Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” ― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
There is a lot bad and suffering in this world. There is little to nothing I can do about most of it. However, I can choose my attitude and response. Like many, my attitude and response is often less than ideal.
Over the next 30 days, I plan to post little gratitude challenges daily. Example – At least one day, I will challenge readers to pay it forward buy buying a stranger coffee or a meal. It might make you feel better and make the recipient feel even better. It would be wonderful if gratitude challenge participants posted about what they did so we can all share. Many find it helpful to to journal so write it down and see if your attitude improves.
Oh, and if the spirit moves you, hand out candy to complete strangers today.
I try to set aside time each Sunday to plan the upcoming week. This week, like most, is full of meetings and to-do lists. Halloween will soon be over and the Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas steps it up. Personally, I am looking foward to A Biltmore Christmas debuting on November 26. I digress.
Since 2020, I have done a gratitude challenge in November. There is research that supports the benefits of gratitude. I have found no research that indicates gratitude causes harm. So, if you take the challenge, your worst outcome is you spend time being grateful. I have planned the first few days and will write every day in November.
Want to get started early? Write down three things you are grateful for today. Family? Food? Health? Write them down and think about them for a minute. Did you notice a change in your attitude?
It has been a while since I have written here. As usual, life gets in the way and writing becomes less of a priority. I hope to change this as November is just around the corner and I am planning another 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge.
Technology is amazing. This weekend I read an article about a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who used technology to “unroll” carbonised scrolls found in the ruins of Pompeii. With the assistance of technology, we may be able to rediscover a library that is nearly 2000 years old. Perhaps we will learn about things lost to time.
In my own life, technology allows me to listen to virtually any song I want. I have thousands of movies and TV shows available at the click of a button. More importantly, technology allowed me to find my past and make it the present.
I have previously written about my adoption reunion. Technology (23&Me and Ancenstry.com) made the reunion possible. What readers may not know is that I have sister who died before I was born. My parents rarely (once or twice) talked about her. I didn’t ask. All I knew was an approximate year and location of her her birth and death. When my father passed away, my mom included my sister on their headstone.
It’s strange feeling a connection to someone you never met. Yet, I have always felt a connection. I few years ago, I used technolgoy to locate my sister. I was able to find and who died at three days old. I used findagrave.com to locate the cemetery where she was buried. I was able to use the cemetery website to locate her gravesite.
Her grave is tucked in the south end of the cemetery near service building in a secluded area. She is buried in area with other children. In her “row” of 18 children, the oldest is 8. Eleven of the eighteen chilrden liast an age of zero. Most of the graves are unmarked (12 of 18). I have visted her gravesite several times over the past few years. It is a very peaceful but sad place.
The first time I visited, I was shocked that my sisters grave was one of the unmarked graves. Over the next few years, I wondered why my parents would not mark her grave. It bothered me. It bothered me so much that earlier this year, I contacted the cemetery about placing a headstone. After some conversations, we agreed upon a design. It is made from grantie quarried in South Dakota. I was told the earliest it would be ready would be spring of 2024. Imagine my joy last week when the cemetery sent me the picture attached to this blog post.
Soon I will visit and beable to know exactly where my sister is buried. So will others who may vist that area of the cemetery where the past meets the present.
Below are the names of the other children buried in my sisters row. I place them here to make sure they are not forgotten.
Sireadh Toileachas 
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