Hello friends,

I hope you are having a wonderful week. I would like to start this blog out with a question. What have you done or experienced this week that made you say or think “extraordinary”? We live in a world full of incredible “extra ordinaries” that happen every day.

The only problem is that you almost will never hear about most of them unless you are looking. We certainly hear a great deal about the negative news and violence happening around the globe, but what about the things that inspire or cause you to smile in gratitude. These positive things are also occurring everywhere, so why don’t we hear about them. Perhaps in large part it is due to our culture, and what we have been trained to find interesting and entertaining. Unfortunately these are not necessarily the things that will lift us up and bring us joy.

When you think about it, I believe it really comes down to what you choose to focus on. We are programmed by the media, politics, and other external sources as to how to act, how to behave, and how to think. We are influenced by letting the things we can’t control, control us, and we often miss the extraordinary and good things that go on around us all the time.

Perhaps if you live in Georgia you are the neighbor of the 48 year old adopted gal who grew up in a wonderful family but wanted to know more about her family of origin. In her search and through DNA testing, she learned that she actually has 22 siblings, 11 on her biological mother’s side and 11 on her biological father’s side. Her world has expanded dramatically and they are planning a big reunion!

Or maybe you are on the route of Gretchen the German Shepherd’s mailman. Gretchen waited eagerly every day for the mailman’s visit but passed away recently. The family left their mailman a nice note of thanks and the remainder of Gretchen’s treats with the wish that he would share them with other dogs along his route. He was touched and told his 20 year old daughter about it. She posted the story this month with a picture of the treats on twitter and it has been shared and commented on by hundreds of thousands.

My friends, I encourage you to focus on some good and fun things today. What you choose to focus on does expand, so work to make most of it things that will lift you up and encourage you. For when you can do that, only the best is yet to come.