Archive for November 2015

Can't stop. Won't stop...the gratitude

Today is the last post in the series #30daysofgratitude. My goal 30 days ago was to share the musings of my gratitude journal and the benefits I see from this daily gratitude practice. I’ve shared and overshared. The benefits of sharing my gratitude in addition to the journal writing are indescribable. It must be something... Read more »
By Nina Vallone,
November 30, 2015 at 9:11 pm • 

Think about, thank about, bring about

What we think about, we bring about. Our experiences are reflections of our thoughts whether they are good, bad or mediocre. So why not practice thinking good thoughts; thinking from a place of gratitude? Here’s another quote for you “What we appreciate, appreciates.” Oh, I love this one. The more we appreciate the world around... Read more »
By Nina Vallone,
November 29, 2015 at 2:42 pm • 

Flexibility allows for some changes in tradition

Every Saturday after Thanksgiving begins with anticipation and a teeny bit of angst. For the past 18 years, Hubs and I decorate our Christmas tree and the rest of the Neen household. We’ve had help from the kiddos since my 16 year old was two – I will say, the process is smoother now than... Read more »
By Nina Vallone,
November 28, 2015 at 10:53 pm • 
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Gratitude breeds gratitude - Part II

One of my favorite moments of Thanksgiving dinner is when we all go around the table and speak our gratitude out loud. The verbal thanks range from being grateful for having five days off from school, to my son’s pitching arm being healed, to my little brother being home for Thanksgiving for the first time... Read more »
By Nina Vallone,
November 27, 2015 at 7:46 pm • 

How a tradition born out of sadness became my favorite day of the year

Throwback Thursday, Thanksgiving 2003. My now teenagers were two and four and my mom, dad and kid brother moved from Chicago to Florida. I felt so lost and sad and felt like they abandoned me and my little babies. I knew they were doing what was best for them, but I was too sad to... Read more »
By Nina Vallone,
November 26, 2015 at 7:30 am • 

Feel first, then find gratitude

When I started writing about the beneftis of practicing gratitude 25 days ago, I never imagined how much more grateful I would feel in my daily life. I also realized something important: While gratitude turns what we have into enough, it does not remove life circumstances we wish we didn’t have. Furthermore, if we don’t... Read more »
By Nina Vallone,
November 25, 2015 at 7:10 pm • 
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Do you have women of wisdom in your life?

Sitting on a bench in the middle of the quad at my alma mater some 25 years ago, I complained to my friend about another friend who had not been there for me when I needed her. She said “Neen, you have different friends for different reasons. Not everyone can be everything you need.” Hmm.... Read more »
By Nina Vallone,
November 24, 2015 at 8:22 pm • 

Will you be happier if you choose gratitude?

While many of us believe, practice and embody a life of gratitude, sometimes we wonder if it is all a bunch of new age mumbo jumbo. I am the first one to raise my hand wildly and say “It’s real, it WORKS!” The proof I have? My own experience. It was with a cup of... Read more »
By Nina Vallone,
November 23, 2015 at 8:00 pm • 

Gratitude - A list - week three

Three weeks into #30daysofgratitude and I am speechless at how good I feel. By now you know I’ve had a gratitude practice for a bit. It sure isn’t perfect, but it works for me. Life is better when I live with an attitude of gratitude. But the sharing of the gratitude? I had no idea... Read more »
By Nina Vallone,
November 22, 2015 at 9:06 pm • 
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How I'm handling the Syrian refugee crisis

I am shutting down. I read the news. I look at the pictures. I see the babies limp in their mother’s arms and it chills me to the bone. I don’t know what to do. So I turn off the news. I pray and I pray and I stop reading and stop looking. This doesn’t... Read more »
By Nina Vallone,
November 21, 2015 at 9:02 pm •