Dennis Menace

Dennis Menace

Is Being Grateful a Way to a Healthy Heart essential for Life Training?

The great Bill Walsh once said ... “Nothing is more effective as a sincere, accurate praise, and nothing is lamer than a cookie-cutter compliment.” As a means of mentoring training for the personal worth and personal good of a person, one must invest in building skills through mentoring training.”

And Albert Schweitzer who, in my humble opinion, probably never played football, once said ... “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each and every one of us has caused to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. “

To most of us in this generation, the basic acts of reciprocity and morals of thankfulness and gratitude are long obsolete. “You owe me a job! You owe me ... you owe me is the new mentality. But, I’d like to rekindle if I may, the perception that we are indeed blessed and we need to be thankful. We need to realize that we are continually blessed each and every day for the persons in our lives.

Here’s a snippet I found in the internet on things to contemplate:

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep ... you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... you are more blessed than the millions who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death ... you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If your parents are still alive and still married you are very rare.

The next time you feel like whining, remember that your garbage disposal probably eats better than 30 percent of the people in the world.

Ungrateful people are ingrates who usually end up bitter and alone. Most often they are cynical to borderline pessimist or let alone misanthropes who only see the bad things in life. Their pitiful, sour perspective reverberates through their entire being mentally, emotionally and physically. We should all be thankful that we are waking up everyday with the free will to choose. To be thankful or unthankful for the things in our lives, the persons who love us and all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us. A choice that ultimately determines whether we get to be “bitter” or ”better in this meager existence!”

Long ago, there was a British family who went to Scotland for a summer vacation. The mother and father were looking forward to enjoying the beautiful Scottish countryside with their young son. A day went by and the son wandered off all by himself and got into trouble. As he ventured through the woods, he came across an abandoned swimming hole, and as most boys his age do, he took off his clothes and jumped in.

The boy was totally unprepared for what happened next. Before he had the time to enjoy the pool of water, he was seized by a horrible attack of cramps. He began calling for help! He was fighting a losing battle with the cramps to stay afloat.

Luckily, a farm boy was working in a nearby field. When he heard the cries for help, he dove in and brought the English boy to safety.

Of course, the father, whose son had been rescued, was extremely grateful. The next day, he went to meet the youth who had saved his son’s life. As the two talked, the Englishman asked the boy what he planned to do with his future.

The boy answered, “Oh I suppose I’ll be a farmer like my father.”

“Is there something else you’d rather do?” he asked.

“Sure!” answered the boy. “I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. But, we are poor people and we could never afford to pay for my education.”

“Never mind that,” said the Englishman. “Leave that up to me. You’ll have your heart’s desire and you will study medicine. You make your plans, and I’ll take care of the costs.”

But wait ... there is more.

Years later, in December of 1943, Winston Churchill became very ill with pneumonia while in North Africa. Word was sent to Sir Alexander Fleming, who had discovered the new wonder drug, penicillin, to come immediately. Flying in from England, Dr. Fleming administered his new drug to the ailing prime minister. In doing so, he saved Churchill’s life for the second time. For it was the boy, Winston Churchill, whom Alexander Fleming had rescued from the swimming hole so many years before.

Winston Churchill’s father ... by showing his gratitude ... saved his son’s life... again!

In a Dennis the Menace cartoon, Dennis and Joey are looking into a department store window that has been decorated for Christmas. Dennis says, "Last month was our giving thanks holiday, an' Christmas is God's way of saying “You're welcome.”

What’s my point? If you are indeed thankful as a spiritual being, both God and life will respond ... “You’re welcome!”

Thankfulness is not a feeling ... is it an attitude? Is it not a “wishy-washy” ethereal kind of thing? It is a choice. Attitudes are a choice. You can make a conscience decision and choose to be thankful. Sometimes it may be a difficult choice. It requires getting the proper perspectives and life training to attain enlightenment.

It’s never too late to say “Thank You.” If you can remember today, something that someone has done for you in the past ... whether it was last week or last year, let them know you appreciated them for it! It may be a parent or grandparent, a teacher, or a friend you haven’t seen in years. Showing them your gratitude won’t just make their day, it will make your day! Giving them the satisfaction of reinforcing what may be lingering in their minds in terms of “what is my worth to this person?”