User post: What better way to spend Thanksgiving than to learn how to be truly thankful!!!
Authors Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons have brought to the public a new book about the art of gratitude:
Living Life as a Thank You
The Transformative Power of Daily Gratitude
--Filled with Inspirational Stories, Gratitude Practices and Research Findings,
A Guide to Finding Fulfillment and Joy-
San Francisco, CA - Studies show-and experts counsel-that gratitude is a key component for personal happiness. Many spiritual leaders, healers, and recovery programs advise that appreciating what we do have, instead of focusing on what's missing is the secret to living a balanced and abundant life.
Living Life as a Thank You goes to the frontlines of people who have transformed their lives - in good times and bad - by incorporating the practice of gratitude in their daily living. The stories show how living life out of gratefulness can turn even life's toughest moments into blessings to be embraced. Authors Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons offer concrete tools along with the stories to help readers tap into their inner joy and turn fear into courage, anger into forgiveness, isolation into belonging and pain into healing.
"Giving thanks makes us happier, more resilient, strengthens our relationships, and reduces our stress," both authors Nina and Mary Beth agree. They know, because the book is born out of their own inspiring experiences of transforming adversity into a new outlook that focuses on all they have to be grateful for, and in doing so, drew an abundance of gifts to be grateful for. They both can attest: "When we give thanks, we feel more connected to the flow of life and less alone in our struggles and fears."
Filled with emotional, gripping stories, the book is divided into ten chapters, including "Ways to Stay Thankful in Difficult Times," "Gratitude as a Spiritual Practice," and "Putting Gratitude into Action." Each chapter zeroes in on the compelling stories of individuals whose lives have been transformed by thankfulness and also includes inspirations for readers: motivational quotes and blessings, and suggested gratitude practices.
In ancient Roman times, Cicero said, "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." Having an attitude of gratitude is not new advice, but during these challenging times, readers will learn how to feel more connected to the flow of life and less alone in his or her struggles and fears.
About the Authors:
MARY BETH SAMMONS is an award-winning journalist and author who is grateful to be welcomed into the lives of those she writes about who are experiencing the ups and downs of handling life, parenting, and caregiving in Family Circle, the Chicago Tribune's lifestyle section, and on various online health and wellness Web sites including AOL Health. She's a consultant for a number of non-profit organizations and author of seven books in the women's self-help and health and wellness fields, including: "We Carry Each Other: Getting Through Life's Toughest Times;" "My Family: Collected Memories;" and "Gifts with Heart." She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her three children.
NINA LESOWITZ is a gratitude practictioner in the San Francisco Bay Area. A volunteer for literacy organizations, she also runs Spinergy Group which represents authors and corporate clients as well as non profits. The recipient of numerous awards and tributes including a national award for excellence in media relations, Nina is co-author of the bestselling book, The Party Girl Cookbook. She becomes more thankful each passing day for the myriad blessings in her life.
Living Life as a Thank You: The Transformative Power of Daily Gratitude
by Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons/978-1-57344-368-5 /US Price: $15.95/Nov 2009
