Thanksgiving

Open Your Eyes to Beauty and Grace 


A dear friend forwarded this to me as a Thanksgiving wish.It moved me. 

I hope that it does the same for you.

After all, can we not find thanksgiving in every day?

Why this ad? Sbyke Scooters Hours of play for grandchildren. - www.sbyke.com/gift - Buy 2 and Get The 2nd 10% Off!

FW: Pass It On Inbox x Louise Perrin Oct 5 (2 days ago) to me Happy Thanksgiving!! From: Margaret Cuomo [mailto:margaretcuomo@hotmail.com] Sent: Friday, October 05, 2012 3:54 PM To: Daniel Pandke; kim/george wandziak; Louise Perrin; Sarah Anne; Tony Cuomo Subject: FW: Pass It On   From: jpritchard@bell.net To: jm.pritchard@ymail.com Subject: Pass It On Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2012 14:24:42 -0400 I just had to pass this one on. If you never learn the language of gratitude, you will never be on speaking terms with happiness. A father and mother kissing their dying little girl goodbye. If you are wondering why all the medic people are bowing: in less than an hour, two small children in the next room are able to live thanks to the little girl's kidney and liver.

A father and mother kissing their dying little girl goodbye. If you are wondering why all the medic people are bowing: in less than an hour, two small children in the next room are able to live thanks to the little girl's kidney and liver.

Thank you for allowing me to share.

Love, Francine

The OVL Project ~ Day 23

What are you putting out there?

This is one of those expressions I use often (much to the chagrin of my family and friends).

Of course, they put it right back at me when I comment on things in an unflattering or negative way. 

In each moment we have a choice about how we choose to respond in any given situation. Sometimes

it's as easy as going on a word diet. Remove negative words from your vocabulary like no, don't, loser,  

stupid or yucky;)  Be easy on yourself. Start slowly by choosing one word at a time. Each time #@! 

pops out of your mouth, change it to a more positive word. 

Also, catch yourself if you are commiserating, gossipping or grumpy. You can only change yourself in 

the present moment. Make a different choice. Choose not to participate, redirect the conversation or

 smile. Ask yourself: "How do I wish to respond?" And go there.  Now!

It's as easy as flipping a switch. It does take some practise but the rewards are worth it.

                1.Jump into the pit  2. Say nothing or walk away  3. Look for the good and verbalize it

I believe that what you focus upon expands. If you choose to focus upon the negative, you get more 

negative. Conversely, if you choose to focus on the good, you will get more  good. Choose wisely.

So, what are you putting out there?

I'm sending you good vibes...

:)Francine

The OVL Project ~ Day 22

Be Open To Your Joy

In my last post I talked about how sometimes people choose to be

unhappy because they are stuck in traffic. Today, I was stuck in

 traffic. Go figure! I was listening to the radio and enjoying the

 music. It was a glorious day. I was feeling particularly grateful.

 A new song came on the radio by one of my favourite artists- 

Van The Man- Van Morrison. "Open The Door" is a sweet soulful song 

about opening the door to your heart to see and let  in the beauty 

that surrounds you. It is found in the song on the radio, the bird 

that just flew by or the smile from a stranger.

  

 

      

That is just how I felt. Allowing myself to feel the joy in my 

heart through that beautiful music. What brings you joy? 

Will you open the door, let it in and feel it? 

My heart is open for you.

:)Francine

The OVL Project ~ Day 21

"Make It a Great Day!"-Candice

Choices, choices, choices...

We are bombarded by them all day long yet we often hear people

saying: "I didn't have a choice". "I'm in a bad mood because there

 was traffic, the weather is awful, my alarm didn't go off or the

 kids are sick." You always have a choice as to how you choose to

 feel in any given moment. Happiness and contentment are an inside 

job. When your choices include gratitude and appreciation for

 whatever comes your way, it is easy to see the gift in a situation.

Thank you Candice for giving me today's title. 

