Who has provided light to you?

Albert Schweitzer once said, "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."

No doubt each one of us can think of several people who have rekindled the flame in our life at one time or another. As I look back through the years, I can think of several people. Can you? Whether our light actually goes out or whether it simply flickers and becomes dim, we need the help of others to light our way and rekindle our light.  We don't do this all on our own. It really does take a village!

As you think of people who have lit your path, why not tell them so and thank them? I remember thinking about this several weeks ago and telling a friend how much of a shining light she was in my life. I could tell my words really meant a lot to her. It made me think I should do more of this—tell people the effect they have on me! I need to tell them how I appreciate them!

It's wonderful to be aware of what others do for us. It's another to feel deep gratitude for this. And it's yet another to tell them so!

What are you waiting for?

Here's to nurturers of all types

This weekend is Mother's Day here in the United States. I am fully aware that this can be an extremely difficult day for women who have wanted so badly to get pregnant and give birth to a child but are unable to do so. We need to be sensitive to that.

In the past many decades, I've had a much broader view of what Mother's Day means, though. I see it as a day to honor women who give birth not just to a child but to ideas, organizations, music, art, books and other creative ventures. There are so many things that need birthing and creating. Mother's Day is a day to celebrate women who nurture, and there are so many things in need of nurturing.

Some Mother's Days I send cards to women who give birth and nurture in these other ways, too. It often catches them off guard and, I hope, helps them feel appreciated for what they add to our society and to the lives of many.

Who do you appreciate today? Why not let them know?

Accentuate the positive

So on Wednesday I talked about committing to writing and mailing a thank-you note to someone each day for 30 days. I haven't started yet but I do want to try this. I know it will be good for my attitude!

That brings me to my Thimble List, which I noticed pinned to my office wall. It's been there for a while, but I must confess that I hadn't read it over for some time.

Do you know what a Thimble List is? It's different from a Bucket List (those big-ticket items you want to do before you die). A Thimble List is a list of very small ways to savor life.

Anyway, one of the items I have on mine is: Give at least one compliment each day to someone.

That seems to go hand-in-hand with the idea of a thank-you note to someone each day. It's the idea of noticing the good things others do, isn't it? Complimenting them. Thanking them. It's all about putting good energy out into the atmosphere. It's about building each other up. And it's all about shifting our focus to the good in the world rather than always focusing on the negative things (and there are plenty of those without training our focus on them!).

I've decided it's time to get back to my Thimble List, particularly the compliment-a-day item. What might you put on your Thimble List?

Who do you appreciate?

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. About 150 million cards are exchanged each year, so it's the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas. While it's lovely to have a day each year dedicated to telling those we love that we do love them, let's hope we don't limit those expressions to one day! The same is true of Thanksgiving, of course: One hopes we give thanks every day.

And let's hope we don't limit it to just one significant other. Or to our immediate family. Our kids. Our grandkids. Now might be a good time to stop and reflect on all those people you really do value and appreciate in your life. Cast the net as widely as you can. For it's not only close family and friends who deserve to be told how much we love and appreciate them. It truly does take a village to get each of us through this journey we call life. And our pathways are strewn with so many unsung heroes.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to at least use this time to tell some of those people in our lives how much they do mean to us, what they add to our lives and why we're grateful for them.

Who might be on your list?

Appreciate art & beauty

It's so easy to get caught up in the quotidian and mundane aspects of life, isn't it? Or worse even than the mundane and common parts of life are the negative and toxic pieces—hearing the offensive insults hurled by one politician to another, watching violent and graphic movies or TV shows, reading about yet another mass shooting or terrorist attack.

So what are you doing to counteract all the negativity or even the boring and commonplace?

Pablo Picasso famously said, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

I like that. What do you think? And, of course, art encompasses many things from music to paintings to photography to dance to theater to beautiful written and spoken words and more. Find something artful and lose yourself in it for a while. See whether that doesn't wash away the dust—or even clear away the toxins. Appreciate the beauty. Savor it. Let go of the mundane and the toxic.

