Gratitude

From Wikipedia: According to Cicero, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others.” Multiple studies have shown the correlation between gratitude and increased wellbeing not only for the individual but for all people involved. The positive psychology movement has embraced these studies and in an effort to increase overall wellbeing, has begun to make an effort to incorporate exercises to increase gratitude into the movement. Although in the past gratitude has been neglected by psychology, in recent years much progress has been made in studying gratitude and its positive effects.

Found this on Sugardoodle:

Dear Lord:

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when
the alarm rings, thank you, Lord, that I can hear.
There are many who are deaf.
Even though I keep my eyes closed against the
morning light as long as possible,
thank you, Lord, that I can see. Many are blind.
Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising,
thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise.
There are many who are bed-ridden.
Even though the first hour of my day is hectic,
when socks are lost, toast is burned and
tempers are short, thank you, Lord, for my family.
There are many who are lonely.
Even though our breakfast table never looks
like the pictures in magazines and the menu is at
times unbalanced, thank you, Lord, for the food we have.
There are many who are hungry;
Even though the routine of my job often is hard,
thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work.
There are many who have no job.
Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from
day to day and wish my circumstances were not so
modest, thank you, Lord, for life.

New York

New York City with my sisters. What fun!

We got up early to get in the stand by line for Regis and Kelly. We made it in...barely...and got to see the soon to retire Regis and the lovely Kelly. It was also amazing to see Michael J. Fox as their guest.

One block away was the temple. We were able to visit the church side. The church is true, even in Manhatten.

We grabbed a cab and headed to the Jarvits convention center to get Janice checked into the marathon. It was huge.

One of the best kept secrets in Manhatten is Highline Park. It's an old high railroad that has been made into a walking park. It was amazing. Cammie wanted me to take aesthetically pleasing pictures and this was one of the best places to get them.

New Yorkers get creative when they have to park.

We headed to the World Trade Center next. Not much to see unless you want to pay, but it was interesting to get the perspective of how close all of the buildings are around ground zero. The memorial looks like it will be fantastic.

Trinity Church was a very reverent place and it was special to be in an Episcopal church since dad belonged to the Episcopal church before he joined the LDS church.

Battery Park gave us a view of the Statue of Liberty.

New Yorkers come up with very interesting ways to make a living.

First time on the subway. We only got on the wrong train once. Ended up in Harlem, but we learned how to read the map.

New York taxis will forever have a special place in our hearts. We had a guy try and be pushy and get us to take a pseudo taxi from the airport to the hotel. We realized he didn't have a taxi license so unloaded our luggage and went to find a REAL YELLOW New York taxi.

Time Square is indescribable. I think we saw every nationality and heard every language as we walked around Times Square.

Toys R Us on Times Square had amazing Lego creations.

A whole store dedicated to M&M's.

Another highlight for me was Wicked. Amazing. I love that musical. My all time favorite.

The event that brought us here...the New York City Marathon. Janice had an amazing experience. Her time was 4:05. It was almost as much fun for us as spectators. The weather couldn't have been better. I even jumped in at mile 23 to run with Janice for 1/4 mile or so. I RAN IN THE NY CITY MARATHON.

Frances, Lydia and I headed on a walk through Central Park to meet up with Janice after the race. We were able to have some great photo moments and more aesthetically pleasing pictures for Cammie.

Great job sister. What an amazing trip with my amazing sisters. I'd love to do it again soon.