Feeling Gratitude – updated 2017

by | Nov 25, 2009 | Gratitude - 2010/2011, Thanksgiving, William A. Ward | 0 comments

I was looking for a shopping quote today in anticipation of Black Friday but came to realize as I was searching that Black Friday is primarily not about shopping, it’s about gift giving.

So, a simple question comes to mind. Is the gift you are going to get on Friday a gift that the recipient will feel was given with them in mind? Will it show your gratitude for them, your love for them or will it show you spent money because that is what you are suppose to do?

Will the present be buried in the past without a second thought, or will it be treasured because it came from love?

You may ask, how can I know what that is? You know by paying attention to the person. Not when they are writing down their wish list, but throughout the year. Listen to what they talk about, what they care about. That will tell you how you can meet their needs with a gift. That will show you are acting grateful, not just saying you are grateful.

Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward, 1924 – 1994, American Author

Two Things A Person Should Never Be Angry At; What He Can Help, And What He Cannot Help

by | Dec 5, 2008 | Anger - 2011, William A. Ward | 0 comments

“Two things a person should never be angry at; what he can help, and what he cannot help.” – William A. Ward

I recently made a trip to Tucson to deal with one of my daughters, who had not been in communication for a long time. She was found and her circumstances are pretty trying, just above homeless as a matter of fact. There are some good things that came of the trip, including her getting an initial evaluation and us meeting her friends and her landlord. There is a lot of confidence that she has a number of people helping her. But it isn’t the same as having her in your own town, close by, to give direct help as needed. It isn’t the same as family. But we were only able to do so much. And the result is to be reminded once again of this quote, that anger, while a true emotion and legitimate, is often something that doesn’t lead to much value for the future. It can, but most often it is not, IMHO.

Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com