The quiet ones among us

My brother is a quiet sort of guy. Never makes a fuss and never calls attention to himself. Ever. He still writes letters to people, sends cards and buys things to give to people "just because." He's extremely unassuming and generous-hearted.

So when he won an award at the homecoming banquet last weekend of a college he, my sister and I all attended, I was just thrilled! The award was designed just for him and is the first-ever one of its type: It was called an Encouragement Award.

Owen has been such a loyal and faithful supporter of this college through the years, even when the college went through hard times that threatened to close it down. And he's been an encourager of students, faculty and staff alike. Even with his small income, he's provided scholarships to help students in need.

I'm sure you can think of several people you know who always do behind-the-scenes work, whether it's in your workplace, your church or place of worship, some organization to which you belong or even in your family. Such people don't seek attention—and they seldom get it, too.

So it's especially sweet when an institution takes notice and publicly thanks someone—even presenting that person with an award complete with citation, a medallion and a wooden display piece. This is a reminder to me to be aware of others who may be introverts or for one reason or another, work quietly behind the scenes. It's a reminder to me to thank them and encourage them, too! The squeaky wheels may get the grease. But we need to pay attention to the quiet ones, too—and appreciate and celebrate them.

Gathering wisdom

Sue Patton Thoele, an author whose meditation books for women I've read and loved for years, writes in The Woman's Book of Spirit about gathering wisdom at any age, not just when we're older. She urges us to imagine carrying a basket as we move through life's garden, filling it with blossoms of wisdom gained from each circumstance, experience and relationship. She says:

"Think about the wisdom that you have gathered thus far. Give yourself credit for the ways in which you have grown and blossomed and for the ways that you've helped others grow. Appreciating ourselves each day gives us the courage to gather the seeds and stomp through the fertilizer, both of which are necessary to keep our garden of wisdom growing."

That paragraph in her book is filled with so many threads we could follow—giving ourselves credit, gaining courage, gathering seeds, stomping through the "fertilizer" of our lives and so much more. I really don't need to elaborate; you can do that for yourself.

If you resonate with this as I do, spend some time with what Thoele says and see where it takes you. Then continue to fill your basket with blossoms of wisdom, stopping to give yourself credit and remembering to appreciate what you have in that basket!

Appreciate what you have

Remember the song lyrics about "looking for love in all the wrong places"? It occurs to me that we're sort of like that in chasing after happiness, too. We look in lots of places trying to find happiness—many of them the wrong places. But that really doesn't work, does it? Like a beautiful butterfly, happiness tends to light on our shoulders when we're not looking. It doesn't respond well to attempts to capture it.

Much better to simply enjoy and appreciate what we already have. What's available and accessible right around you? What's there now that you haven't even noticed? Cultivate happiness by noticing—and appreciating—those things.

Are you surrounded by colorful and lovely flowers? By lush green trees and bushes? By birds singing? Squirrels chattering and chasing one another? The smile of your child or grandchild? Hugs from loved ones and friends? Are you senses awakened by the smell of your morning coffee? Or the scent of something delicious baking in the oven or cooking on the grill?

We are surrounded by so many delights. What if, instead of chasing happiness, we awaken to those wonderful things that fill our environment? Savor and enjoy. Appreciate what you have already.

Speak your appreciation

For some reason lately I've thought a lot about how we as women support and encourage one another—or not. Certainly, we see plenty of examples daily or weekly of women cutting one another down, being critical and judgmental. At our best, however, we know how to build up, encourage and support one another. We know how to speak our gratitude and encouragement, but do we take the time?

So when I read this in one of last week's daily readings in Mark Nepo's The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have, I took notice:

"Meditate on what these statements mean to you, and then speak them to a loved one:
• "I appreciate you and your heart.
• "I want the channel of heart to be wide open between us.
• "I make a promise to you that if misunderstandings or conflicts should grow between us, I will share them with you directly and not let them build or grow in a hidden way.
• "I would count the same promise from you as a blessing."

I imagined how much my relationships and friendships might deepen if I spoke such words to those I love and care about. I often think about how much I appreciate someone. But do I stop and take the time to tell them? Do I speak the words? Thinking them is a great start—but I need to take that next step and speak the words.