When Things Go Wrong

When Things Go Wrong
by Annie Tornabene



When things go wrong as they sometimes do. We've all been there. We expected one thing and got another. Maybe it was an accident, disease, violence, economic chaos or just another blow.

It seems like we just keep fighting an uphill battle. Sometimes we want to scream, "When will it all end?" Sound familiar?

Take courage. When things go wrong is the time to take courage. Gather all the strength and hope we can muster to take another step forward. The Power that created you has the power to heal you - emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Be ready for new opportunities. Be in an attitude of gratitude. Don't complain. Maybe there is another way to accomplish the same goal. Maybe it's just a delay and not really a setback. After all a setback is just another way to look at an opportunity for a come back.

So when things go wrong as they sometimes do, be prepared for a great comeback.

Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and learning to live our best life now when things go wrong.

I'm Home

I'm Home
by Annie Tornabene


Well after being in the hospital for the past month, I am finally home. Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, light and reki. It feels good to be home.

I am glad to be home...just a little weak. The doctor says it may take me until the end of May to be back to full strength. I am doing well but I have no voice because of the tube they had in my throat during the operation and will I was in ICU. The doctors says my voice could come back at anytime or take 3 months.

I just wanted to let you know that I'm back and will be talking to you daily now. I'm home. Together we can make a difference in understanding depression and living our best life now.

Hugs in an attitude of gratitude,

Online Friends

To My Online Friends
From Annie Tornabene

From my computer to yours.

Sometimes this place gets to be a pretty lonely place. 'Tis the season to be jolly. But with all the hustle and bustle, people barely pass the time of day. If by change you run pass an offline friend they nod with a quick "I'll call you later!" and dash the other way. Seldom do you ever hear another word from them unless you pass them again before they could drop into the shadows without being seen. They say they know you well but they don't know you at all. When was the last time they took the time to say hello or ask your opinion? Or took the time to hold your hand knowing you were facing a major operation or crisis?

It's not the same with my online friends. My online friends share a part of me that my offline friends will never understand. My online friends know me best. After all they take the time to read what I have to say and answer back. Sometimes they send me a joke or two or leave a comment on myspace ... just enough to let me know they care about me.

People ask, "How can you be friends with someone you've never met?"

I tell them, "You've never been online I bet!" It's something people offline will never understand. You open up your heart to friendship with your typing hands. It's a world full friendship at your finger tips, there is so much online, it only takes a heart to reach people with your touch. Your heart found mine. Thank you for being an online friend.

First you start out online, surfing all around. Next thing you know a great friend will be found. You will chat a lot and surf cyber space. Soon it will be your second home, a comforting, special place. An online friend to share your dreams and your tears and to help each other wipe away life's fears and be with you until the day is brighter. You will share life together and help each other along the way.

You will make it thru bad days because friendship is so strong. When you cry, I cry. When you laugh, I laugh. No matter how far apart you go, your keyboards will keep you together, and in your heart you will know you don't need a face to be a true friend forever. :) Hearts talk to each other.

So, how do you explain this to people who've never been online? I guess it takes a gesture of friendship and a little bit of time. So let's start by sending this around and passing our special touch. A smile, an online hug, a website, a gesture starts it all; becoming friends doesn't take much...

RIDE SAFE N STAY WARM...


Hugs, in an attitude of gratitude,
I'll always be here for you.

Annie

Dark Clouds

Dark Clouds
by Annie Tornabene


Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and dark clouds didn't spoil your day. I realize that being grateful is something we have to work at especially at times of family gatherings when there is sure to be someone present that will be a thorn in our side.

You are not alone. You probably had a hectic day of preparing for a feast or preparing your heart to be in an attitude of gratitude. Either way, your nerves have been spent ... they were on the edge. If you were traveling, you know how crowded the airports, the highways, etc were. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Dark clouds come our way whether we want them or not.

This is something that happens throughout the year not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yes we have more dark clouds coming at Christmas. When we know these events and people are going to be near us, we must make sure to focus on our attitude of gratitude. Dark clouds always approach when we least expect them, so we better prepare for them.

Preparing for dark clouds is not something we can just throw together at the last minute. It is something we need to work on for a long time...to get in the habit of having an attitude of gratitude. I know we've talked all month about having an attitude of gratitude. It is a key to understanding depression, turning those dark clouds and helping us live our best life now.

Remember time is on our side. So, take time to regularly meditate ... to be still .... to be quiet ... to be one with the Creator. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, our minds and bodies need time to be still and quiet. It is a time for rest in the hands of the Creator. It is a time to feel the peace, the love and joy flowing around you and through you.

It is a time to realize the many blessings we have. It is a time to focus on what we do have. The media, the stores, the news will tell us all the things we don't have. It is important to realize what we do have. It is important that we, anyone reading this; even the poorest one reading this; realize that we are more blessed than 99% of the world. Take time every day to think of three things to be grateful for. How many things do we take for grant it?