In appreciation,

:)Francine

The OVL Project ~ Day 20

Help is on It's Way

Today take notice of all of the people who make your life better. Be

 aware of them, appreciate them whole heartily and see the effect

 your expression of gratitude has on them.



"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." 

             -Leo Buscaglia

At this moment, I am feeling gratitude for my internet provider.

and of course, for you!

:)Francine

The OVL Project ~ Day 19

Change is something you do

I often use the phrase: "Love is an action word."

I could just as well substitute the word "change" for "love".

I keep this quote posted by my desk for inspiration:


"You will never change your life 
until you change something you do daily.
The secret to your success is found in your daily routine."
-John C. Maxwell

Through this blog, I have endeavoured to get you to ponder and act

 upon this simple yet profound concept of gratitude. Today is Day 19 

of 21 Days to heartfelt gratitude. Is your daily practice feeling

 more natural and flowing? Do you feel different? 

With love and gratitude,

:)Francine

The OVL Project -Day 18

Winking at The Moon

Flying high above Toronto, I saw the moon peeking in through the

 plane window. It reminded me of Neil Armstrong, the first man to

 walk on the moon, who just passed away.

His family's statement was so beautiful: "The next time you walk 

outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think 

of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."


Just as Neil Armstrong sent out waves of wonder and possibility to a

 generation, so too does your participation in The OVL Project send

 out waves of love and kindness throughout the world. 

Just envision the Universe smiling down upon you.

:)Francine

The OVL Project - Day 17

Tommy Hunter Here I Come

I was sitting on the front porch tonight with my aunt Betty, my

 cousin Brenda, my uncle Leo, my son Joel and his girlfriend 

Katie. We were having a lovely time, so were the 

 mosquitoes. Aunt Betty was telling us about her and Brenda's 

trip to London Ontario to see Tommy Hunter at his last concert. 

She has been his #1 fan for over 50 years. I have seen her 

scrapbooks so I can attest to her dedication from a young age.

Because of her life long enjoyment of his music, his manager 

insisted that she attend his last concert all expenses paid along 

with a number of other #1 Fans from across the country. How 

awesome is that?! My aunt Betty is still pinching herself. This 

is what happens when you put your whole self into something you 

love and enjoy.

Where would you be if you had such gratitude and appreciation for

 something that brought you such tremendous joy and pleasure?

Imagine the possibilities!

:)Francine

The OVL Project - Day 16

The Power of Stick-to-it-ness

Okay, so it's not a word but I bet you get my meaning.

Thinking about and writing your five daily gratitudes in your 

journal as well as your daily thank you card takes effort and 

persistence. For me, so does writing this blog. But when I am

 done each part of my commitment, I feel satisfied and empowered.

 I set out to accomplish something and I did it! Too often we let

 ourselves off too easily. We say we are going to do something

 and we get distracted, we forget, we get too tired... There are

 a multitude of excuses available. Whatever happened to the good

 ol'days of sticking to your word? Meaning what you say and 

saying what you mean. Following through to the end, no matter

 what? This is how thoughts turn into action and action makes you

 a creator.You say something and it happens. You trust yourself,

 you believe in yourself and in turn, so do others.


This morning I decided to go pick some wild blueberries behind my

 parents house in the country. I announced my departure with my

 large plastic container in hand and after turning back for 

mosquito repellent after the first 5 minutes, I was headed out 

into the backwoods to fetch me a pail o' berries. I found a small

 patch of blueberries and started picking and picking and 

picking. Wild blueberries are particularly small and I was hardly

 making a dent in the container. I started looking for new berry

 patches. Time passed. I changed my stance: I knelt on the mossy

 ground, sat, squatted and bent over from a standing position. I 

became one with the patch and got into the flow of picking. All I

 could hear was the wind blowing in the trees and the bees

 buzzing about around me. My bucket was full(the blackberries 

were a bonus passing bush).

