Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

It is so easy to become unhappy.  It is so easy to center on what you don’t have.  I have to center on the multiple blessings I have been given:  food, shelter, a loving wife.  Humans have the capacity to want things they don’t have.  It only makes me unhappy.  For the rest of the Christmas season and New Year I will thank the Lord for the many blessings I have been given.  There is so much I have to thank the Lord for.  I will think about those things the rest of the year.

Tags: blessings, Christmas, count your blessings, food and shelter, God, gratitude, it is so easy to become unhappy, loving wife, multiple blessings, New Year, thank God, thank the Lord
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Gratitude is the only way.  It is so easy not to thank God for His abundance.  But you must.  Life is not always fair but he says, ‘Give us our daily bread.’  And pray to Him with a spirit of thankfulness.  He does take care of us.  And we have to thank Him every day for His blessings.  That is why we have to approach Him every day with a spirit of thankfulness.  We owe everything to Him.  Everything.  Every gift, every provision.  Our health.  Everything.

Tags: "give us our daily bread", God, gratitude, His abundance, Our blessings, our health, our provisions, spirit of thankfulness, thank God, thank Him every day
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Thanksgiving is not about turkey dinners and all the trimmings.  It is about families getting together and displaying gratitude for all your blessings.  I know it is a hard time for those especially in NY and NJ who got hit hard by the storm “Sandy”.  It created havoc in those states particularly.  The original Thanksgiving celebration was about the pilgrims praising the Lord for food and shelter.  Not everyone made it through the winter.  Thanksgiving is just that, thanking God for all your blessings and everyone has some reason to be thankful.

Tags: all your blessings, families getting together, food and shelter, God, gratitude, NJ, NY, pilgrims, praising the Lord, reason to be thankful, storm "Sandy", thanking God, thanksgiving, turkey dinner
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It is so easy to take your blessings for granted.  Today I was grateful I could also buy some bananas along with a gallon of milk.  It is near the end of the month and we are running out of cash.  I was grateful I could buy what I could.  It is always revealing what you would buy if you are down to your last dollar.  It is so easy to take your blessings for granted.  God owns everything.  I had to remind myself of that.

Tags: banana, blessings, cash, God, God owns everything, gratitude, milk, take for granted, your last dollar
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In every life some tragedy falls.  It does no good to bemoan your fate.  Some people die, get sick, have accidents.  Life is not fair.  It does no good to compare yourself with others.  You deal with the “cards dealt you”.  That is all you can do.  Every life has tragedy.  There is no way to get around that.  Each life has problems.  You should be grateful.  Life is, indeed, very precious and all you can do is deal with your unique set of problems.  And how you face them will determines your character.  We are all tempered by the crucible of fire.

Tags: accidents, be grateful, bemoan your fate, crucible of fire, death, everyone has problems, God, gratitude, life is precious, sickness, tempered, tragedy, your character
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I want to count my blessings.  It is so easy to center on what I call my “lack”.  I am so blessed–materially and all kinds of ways that have nothing to do with things.  I have a wife who loves me.  And all kinds of other people who are glad to see me.  And I have a history with them.  My four dogs and even my cats who really do not pay much attention to me but I appreciate them nevertheless.  My life is not perfect but then, again, whose is?  Of course, this is a short and incomplete list.  I can go on and on but I won’t.  I am just glad to be home.

Tags: appreciate, blessed, cats, count my blessings, dogs, four dogs, friends, glad to be home, God, gratitude, I am so blessed, my life, my wife, pets
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‘You add something to my life,’ she said recently.  It came out of the blue.  I wish she would say nice things more often.  Too many times she “jumps” on me for something I did not do or did incorrectly.  It is so easy to criticize a mate.  I am as guilty as her in this regard.

What if for everything I did wrong she said something positive towards me.  I could strive to do the same.  Gratitude is a two way street.  It is so easy to focus on the negative.  I have been as guilty as any one else.

Praise always has to be genuine to be effective.  Others wilt in the face of too much criticism.  And I need to work on this as much as my Other.

Tags: criticism, genuine, gratitude, mate, negative, positive, praise, say nice things
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One must face life with a spirit of gratitude.  There is less and more in this world.  And troubles abound.  And it is so easy to point your finger at God and say, “Why!?”  There is no disputing the world is unfair but the only way to face it (???) with love and gratitude toward the Maker.

Thank Him for all your blessings.  God does not owe you anything.  Sometimes your basket is half empty and other times it is half full.  Everything in your life is by grace and the only way to face it is to have a spirit of gratitude.

