From Sarah Ban Breathnach’s “The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude”:

“Gratitude is the most passionate transformative force in the cosmos.  When we offer thanks to God or to another human being, gratitude gifts us with renewal, reflection, reconnection.  Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life.”   (Photo credit:  Gabo)

That pretty much sums it up doesn’t it?  That’s why I do this on a weekly basis.  When I sit down to write a post like this, I am literally forcing myself to think of things I’m grateful for.

Okay ladies and gentlemen - we are FINALLY back to the weekly interviews after a 3 week “vacation.”

Welcome back - I hope you all had a nice summer and that you’re ready to forge ahead and delve into the idea of meeting new people through the interview series!

How I met Jennifer Abbot, the subject of this week’s interview, was through Adversity University.   That’s right!  She began as a subscriber and then over a period of several weeks, we got to know one another.  And then one day she decided to create a Stephen Hopson Fanclub at Facebook!

I was like, “WHAT?  You did that for ME?”

It’s amazing.

I never know where I’ll get the inspiration to write a post that I feel strongly about.  It was born over the weekend after having a great discussion with a good friend of mine, Joni. (Photo credit:  ifido)

Every time we get together, we end up having a long conversation about everything ranging from politics to the state of the economy to human rights to matters of spiritual nature.

It’s always thought provoking, entertaining and most definitely uplifting.  Sometimes our talks last for hours.  Rather than feel tired and stiff, we feel rejuvenated by the time we part ways.   It was during one of those talks that I am sometimes hit with simple, yet profound reminders of the truth when I get together with friends like that.

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say “thank you?” - William A. Ward

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die, so let us all be thankful. - Buddha

As you know, I went away for about a week for business/pleasure that included a speaking engagement and a visit to my family.

I have much to be grateful for……..

Note:  This is a VERY LONG overdue gratitude post.  It was first written on September 14th, ten days ago.  As you all saw in a previous post, as I was writing it, the Akron, OH area had a massive power outage.  Then I had to leave for a week-long business/pleasure trip.  I am just getting back into the groove again - this is my first full fledged post in over a two weeks. (Photo Credit:  Shelly)

So, here’s the deal.

We will hold off on the Stephen Hopson Interviews for another week to give those who are on the list of upcoming guests more time to compose their replies.    Today, I’ll share with you gratitude #45 and on Friday I’ll add #46.   That way we’re caught up with my weekly gratitude posts.   Okay?

Hello Everyone!

This is a quick note to let you know why you haven’t heard from me.  Right now I’m at a hotel in PA for a speaking engagement at Penn State University tonight and tomorrow.  Then I’m off to VA to visit my family.

I fell behind last week and was in the middle of writing my weekly gratitude post when “the storm” hit.  Everything, including my computer, blacked out.  Thinking the power would come back on soon, I wasn’t worried.

But an hour turned into a few hours, which turned into a night and then a full day and night.  As of right now, I’ve been without power over 2, going on to 3 days.  I was forced to clean out my fridge just before leaving on this trip.

(continued from Week #3)

Today’s post is not what you expected - normally I post an interview in mid-week but I got a little sidetracked.

A week from today, I will be at Penn State Altoona for 3 presentations.    Then after that, I’m visiting my brother and his family in Virginia the rest of the week and weekend.    It’s an opportunity to connect with my mom and dad who are also planning to be there.   Therefore, I am taking a two week break from interviewing people.

I know many of you have been waiting to see the final results of the “Tim Ferris Diet.”   If you were extra alert and took took notice of today’s title, you’d already have some inkling about the results.

For sure, this turned out to be a very interesting and gratifying week.   Normally, I post this on Thursday nights for Friday morning RSS/email delivery but I decided to take my time with this and post it sometime this afternoon (Friday).  (Photo credit:  Gabo)

Right now, it’s raining with a bit of cooler temperatures, giving all of us a sneek peek into the Fall season, just around the bend.  While I will miss the summer, I don’t mind watching the leaves turn color.   But I’m always asking myself, “Where did the time go?!?”

Here’s a gratitude quote for this week:

Part I with Slade of Shift Your Spirits last week was so successful that it inspired people like Corinne Edwards to write about her own psychic experiences -  check it out at the bottom of this post.   I think you’ll enjoy it but Slade comes first - he’s the star today!

Meanwhile, a handful of new people commented how reading my interview with Slade was almost like listening on the radio - that’s exactly how I’ve been envisioning it when I do these interviews!

(Continued from Week 2)

Well, it’s hard to believe I’ve only got one more week left of the “Tim Ferris Diet“!

Looking back, despite the changes I’ve made, especially in the mornings when I had to cook breakfast and clean up afterward, it really wasn’t all that bad.  Even when I absolutely did not feel like cooking, by forcing myself to go through with it, I was able to break through the initial resistance pretty easily.

All of you know from last week’s gratitude post that I received a terrific “encouragement card” from Chris and Lisa Cree (see photo).  As I mentioned, it caused tears of gratitude to flow and now it’s sitting on my desk, reminding me of the mantra “I am at my ideal weight.”

How can I not be thankful this week?  But before we go into that, here’s a random quote about the meaning of gratitude: (Photo Credit:  Gabo)

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life.  Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”  Margaret Cousins

Now, I don’t know who Margaret was but think about what she said.   Imagine if you expressed appreciation with a simple smile for a stranger.  You have no way of knowing if that person was on the brink of committing suicide but decided to give it another chance just because you warmed his/her heart with a genuine smile.  What’s not to like about that?

For as long as I can remember, especially after I discovered my spiritual journey in the mid-nineties (I was still on Wall Street but it would be a few years later I would receive the divine calling to pursue my dreams of becoming an inspirational speaker, author and eventually pilot), I’ve been fascinated with the concept of guardian angels.

(Continued from Week 1)

I’m starting to think perhaps I should have titled these follow-up posts with “How I MIGHT Lose 20 lbs. in 30 Days…….” (Photo: Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie)

This morning (Sunday) I woke up an hour later than normal and for the first time since starting the “Tim Ferris Diet” almost 2 weeks ago, I absolutely, positively did not feel like cooking!

Almost as if I wanted to prolong the inevitable, I started by making a pot of coffee.  Then like a mischievous child, my eyes involuntarily  rolled over to the cabinet where I kept a box of cereal.  I felt a lurch in my stomach.

Sometimes the inspiration to write comes out of left field, hitting me with a sudden urge to let my fingers fly across the keyboard.  It strikes without warning, usually early in the mornings, especially when responding to emails.  I don’t know why but there’s something about that task that makes the writer in me come alive.   (Photo credit:  jefftunn)

This morning I was composing an email back to a subscriber named Barbara Ann Hartman who wrote, “……That will be an adventure for you, I know.  Are you thinking of moving elsewhere???”  She was referring to a string of latest updates here at Adversity University, some of which might lead me to an opportunity in another part of the country.

Folks, not only is it the end of yet another week, but summer is drawing to a fast close.  It’s been an amazingly quick year.  I know they say the older you get, the faster time flies but THAT FAST? (Photo Credit:  labutle)

WOW.

Let’s start with a gratitude quote:

See how many are better off than you are, but consider how many are worse.  Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC - 65) Roman philosopher and playwright

Even wise men of long ago recognized the value of perception.  This is why I believe polarity exists.  You could not possibly understand the value of what you have if you weren’t aware of what you didn’t have.  Having an attitude of gratitude has become a powerful tool to reprogram our minds to fish out the good in life.