Importance of giving thanks stressed by Offaly influencer
As I write this thought for the week I am in East Africa where there is a serious drought affecting over 30 million people who are starving of hunger, thirst and where a person is dying every 48 seconds at present and it is so hard to feel thankful for anything. But many of the people that my colleagues in Self Help Africa and myself are helping are so thankful and grateful for what we are trying to do so that we can help them and in a lot of cases keep them alive thanks to the support we get from the Irish public.
Also at this present time many people around the world and especially in America are thankful to be celebrating Thanksgiving and this week my beautiful daughter Mia will also be feeling thankful to celebrate her sweet 16th birthday and she too is thankful. So this time of the year even though Covid 19 is still lurking around I have been giving a lot of thought about personally needing to develop a deeper gratitude for those things which I am truly thankful for. Great power comes into our lives when we choose to live with thankfulness and gratitude in our lives.
Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It means learning to live your life as if everything were a miracle, and being aware on a continuous basis of how much you’ve been given. Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present.
Giving thanks makes people happier and more resilient, it strengthens relationships, it improves health, and it reduces stress. I am so thankful for all the wonderful people who allow me to share my life with them such as my family, my friends, my colleagues and people who help me with my charity work and many of whom have become friends. I am extremely thankful for the privilege of having all of you in my life.
Grateful for Life
So I want to dedicate this thought for the week to Mia whom myself and my wife Jacqui and our other beautiful daughter Sophie, love very much and we are so thankful for her especially now as she celebrates her sweet 16th birthday. We want to start off by saying how much we love you and always will. You are one the most special gifts along with your sister we have ever been given and we will remember that always. From the moment we knew you were on the way, we felt the love that is so overwhelming. We never knew a love so fierce as the love we felt for you the moment you were placed on our chests. We heard there is nothing like a parent’s love, but we never understood what it meant until that moment. We know we are far from perfect, and can only hope to be half the parents that we were blessed and fortunate ourselves to have, but we can promise you one thing, we couldn’t love you more.
We will always try our best but there are times when we will fail, times when we will let you down and we hope you can forgive us. We will try to give you everything you need and some of the things you would like. We will put yours and your sisters' needs as much as we possibly can before ours always. Writing these honest words gives us a sense of purpose and joy that cannot be explained. In that moment when we first held you we knew that we wanted to protect you as we do with your younger sister from the evils of the world and teach you how to be strong independent women. We know that some of these words may be hard for you to understand now, but we are still writing them anyway. We are hoping that these words in time and especially when we are gone will help you along the way of your journey of life.
Life Advice
So here's some advice on your sweet 16th birthday although how can it be possible that 16 years have passed since the first time we held you in our arms, a prayer came through. You have created a love inside of us so fierce, so unbreakable, so unending, and so unconditional. We are incredibly lucky to have been chosen to be your and your sisters parents. We really must have done something right in life to have been given such amazing children like you. You are growing into an amazing young woman. You are beautiful, confident, smart, and well-liked by everyone. You shine in everything you do. Your younger sister always looks up to you.
Please know how incredibly proud I am of you. I hope and pray all of your greatest dreams come true. I never want you to feel undeserving of anything, because you deserve the absolute best that life has to offer. I want you to keep that confidence you have now, and continue to try new things; to meet new people. You never know what door will open if you just put yourself out there. You will make mistakes, but it’s okay because that’s how you learn lessons and become a better person. I’ve certainly made my share of them, and still make them today. Remember to always love with all your heart and soul. Love is the greatest feeling anyone could ever have, give, receive or experience. It is free to give or receive.
Always remember it is important to love yourself too. Fall in love with every single piece of yourself. The great, the bad, the good, the beautiful and the ugly. The majority of your happiness will come from self love. You'll never be happy in life if you don't accept and love yourself. So start this moment by loving yourself so you can spread that love and more to others, especially those most in need in our world. We want you to remember that love is worth it when it’s real, but love is not the same thing as affection, gifts, or other romantic movie type stuff. Love is sacrifice and hard work. Love is being more concerned about the wellbeing of others and your loved ones than you are for your own. Love also means sometimes having your heart broken, and that’s okay too. Broken hearts heal, and loving deeply and truly is worth it.
We want you to fall in love, and fall hard, but also let yourself–your true self–be loved deeply in return. Don’t hold back when you find your love. Love is always worth the risk and love is always kind, passionate and caring. Speak your mind but always as much as possible consider other people’s feelings and emotions. Relationships are so fragile at times that even a single act of rudeness may ruin or destroy everything you have built. Speak up if you see injustices and inequalities in your surroundings. Make a stand if you feel that your rights are abandoned but have your limits and know when to stop. Remember that words can either build or destroy relationships or even lives. Always know that there are those whose love and understanding will always be there, even when you feel most alone.
May you discover enough goodness in others to believe in a world of peace. Learn new things, explore the world, and have fun but do not compromise your values. It will be your best line of defence no matter where you are. Carry these values firmly and have a good sense of right and wrong and you will be fine. Live. Discover. Go to festivals and events. Do stuff and experience things. Even though this will break our hearts one day, we want more for you.
We want you to travel the world if you can afford too. See things, experience different cultures, taste different foods, help those most in need in our world and learn that the world is a much smaller place than you think. These experiences will enrich your heart. Follow your dreams and heart’s desire but only if they are good and true. It’s ok to aim for wealth and success but always bear in mind that happiness is more important. Wealth and success does not always guarantee happiness but loving our fellow human beings honestly and from the heart does. If you are to be successful and you have plenty, please don’t forget to look back and find sincerity and compassion to help others, especially those most in need in your lives and in our world. Remember where you came from.
