A Life of Gratitude

Thanks for dropping by as I loaded all my things in the car...


Phylicia Chua (Top 4 student in 4E 2007). Thanks for the card too...

I have often found it ironic that the people in this world who have the most to be thankful for are often the least thankful, and somehow the people who have virtually nothing, many times live lives full of gratitude.

I remember a father who brought his spoilt son to a very poor country when the child was about 7 years. After seeing the faces of hungry children, and people staying in the streets with no shelter over their heads and no clothes on their backs, the father explained to the child that every morning when he got up, he would write down 5 to 10 things he was especially grateful for in his life.

Today, after 20 over years of learning that process taught by my father, the lesson has remained with me and I am still grateful for my life and what I have. Some days I am grateful for the most trivial things, and other days I feel a deep sense of gratitude for everything surrounding me. Some days I think and visualise what I'm grateful for, other days I try to make a list.

Here's my list of things I am grateful for today:

Today, I am grateful for a laughter shared with some colleagues.
I am grateful to my wife for always being there for me, and the time spent together.
I am grateful for my children to watch and play with.
I am grateful for my grand students for teaching me a lot.
I am grateful for having lunch with a group of great people who care about me.
I am grateful to Phylicia Chua and my many other students (some of whom I never taught!) for returning to say a thank you to me for helping in their studies or just to say goodbye.
I am grateful for all the fond wishes and kind words exchanged by students and teachers over these last two weeks, the sms-es received, the cards and tokens of love received, the tags on my blog and messages on FB, the treats, and most importantly, for these beautiful people just being a part of my life.
I am grateful for connecting with those of you reading this blog.
I am grateful for 4 memorable teaching years (in school).

Here's a thought. A lot of us have been given a lot... sometimes more than what others could ever dream of. Whether its an iPod, a new Zinc bag, decent clothes, money to watch movies, having 2 - 3 meals a day or living in a safe country... a lot of us have more than just what we need.

I read somewhere that gratitude provides a balance between the things we have and those we want.

I don't mind repeating myself 10 times if it helps to make a point. And I don't mind saying 'thank you' over and over again in all my blog posts to let each of you know how much I appreciate and value you.

If you want to feel blessed, be grateful. Always.

Yo Dad-o... this one's for you...