Week 145
Positive post Sunday, November 24, 2019- Week 145.
At Mass on October 13th, Fr. Erik shared a very moving homily that reminded us of the importance of having an “Attitude of gratitude”. I’ve been wanting to write about this for a while but felt that Thanksgiving week was the right time. After all, isn’t Thanksgiving the time when we all reflect on and share our gratitude for what we are most thankful for in our lives? I certainly wouldn’t suggest we ignore the challenges we face, but I do feel strongly that our attitudes can, and often do, turn challenges into successes, or more importantly, into blessings. As we approach Thanksgiving and all the hustle and bustle, I have seen a host of attitudes, some holier than others! I’m hopeful that we all set aside a few minutes during this holiday week to reflect on what and who we are most thankful for and take the time to let them know.
While reflecting myself, I went back in my Positive Post Sunday archives and found my post from this time last year, week 92. I won’t repeat the entire post here but will share the four themes.
First and foremost, I am deeply thankful to my parents Dana and Ken Rendler and my wife Michele Lomen Rendler for being amazing role models for living a life of faith. I am thankful for having such a strong faith which gives me purpose and meaning in my life.
Secondly, along with my faith, I am also thankful and truly blessed to have a LARGE and loving family and many wonderful friends in my life. Although there are too many of you to mention here, please know that you are the foundation on which I live my life as I carry out God’s will.
Thirdly, I am also deeply thankful for my freedom, something we should never take for granted. I am especially thankful for the past and present members of our armed forces who have made our freedom possible, including my son Jeff Rendler and his family. Please join me in a moment of silence to recognize those who have given their lives so we can live ours freely.
Finally, I’m thankful for my health and for all those in health care, especially those who performed my surgery 13 years ago next week. Without them I would not be here to write this post and would have missed 13 amazing years of my life so far. I also want to express my gratitude to my friends at the Southland Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society led by Shannon Sullivan for their life changing work. They tirelessly support patients and families dealing with blood cancers and raise funds for cancer research that lead to cures. A special thanks to my colleagues at SoCalGas for raising over $1,000,000 million dollars since 2010. Special thanks to Tim Gray, who along with his tournament team and our many business partners, raised $111,000 at our annual Turkey Shoot golf tournament this past Friday. My deepest thanks to all those who contributed.
Who and what are you thankful for this year? Take the time to let them know and thank them. It only takes a few minutes and can make a world of difference to them. I have personally seen lives saved and changed from a simple expression of thanks and appreciation. Whose life are you going to improve today with your attitude of gratitude?