New Year

[atma 0]

She is 92 years old, petite, well poised, and proud. She is fully dressed

each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed

and her make up perfectly applied, in spite of the fact that she

is legally blind.

 

Today she has moved to a nursing home. Her husband of 70 years recently

passed away, making this move necessary. After many hours waiting

patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, where I am employed, she

smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker

to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room,

including eyelet curtains that had been hung on the window. "I love it,"

she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year old having just been

presented with a new puppy. "Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room...

just wait," I said. The she spoke these words that I will never forget:

 

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she gently replied. "Happiness

is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not

does not depend on how the furniture is arranged. It is how my mind

is arranged. I already decided I love it. It is a decision I make every

morning when I wake up. I have a choice. I can spend the day in bed

recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer

work, or I can get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I will focus on the new day

and all of the happy memories I have stored away... just for this time

in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from it

what you have put in.

 

 

Put a lot of greatness into your life account this year.

 

 

 

 

............................................

 

PS - GRATITUDE. Its power cannot be underestimated. Try it - review

everything you have to be grateful for, weekly or daily. When you do,

your life will be transformed. You'll become rich, happy, calm, &

connected. You'll be ushered into a State of Grace. (But of course!

The word "Gratitude" is derived from the word "Grace".)