It is too easy to rail at God for disappointing you.  The only solution is to thank God for all your blessings and trials.  Life is, indeed, precious so face it with courage and again gratitude.  That is, truly, the only way.

Tags: blessings, courage, everything-is-by-grace, God, gratitude, life is precious, love and gratitude, spirit of gratitude, thank God, thank Him for all your blessings, the Maker, trials
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God does not owe me anything. Life is not always fair. I do what is in my power to do and the results then are out of my hands. I rest then.

Some people have more. And some less. Coveting is a sin for a reason. I am happy with what I have. Sometimes I have more, other times less.

One can make up his mind to be satisfied. Everything is by grace. And your life is, also, by grace. There is life and there is death. And that is reality.

Enjoy fully the bounty given to you. All God promises you is shelter and food. Every thing beyond that is only by His grace.

I am aware God does not owe me any thing. And face my day with a spirit of gratefulness. And rest. There really is no other way.

Tags: be satisfied, coveting is a sin, do what is in my power and rest then, everything-is-by-grace, God, gratitude, happy with what I have, life and death, life is not always fair, reality, sin, some people have less, some people have more, spirit of gratefulness, your life is by grace
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I have to thank the Lord for every day, every dusk that comes my way, every dawn. Each day is a gift and we are meant to enjoy each one afforded to us.

No one knows how many days they will have. Sometimes the ending comes abruptly and when you least expected it and other timesit come slowly. There is no easy path to death.

When I learned that a kidney transplant is considered a treatment, not a cure and the life expectancy after that is maybe a dozen years, death became a reality.

I have to learn to face each day expectantly and with wonder. After all, it is a gift and meant to be enjoyed.

I can’t live my life in fear. Somehow I have to banish the fear of death and learn to live each day with gratitude. There is no other way, that makes sense anyway.

Tags: banish fear of death, can't live my life in fear, death, each day is a gift, enjoy each day, face each day expectantly, face each day with wonder, God, gratitude, kidney transplant, live each day with gratitude, thank God for every dawn, thank God for every day, thank God for every dusk, thank the Lord
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(1)  My wife whose support makes it all worthwhile

(2)  The extension of our fence so now all four dogs can run wild within it and we don’t have to worry about them getting out

(3)  The seventh Christmas we are spending together

(4)  The purchase of a “new” used vehicle

(5)  another year

(6)  my illness if you can call it that has given me a keener sense of the time bestowed to me

(7)  my two sisters who are always there when I need them

(8)  The four books Marilyn sent to me

(9)  all my friends

(10)  The safety of my trip to Boston during a difficult time:  I know angels were watching me during my ride to Boston and back.

(11)  I finally made it to “Walden Pond”

(12)  All my animals particularly my four dogs who never ask for anything and just love you unconditionally

(13)  For providing for all our needs

(14)  All the people who take care of us:  from Bob our mechanic to our dentist and all our doctors.  They just serve us.

(15)  My wife, the editor, lover and friend

(16)  John, you know who you are

(17)  The heat in our house

(18)  My web site and “Siggy’s Blurbs”

(19)  Sara’s support, you know who you are, also

(20)  My two, Emma and Saul

(21)  for everything I have forgotten to be grateful for

(22)  Pastor Pete and his flock

(23)  only “You” who without I can not do any thing

Tags: 2009, angels watching me, Bob our mechanic, books, Christmas, dogs, dogs love you unconditionally, editor lover and friend, Emma, fence, four dogs, friends, God, grateful, gratitude, heat in our house, illness, John, Marilyn, my animals, my friends, my two sisters, my web site, my wife, new used vehicle, our dentist, our doctors, Pastor Pete and his flock, people take care of us, pets, providing for all our needs, Sara's support, Saul, Siggy's Blurbs, those who serve, time bestowed to me, trip to Boston, Walden Pond, You who I can not do anything without
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I do not have to own every good thing that comes my way.  With some things it is very difficult:  I collect music and books.  There is always another interesting book and another new piece of music I desire.

The trick is to be happy with what you have and occasionally when something comes your way, be happy.  One reason coveting is wrong there is no end to it and being perennially dissatisfied is one result.

There is a certain freedom to saying “No!” to good things and there is even another result:  more and more you let the universe surprise you when something good falls in your lap.

When you make a conscious effort to be satisfied with your possessions, you allow serendipity and gratitude to enter your life.  And peace and contentment may also follow.

Tags: be happy with what you have, be satisfied with what you have, books, collect books, collect music, covet, coveting is wrong, desire, do not have to own every good thing, freedom to say "no", God, good things, gratitude, let the universe surprise you, music, no end to coveting, owning things, peace and contentment, perennially dissatisfied, serendipity, your possessions
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