 I walked back with great pride not having realised that two 

hours had gone by. I thought about doing it, I said I was going

 to do it and I did it!

I created a full bucket of blueberries where before there were

 none. The OVL Project is much like that - you are filling your

 own bucket as well as others by your daily ritual of picking 

love and gratitude, one small deposit at a time. Before long,

 your bucket overfloweth.

Enjoy!

:)Francine

The OVL Project - Day 15

The Gift of my Son, my Brother, my Father

My son Joel tells me that the gift of this trip to New Brunswick 

is french, family and kids, not necessarily in that order. He has 

come here a number of times always practicing his french and 

enjoying lobster and crab thanks to his grandmother. But the

 greatest gift is being a part of the family. He gets to

 experience a true French Canadian close knit family: 

grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts and little children.

My brother is rather stoic telling me that coming here at the

 drop of a hat to help out his parents is just "what you do". Of

 course, before he leaves for home tomorrow, he has consulted 

with the nurses and doctors, organized our father's medication,

 changed the water pump filter, washed the car and cleaned up my

 mom's computer as well as downloaded some APPS that that she may

 find useful. He is also grateful for his wife who is holding

 down the farm, caring for all of their horses on her own. As I

 write, he is across the road, sharing some downtime, playing

 guitar with my Uncle Don.

My father answers my question as he chokes up, his voice barely 

audible: "My family loves me, if they would do all of this for 

me, just think what they will do for your Mom. I am so lucky. It

 has changed me."

The gift for me is watching the beauty of it all.

:)Francine

The OVL Project - Day 14

All You Need is Love

As my father has been in the hospital this past week, I have been

 visualizing him back home and healthy. My son Joel, his 

girlfriend Katie and I were on our way to New Brunswick tonight

 planning to stay overnight in Bathurst, NB. In the morning,  we 

were going to visit my Dad at the hospital. During our 1 1/2

 hour layover in Montreal, I checked my phone messages. My mother 

had left a message to say that my Dad had been sent home tonight

 and that my brother Denis would pick us up. What a surprise!

We've now arrived. It's late. How lovely to be sitting here at

the kitchen table while my parents are fast asleep upstairs.

It's sure to be a love-ly visit! 

I will keep you posted.

:)Francine

The OVL Project - Day 13

Twist and Shout

Our friends invited us out to see a production of Backbeat, the birth of The Beatles at The Royal 

Alex Theatre. It tells the back story of how The Beatles started out. It was a rockin' show. What I

realised was that everything has a back story. By writing in your journal the reasons why you are 

grateful for someone or something and how it makes you feel,  allows you to tap into your 

back story. It enhances the feeling of love and appreciation, bringing those emotions into the forefront.

Instead of a trickle of a thank you, the feeling of gratefulness flows out of you with great gusto.

So, go ahead~ Twist and Shout it out!

:)Francine

The OVL Project - Day 12

More Than Half Way There

Congratulations! You are now more than half way through The OVL

 Project. As you develop this powerful daily habit of heartfelt 

gratitude you may be noticing more and more things to be grateful

 for. Your focus turns into a kaleidoscope of beauty and

 appreciation, growing with each passing day.

Today, I wrote down in my journal how much I appreciated my

husband's efforts in getting us to set up a weekly budget.

For years I have resisted doing this kind of work but now I am

actually embracing it. Coming from a place of appreciation for 

how we choose to spend our money has made me realise that we 

can actually increase our net worth. As you can see my money tree 

is growing!

Don't you just love adopting a new perspective?

:)Francine

The OVL Project - Day 11

Getting Back to Your Set Point

Do you recall that I believe that our set point is love, joy and 

acceptance? Are you feeling closer to that place or further away?

I came across this quote yesterday on the main Street in small 

town America: "To have change, you must be change."

What do you have to release and what do you have to embrace to 

get closer to your desired state? 

Write it down in your journal and commit to it. Visualise it.

It's your choice. 

Be it.

:)Francine