I wrote a card to an old friend from high school. His response blew me away. He gathered 50 images of me and our group of friends in high school, printed them on 4x6, and sent me the whole bunch with a handwritten note. The energy I'm putting out there is come back! And what a wonderful gift: a glimpse into another perspective of this thing I've created called "me." Looking back on who I was, who I am now, how much I've grown, am I who/where I thought I'd be... would my teenage self be proud of me? Next on my gratitude list: my teenage self.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-at-ten-tenths/id1749551622?i=1000709393443

Hello Gratitude community! I read a statistic and out Valentine’s Day yesterday that surprised me. 20% of women buy themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day. Sure, some buy them to treat themselves but that is a staggering number! So, I wrote 12 cards, bought a bouquet of roses and split them up into single roses today. My kids and I walked through the parking lot at the grocery story and handed out a flower and a card to every person we saw until we ran out. The reactions were shocking. Most were surprised and so grateful. A couple teared up. My poor son approached a woman alone.. I would guess her to be in mid sixties. He offered her the card and the rose and she was shocked and told him very harshly, “No thank you.” My son persisted. He offered it again and said Happy Valentine’s Day. I am just spreading kindness. She again, put her hand up and forcefully said, “No thank you. I don’t want it and I don’t have anything.” My son tried one last time. He was giving this woman this rose. Tenacity is one of his attributes. He looked at her with his huge puss and boots eyes and politely said, “Ma’am, I am not trying to ask you for anything. My mom and I have been giving out roses to random strangers just to tell them that they deserve something beautiful because they are beautiful. Please take my rose. If you want to throw it away when you drive away that is okay. I am hoping it makes you feel good and it brightens your day.” Half into her car at this point she looked right at him with tears in her eyes and said, “No one has ever given me a rose for no reason. I’m so sorry I reacted badly. Thank you so very much. You made my day.” She wrapped her arms around my son and hugged him in thanks. If you could have seen how stiff he hugged her back you would have laughed. He can be back to me and said he was grateful he did it and that it is sad no one had ever given her a flower. She really needed it. Then he politely declined to talk to any more strangers today. It is easy to be grateful for the people right in front of us every day. To thank a stranger creates a huge ripple of kindness. Hopefully my son’s memory fades before I make him do it again next year! The note

I drive out of my neighborhood the same way every day. And every day there is one home for the last number of years that makes me smile. The lovely woman who lives there has a corner home and has put so much work into her beautiful yard. On top of that, she decorates her yard for EVERY holiday. Sometimes it is hearts and flowers hanging from the trees for Valentine’s Day. This week it was Mardi Gras which touched my heart a great deal as my family is all from NOLA. Rain, snow or sunshine she is out there making her yard something beautiful. She does it for her but she also does it for all of us so I wrote her a card. It was not much but I just wanted her to know that I knew how hard she worked and that people like me are finding joy and happiness in what she does… So imagine my surprise when I got this note in the mail today. The envelope covered in hand drawn hearts. I am so filled with gratitude today.