A Few Things I have learned along the way.

Women have a hard time focusing on themselves.  A woman sees herself as someone who cares for family, a husband, children, friends, work associates, etc.  When life is filled with demands to "fix" everyone and everything, a woman gets weary.  Because I am now in my 60s, I know that most of the stuff that we blame ourselves for had a purpose that we cannot fully understand until eternity.
There are some general principles that have helped me to live a life of appreciation.

1.  Forgive people so that you do not become a bitter person.
     
      A lack of forgiveness does not hurt the person you will not forgive, it
      hurts you.  You are the one wasting time thinking about something 
      that someone did or said to you.  Your mind can make a very small
      thing into a mountain if we do not let go of it. 
      I know people who have completely changed their personality
      because of their lack of forgiveness.

      I am not perfect and neither is any person on earth.   We say and do
      things that others have to forgive us for.  It is just practical to keep
      your heart and mind cleaned out so it does not become a stagnant
      place of bitterness.

2.  Joy comes from inside not the material things that life has to offer.

      How life has changed since the economy has dipped.  People have
      lost quite a bit of the "stuff" they thought made them happy.  There
      has been a renewal of family life and memory making times that do
      not include Disneyland!
      Time is so much more valuable to people than gifts, no matter how
      large.  Is life really about having more things than other people? 
      What a sad way to view life.

      When I think about all the blessings in one day, I am overwhelmed
      with joy.
      We have healthy, happy children and grandchildren.   I live in a place
      that is perfectly suited to our needs.  I have girlfriends who laugh
      with me about nothing!  I have people who pray for me. 

       We all have a list of things that have nothing to do with material
       things that give us joy.  Money cannot buy happiness just a lot of
       junk.

    To be continued