Any of us

There's so much good in the worst of us
and so much bad in the best of us
that it hardly becomes any of us
to talk about the rest of us.

- Edward Wallis Hoch

Thankful, saying, thinking

One of my most helpful wellness practices is to recount what I am thankful for. These days around Thanksgiving brings this practice to the front of many Americans’ minds: often we even say it out loud to each other.

Words are powerful and affect our thoughts!

“The simple fact of saying anything has the real effect of binding that thing in our thoughts. I have found that it is no use to pray to be kept from thinking wrongly unless at the same time I am willing to have all my words censored by the Holy Spirit also…every refusal and thrusting back of the wrong speaking, means deliverance from the wrong thinking….For the interplay and connection between thought and some expression of the thought is so inseparable, that every expression by word of mouth impresses the thought more deeply on the mind, so that one simply cannot stop thinking about the things one speaks about.” – Hannah Hurnard, p 57 Winged Life

Whole life

“There are thoughts which are prayers, there are moments when, whatever the posture of the body, the soul is on its knees.”
– Victor Hugo

A heart at peace gives life to the body. – Proverbs 14:30

Prayer encompasses more than words: it refers to my whole life, my longing for God, my whole drive toward Him.

Step back

"Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on."

- Bob Newhart

Holding onto

Holding onto grievances is a decision to suffer.
-Gerald Jampolsky

Grievances seem to most often involve another, but they can also be with self. I’ve had a tendency to self-flagellate. It has not served me well. This counsel is good for me:

"On the commission of a fault it is of great importance to guard against vexation and disquietude, which springs from a secret root of pride and a love of our own excellence; we are hurt by feeling what we are; and if we discourage ourselves or despond, we are the more enfeebled; and from our reflections on the fault a chagrin arises, which is often worse than the fault itself.
The truly humble soul is not surprised at defects or failings; and the more miserable and wretched it beholds itself, the more doth it abandon itself unto God, and press for a nearer and more intimate acquaintance with him, that it may avail itself of his eternal strength." - Madame Guyon

What we are

“Let us never forget that what we are is more important than what we do.” --James Hudson Taylor

Still, what we do counts for something. I just had a birthday and I’m kinda old; in these advancing years I want to be more artful in my doing and more beautiful in my being.

“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” – Unknown

photo is of a beautiful old person, my dear grandmother, Ursula Hartfiel Hubbard Just (1911-2007)

Small changes

I just checked out Medline Plus for recent health research updates.
I read this (at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_71702.html)

"Coming on the heels of two studies discounting the usefulness of vitamin B, folic acid, vitamin D and calcium supplements for cancer prevention, U.S. researchers report that vitamins C and E supplements won't help prevent cancer, either.”

And a bit of commentary on the finding: "This is preliminary data, but it is pretty consistent with what we're seeing in other research with individual nutrients. When you take the nutrient out of its natural environment, it may not be protective," said Jennifer Crum, a nutritionist at the New York University Cancer Institute, who added that in foods, vitamins and other nutrients likely work together ot provide protection against cancer...
...People are starting to realize the importance of the overall picture," said Crum, who recommended that people begin by making small changes, such as exercising a little bit longer or adding another vegetable a day to your diet. "When people make small changes for their health -- exercising for 20-30 minutes a day, eating better -- we see lower rates of cancer recurrence," she said.

Whole foods and whole body movement: along with the rest of the country, I, too, need more of both!
Here’s to making small changes, today.

Six people

Whenever two people meet,

there are really six people present.

There is each man as he sees himself,

each man as the other person sees him,

and each man as he really is.

-William James, psychologist and philosopher (1842-1910)