"Tears and Laughter"

         How is it possible for sadness to follow times of joy? 

     This week has proved this theory true at least from my perspective.    
     My daughter and son-in-law traveled from St. Louis bringing good news.  I knew about my daughters pregnancy, the surprise they were about to deliver was to reveal the gender of their first child, my granddaughter.  The excitement I felt as my daughter walked towards me at the airport and seeing with my own eyes, her baby bulge.  
The following day my three sisters arrived in town.  Why you might ask, "Is everyone coming to town?"  They are coming to join in the celebration of my wedding day.  
  
     I love the outdoors; many native "Oregonians" questioned my decision and warned me to be prepared for rain.  I prepared as much one could and left the weather up to chance.  

     I remember a few weeks past standing outside the church searching for the ideal location to hold the ceremony.  To my amazement I saw a tree trunk that adjoined seven other trees nestled around in a circular fashion.  These eight trees and their enormous height reached skyward.  I felt the warmth offered by the sun gleaming from the eastern sky and my ears heard the whistle of a train.   As I stood taking it all in, I knew this was the exact place.

   The outdoors, the sunshine and the sound of a trains whistle.  Three things that I enjoy, I was captivated and in awe of that moment.   

    
   Tuesday came offering clear skies, endless sunshine and a brisk wind.  Family and friends all gathered around the tree which gave a feeling of unity and comfort.  The pastor began speaking of love and how love originated from God.   As my husband to be spoke his vows to me I stared into his blue eyes. I felt certainty and warmth from the words he shared of his heart, so much that I had forgot in that moment, that anyone else was around.  

     I arranged for a song to be played at the end of the ceremony.   I chose an upbeat happy song to break the ice and catch everyone off guard, being a surprise.  Almost everyone joined with random dance moves along with the beat.  Our photographer capturing photos of our special day. 

Counting your blessings: Positive memories among grateful persons

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-004-1008-z

Abstract

     We conducted two studies investigating the relationship of gratitude to autobiographical memory of positive and negative life events. Gratitude was assessed with an attitudinal measure and college students were asked to recall both positive and negative events from their past. In both studies, a significant positive relationship was found between trait gratitude and a positive memory bias. In Study 2 it was found that gratitude still reliably predicted positive memory bias after controlling for depression. Further, it was found that a positive intrusive memory bias was associated with gratitude in both studies. Thus, an important component of gratitude may be an enhanced tendency to recall positive events from one's life.