The Caring Catalyst

Who Cares - What Matters

F A M I L Y

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We’ve all heard it.      .     .

We’ve all probably said it.        .        .

We’ve all probably thought it more than ever hearing or saying it:

YOU    CAN    PICK    YOUR    NOSE

YOU    CAN    PICK    YOUR    FRIENDS

BUT    YOU    CAN’T    PICK    YOUR    FAMILY

.          .          .can   they   pick   you?

I remember when our kids were little

and not when they’ve grown older and have kids of their own:

“You know there’s a legend, an ancient belief that babies actually choose their parents and also have a hand in the life they want to lead, especially in the lessons and challenges they need to face and learn from in their life.         .         .         .”

I sometimes reminded buy kids of this when I wasn’t all that popular with them about decisions or consequences to some of the decisions they made.     .     .

I’d remind them,

“HEY, REMEMBER, YOU CHOSE ME, YOU CHOSE US.     .     .”

The one thing they never have heard from me

nor ever will:

“YOU    ARE    NOT    A    PART    OF    THIS    FAMILY!”

That would be kind of hard for me since as a

Father

Grandfather

Husband

Professional Speaker

Minister

Chaplain

Man

Person

HUMAN  BEING

I’ve never seen myself as not

 being   a   part   of

F          A          M          I          L          Y

The Take Away.          .         .

No matter what

No matter where

No matter how

No matter when

I     AM     NOT     LEAVING     THIS     FAMILY

(stay with me)

O-V-E-R is the New Beginning

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EmptyPiePan

My family hates it,

mostly because it’s an obsession of mine.

It happens every time we get back from vacation

or a family reunion or any big event

.          .          .I   CAN’T   LET   IT   GO!

When we come back from vacation I ask questions like,

“Hey, do you remember what we were doing exactly this time last week or three weeks ago or even,

THIS      TIME      LAST      YEAR?”

Drives’em  crazy.

It’s late.

All are asleep.

I just finished watching parts of the third of three football games.     .     .

we did more traveling today

than a gaggle of Turkey’s

P R E-T H A N K S G I V I N G;

I can’t tell you how many times

I’ve walked back into the kitchen after the big dinner,

the table was cleared,

dishes done.     .     .
Thank God the refrigerator door

doesn’t have an automatic lock on it after a certain amount of accessing times.     .     .

My pants are tight (yeah, even these sweat pants) and my heart is even fuller.      .      .

I    R E – M  E  M  B  E  R.         .         .

constantly putting back together the pieces of my life

and those that have

 t      h      a      n      k      f      u      l      l      y

 intermeshed their fabric into my Tapestry.       .       .

Is   I T    O v e r ?

I think not.       .       .

This won’t be the first time you’ll see something like this here.     .     .

I am always reaching back and bringing it all forth again;

I think the    r e a l    Thanksgiving isn’t on the day with all of the parades,

football,

repeated eating fests—-

it’s the  DAYS  After.     .     .

EVERYONE  is Thankful on  THAT  day!

But it’s the days following where the

T   H   A   N   K   F   U   L        M   E   T   E   R

might find its truest test.      .      .

What then?

Get your Thanksgiving  ON

the days following when Time blurs on to the next Holiday;

Seriously, are we less thankful the days following?

Do we have to reach back to actually RE-MEMBER

or is it, truly, not just a day, or a season–

Dare it actually be a Lifestyle?

Well.       .       .

it’s what I ponder

as I finish that last lonely piece of pie—

it  was begging for it!

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.              .              .

I just can’t let it go.         .         .

I’m thinking

I’m thanking

I’m THINKING

I’M THANKING.       .       .

that could be a Great thing.         .         .

A Very Great, Tasty,

FULL – FILLING  THING.       .       .

Y  o  u ?

As much as you JUST

celebrated THANKSGIVING

.         .          .and even though your Stomach might still be full,

I hope your heart is EMPTY enough to

truly continue this Season of

T     H     A     N     K     S     G           E          T          T          I          N          G

.          .          .may it be way better than you have planned

or    i m a g i n e d

GREAT-FULL-NESS

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piglet_gratitude_(1)

It’s Thanksgiving

A       G       A        I        N

tomorrow.      .      .

Are you full of

G R E A T    F U L L    N E S S ?

Bet the Turkey Farm

YOU   ARE;

Once again,

family and friends will gather together to eat,

watch football,

talk,

remember,

laugh,

cry,

drink,

eat again,

watch movies,

play games,

take naps,

shop and.        .        .

Guess what?

It’ll do more than add pounds or inches.       .       .

Your Gratefulness

will multiply

Your  GREAT – FULL – NESS

in a huge way;

For starters–it’ll make you feel better–literally.

WebMD reports that Gratefulness

is linked with more of a

FULL-Glass-Overflowing feeling of Optimism,

which boosts your immune system.        .        .

GREAT – FULL – NESS

It lowers your Blood Pressure and Cholesterol so says a 2007 study on the health benefits of giving back and being Thankful.  The American Journal of Cardiology showed that appreciation and positive emotions are linked with changes in heart rate variability.        .        .

GREAT – FULL – NESS

Who doesn’t want to sleep better?