At this time of the year, it is easy to focus on those who may be wealthier than ourselves. The stores, the news, the media focuses on all the we do not have. Take time to give to those less fortunate than ourselves. What can we do? Something can be done about it. Donate time at a rehab center, an orphanage, an abuse women or children's center or food bank. When I have worked at these centers or any kind of victim's center, it helped me take the focus off my problems and on to gratitude. Doing things for others less fortunate will remind you of how blessed you really are. Ask them what they are thankful for. You will be amazed and it will open your eyes and hearts to new possibilities and gratitude of what you already have.

When was the last time you told those you love, that you love them. One day you will awake and realize that all to soon that opportunity is gone forever. Write a note to them. While they are in your present, acknowledge your love and appreciation for them in your life. Give them a smile. Hold them close while you can. You will create the possibility of a better life with them now.

If we practice this attitude of gratitude, we keep the dark clouds at bay. Dark clouds will come into our life from time to time and may even keep us from having an attitude of gratitude. Remember the dark clouds will pass shortly. Look beyond the dark clouds and keep your focus for soon the dark clouds pass and a brighter day has begun. Together we make a difference in understanding depression and living our best life now. We are thankful for the thorns in our lives because they help us realize how many blessings we already have and live in abundance.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving
by Annie Tornabene



You, my friend, have helped me through good times and bad. You are my happiness, my sorrow; standing beside me, listening, talking and walking with smiles and tears through the years. I am so grateful for your friendship.

I am so blessed to have you in my life this thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving! May you always be blessed with an abundance of good friends, good food, peace, joy, happiness, love and prosperity. May you live like a penquin...just be happy!

In an attitude of gratitude, Happy Thanksgiving! Together we can make a difference in understanding depression, living an abundant life of gratitude and happy thanksgiving.

The Joy Of Gratitude

The Joy Of Gratitude
By Annie Tornabene


Every day is a good day...it can be depending on the way you look at it. With the joy of gratitude, I experience good days with what use to be "bad days"... days full of frustration, despair, disappointments and discouragement. I call those days an "unbelievable" day. This habit keeps me from being overwhelmed with stinking thinking and emotions. Why does this work?

Repetitious thoughts and words create feelings ... positive or negative behavioral patterns and increased thinking of those feelings. If I dwell on stinking thing, I feel the gloom and doom; thus increasing my level of depression and I end up moping around. If I tell myself it's an "unbelievable" day this keeps my mind open to possibilities, gratitude, hope, solutions, resilience, and even laughter. The buoyancy creates joy within me.

So if you are having an unbelievable day like the kids are screaming, you are ready to kiss your boss goodbye, the financial crisis just won't go away or you are crawling in traffic at a snails pace; just take a deep breath and reorganize your thoughts. If you are in the car don't take time to mediate, wait until you are in a safe spot to take a 2 minute meditation. If you are at a safe place, then take a few minutes to mediate and get back on track. If you can't find a place where you can be alone with your thoughts, slip away into the bathroom with the doors locked. A few minutes spent in quiet mediation refreshes you and allow you time to create a more positive feeling within yourself and that you can display to the world. Believe me it helps. You feel stronger and more confident. I think there were days that I could have killed someone without those quiet times. Breathe in peace, hope and tranquility. Allow the joy of gratitude to flow through you and around you.

I don't know all the answers...I do know that it is worth it. In an attitude of gratitude, count your blessings. Never give up. You can make it. Miracles happen every day...we just have to focus on them...look for them. Focus on health, wealth, good friends and family, and anything that you feel make life worth living for. While these blessings are temporary, they do get you in the habit of thinking in an attitude of gratitude.

Having tested this for myself extensively, I found there was an effective way to practice gratitude and an ineffective way. There is a deeper understanding of gratitude and a more effective way to practice it, one that yielded much greater the joy of gratitude.

Genuine gratitude isn’t my feeling because let's face it; my circumstances may not be that exciting. More often than not, it's complicated and it leaves me feeling empty or complacent. This gratitude may be the catalyst for a major attitude change or temporary relief that I need. You can enjoy this state of gratitude temporarily, but overall you’ll remain stuck in your old habits of stinking thinking.

Genuine gratitude is independent of situations and circumstances. The joy of gratitude is a feeling of gratitude for life itself, for our existence, for anything and everything we experience. It is more of an underlying attitude... it becomes part of who we are. It is a sense of charisma or enchantment with the journey of life no matter what the outcome. It is looking at life through the eyes of a child. It is no fear of loss and an enjoyment of the journey of our life, the universe, time and space, our obstacles, trials, and tribulations, our imperfections and bloopers, our realizations, our psyche, our inner child, the difficult people in our lives, our thoughts and angers and happiness, our rights, responsibilities, ideas and concepts, and even the fog.

Gratitude becomes the canvas upon which we paint our life. It doesn’t matter how it looks because we enjoy the experience of painting. We say wow to life.

If we can remain in that state of wonder of a child, we’re likely to find the joy of gratitude...the enjoyment of life. Together we can make a difference in living beyond anger, fear and depression and living our best life now. We will feel the joy of gratitude that resonates with who we are.