Be discerning
Your mind and heart must agree to have a sound judgment in every issue of life. Always choose to do the right thing rather than doing things right. Remember, whatever decision you make today will have an impact ahead. Don’t be afraid to fight for what is right, true and just. If you see injustice or inequality or corruption, we want you to be brave and bold enough to fight against it. You may not win every battle, because sometimes this world favors greed over good, but it doesn’t matter. Fight anyway. Be the light and the voice and advocate for good and truth in this world. Fighting for what is right and true is always the right choice. May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand.
May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism. Do not underestimate yourself and others. You are powerful when you learn to believe in yourself. Believe that you are created to make an impact and reach new heights. On the other hand, be realistic with your expectations and always remember that there are people who are better than you, thus, never underestimate your peers and acquaintances. Stay humble but self assured. It is safer for you to think that we are all created with power and uniqueness. Compete with yourself and be better every time. You are worthy of all good things. Don’t be afraid to fail.
Yes, one way or another you will fail. We all fail. Cry and be disappointed. Even the most successful people in the world fail. What’s most important is that you get up and pick a lesson or two from your experience and move ahead. Be brave when you need to be. In this life, there are lots of battles, that is why you need to choose your ground. Ignore the petty ones, they are not worth your time. Do not bully others, but protect yourself from bullies. Never, ever, ever, ever settle for second best. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you are not worthy. You are smart, talented, kind, beautiful, and capable of doing anything you set your mind to. You should chase after the best of everything and expect that it can be yours because you are worth everything good. May a kind word, a reassuring touch, a warm smile be yours every day of your life, and may you give these gifts as well as receive them.
All people are special
Be respectful to every single person you will deal with. In your eyes they may have no significance. But in the eyes of others, they are friends, fathers, mothers, wife, husband, children that make them special. Thus, treat them with care and compassion. Be kind and generous. As you grow, you will start to see that many people in this world are not kind and that many more are selfish. I want you to be different. Love. You have inherited your granparent’s kind and generous hearts and I want you to embrace it! I want you to spread kindness like wildfire, just like your grandparents did their whole life. You are their legacy, and you should be proud to be so much like them. Keep your faith.
Remember the time when we as a family pray together for God’s guidance? It’s called faith building. Why? Because when everything falls apart and you have nowhere to run, you can hold on to that faith and turn that into hope. God makes miracles. Trust God, and trust your instincts. I hope that we can instill in you a deep sense of faith. Our God is a loving, caring, friendly, non-judging and trustworthy God. He has a plan and a purpose for your life that is more beautiful than we can even imagine. Learn to talk to Him daily, put your faith in Him alone, and trust Him with all things. He will never fail you. And He will give you the instincts and discernment you need to make hard choices and face hard things in this life. You will never fall when you lean into Him. Know by heart what you are all about. Please take care of your sister and be a source of strength to one another. Your siblings are your ultimate blessings. Nurture them, love them, feed them with love the way we are loving you and always will we.
Be kind and always think of others. Do good for others, it's good for your soul. The world needs more people who see beyond themselves. Remember this: the world will spin without you. So anytime you think you're hot stuff, just remember that! There is no such thing as a life better than yours. Please. Please. Always remember this. Do not lust after more than you have.
Goals and dreams are fine and important, but appreciate every single thing you have been blessed with thus far. You will never find happiness by looking for more. Life will give you everything that's yours. And if you don't have it then chances are it was not meant for you. What's meant for you will come to you when it is supposed to! Know that all that glitters is not gold! It might be gold plated. But for real. Things look shiny and perfect from the outside, but they usually aren't. Please do not lust after money, fame, and shiny things. There is so much more to life than that!
Thought for the week
As your thought for the week, always remember that you and your sister and all children are the greatest joy and miracles in our world. When you both arrived into our lives we were so blessed, honoured and grateful beyond words. All our prayers were answered. We always tell you that when you are happy, we are the happiest. When you cry, we cry harder. Our beautiful daughter, when all else fails in your life, where things get rough and you don’t have any glimpse of hope, keep in mind that very moment when Mammy and Daddy are holding your hands and telling you that everything is going to be alright. Life is too short to be hanging around people who keep you down. Be as confident as you can be and speak up for yourself, for your sister and for what is right. Remember this: What you have to say and offer this world matters. You are an inquisitive, gentle, loving, caring, kind, generous and beautiful young woman.
Don’t let the world rob you of that. When you see something wrong, do something about it. Stand up for what you believe in. Challenge the status quo. Don’t accept an inferior status for yourself or those around you. May you not become too concerned with material matters, but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart. Find time each day to see the beauty and love in the world around you. May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility. Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience. May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself, and not be dependent on others' judgements of your accomplishments. Our dreams for you is that you walk your journey in life with humility and a strong sense of right and wrong.You are our lives and all we live for.
Remember these words. You Are Enough. There will be many days when you feel like everything is going wrong, and that you cannot do it. Push those words out of your head. You are more than enough, and you can do anything. You will have to fight against the glass ceiling, the glass walls, and the glass slipper syndrome, but you are built to shatter ceilings. Don't let anyone ever put you down. Please don't ever get tired of being a good person with the gentle heart that you have. I know it can be hard and can hurt some of the time and the temptation to be cold hearted can come, but I assure you, kind gentle people like you are more needed in this world than cold hearted people and are essential to changing this world of ours for the better. Be kind always.
Your potential is infinite and your light is bright. And as long as I am on this earth, I vow to fight the forces that would dim it. Pursue your dreams with gusto and always know that even in your weakest moments, we are so proud, blessed and honoured to be your Mammy and Daddy who will always be your biggest fans. Thank You for being our daughter and thank God for letting it be so.