Experts suggests that expressing what you’re Thankful for will help you actually sleep better.   .   .Researchers found that when people spent 15 minutes jotting down what they’re grateful for in a journal before bedtime, they fell asleep faster and stayed asleep longer, Psychology Today, reported.        .        .

GREAT – FULL – NESS

According to The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, gratitude could also boost pro-social behaviors, like helping other people who have problems or lending emotional support to another person.  .  .

GREAT – FULL – NESS

WebMD reported that negative events can boost gratitude, and that gratitude can help to boost feelings of belonging and decrease feelings of stress.  Their survey showed that feelings of gratitude were at high levels after 9/11.       .       .

GREAT – FULL – NESS

Pssssssst: We are all Grateful

for many things.        .        .

We are all

G R E A T  F U L L

for many things.        .        .

So somewhere between the turkey,

dressing,

potatoes

and pie and everything else that comes with it—-

if you find the

Z  I  P  P  E  T  Y

Going  out  of   Your

D O – D A H.        .        .

Sing Anyway !

You’re  Filled  with

G R E A T – F U L L- N E S S

C H E E R S !

The Day of The Veteran

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I never served in the Armed Services.       .       .

BUT   I   WILL  BE   ETERNALLY   GRATEFUL   FOR   ALL   OF   THOSE   WHO   DID

ON   OUR   BEHALF’S

IT IS NOT

just another day.       .       .

There is

 NOT      ANOTHER      DAY  

or even this one

without the sacrifices of the many

NAMED
UN-NAMED
KNOWN
UNKNOWN
Soldiers.        .        .

THREE      THINGS      ON      THIS      VETERANS      DAY:

1) Pause and watch the small film clip–Remembering to be grateful

2) THANK a Veteran. They’ve heard many words but the two they’ll never hear enough are

THANK YOU!

3) Do one Compassionate/Kind thing today–the more anonymous the better. Any act of Compassionate Kindness is gesture to an everlasting Peace the World so desperately needs.

BE THAT PERSON

that Brings Peace where you are–

in your own geographical area–

no more,

P  L  E  A  S  E.      .      .

NO   LESS!

YOU  are the Peace Treaty that needs
SIGNED
SEALED
Delivered

Y E S T E R D A Y.

Let the World wait no longer.

AT—-TEN—TION!

Fall  Out.        .        .

THANK LESS DAY

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unknown

W        H        E        W

We  Survived  IT,  huh?

O  N  E     Down

(T    H    A    N    K    S    G    I    V    I    N    G)

and two more to go

(C  H  R  I  S  T  M  A  S       A  N  D       N E W   Y E A R ‘ S)

They kind of all blur together

as do many things

this time of the year.       .        .

H  A  N  U  K  K  A  H     and     K  W  A  N  Z  A  A 

i          n          c          l          u          d          e          d

but it sort of all starts with that

T H A N K   L E S S     D A Y

The Research is clear:

GRATITUDE   IS   A   SUPERPOWER

It’s been overly documented

just how grateful people enjoy the benefits

such as improved physical health

better relationships

higher self-esteem

and actual longer

l i f e  s p a n s.      .      .

but here’s the  real  shocker:

Despite the benefits of

g r a t i t u d e

there’s an overwhelming vast majority

who aren’t grateful–

even less than a week ago on

T H A N K S G I V I N G     D A Y

A very recent survey conducted by the Harris Poll

on behalf of Cleveland’s own

AMERICAN   GREETINGS

sheds light on why people aren’t   t h a n k f u l

during these wild 40-some days:

3   out   5    Americans

say they’d rather do something else

rather than reflect on what they’re

t h a n k f u l     f o r.       .       .

A  whopping  71%  say that Holidays cause too much stress.      .     .

92%  believe the holidays are a time

to say   t h a n k s   to family and friends

.     .     .but 1 in 5 confess

they are more grateful for material possessions

than  p e o p l e .        .         .

12%  admitted

they would rather spend time

on their smartphones

than have a meaningful conversation

with  family.       .       .

O                   U                   C                   H   

The  Cure?

.          .          .wait.        .        .

is there an illness?

G R A T I T U D E

just like

Love

Compassion

Care

Empathy

Sympathy

Kindness

can’t be legislated

but they can be

i          n          s          p          i          r          e          d

and  that’s  where

y o u

come   in

.          .          .or  don’t;

There’s not much use for

a week-old over-done-dried-up-Turkey-Dinner

.       .       .in fact,

it just wouldn’t leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.          .          .

it’d be enough to make a person

p u k e.          .          .

I  wish  I could  tell you  exactly  what  to  do

h     e     r     e .       .       .

but  I

or  the Survey’s

or  the Greeting Cards

 or  the Songs

or  the Gifts

or  the Meals

or  the Parties

or  the Masses

Psssssssssssssst  of  the  Day:

Only   you   can.       .         .

Ironically:

That’s one of the things

I’m most

t           h           a           n           k           f           u           l 

Resolve NOT to Resolve

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Unknown

Well, do you or don’t you?

I don’t!

I’m not a list maker to begin with. . .my sticky notes never stay stuck, and if they do, it’s usually something I didn’t intend them to get stuck to and they end up getting lost, forgotten, well–you get the picture.

I adamantly Resolve N O T to Resolve!

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Professional Speaker, Author, Assurance Man