today of my friends and the distance some of them stay from me,

it makes the times we do meet up all the more meaningfull

[Crafty_Dog]

I have been in Louisiana since June 1st.  Normally things move right along for me, but until last night I had defecated only 3 times in 8 days.   So I am quite grateful for the laxative I took before dinner last night  , , , 

[Guide Dog]

Today, I am grateful that my son will never have to go to the school at which I teach.  I am also grateful for the fact that academic years come to an end.

[Scotty Dog]

today I'm gratefull for my work giving me tomorrow off to sit an exam in college, and for my wife for being close enough to my work today to meet me for lunch.

[Guide Dog]

Today, I am grateful that it is the last day that my students will be on campus.  Let the summer begin!   

[michael]

Today I am grateful for an unexpected day off with pay, and for the bonus I did not know about that I will receive July 1.

[Crafty_Dog]

Today I am grateful for the 77 year old chiropractor living up some back Louisiana road who adjusted my back and for the conversation thereafter with his lovely wife and him.

[Guide Dog]

I try not to live my life by planning for happiness, "I'll be happy when I ...".  You can plan your whole life away.  That being said, I have been saying for a while now, "I'll be happy when this school year ends."  Today, I am happy and grateful because the 07-08 school year (I teach 7-8th grade) has ended.

[Kaju Dog]

Im greatfull that one of my treasured students and friend purchased the DB's "Reality Stickfighting" DVD series recently and came into the base gym this morning sporting his DB's T-shirt.   

Looking forward to growing together in this area. 

He (Jeremy) is a motivated student and trains with his wife in my KajuPit MMA class.  She (Kat *Yes thats her name) is the Public Affairs Officer and loves to bang with the boys.  Last time Jeremy and Kat sparred, she was held in a near submission, until she bit her husband, Jeremy and forced him to let up.   

My kind of couple...  LOL

For them, I am greatfull.

I now have a potential of 3 comming to play at the Aug Gathering along with myself.


WOOF!
Dog Dean