I just watched a Ted Talk about the relationship between gratitude and happiness.

It is here: http://www.ted.com/talks/david_steindl_rast_want_to_be_happy_be_grateful?language=en

In this talk, the monk tells us to Stop, Look, and Go.

This is a good reminder to me to be grateful for all of the things that I have.  And not focus on the things that I don’t have.  I have gotten caught up many times in the things that I don’t have.

So, I will focus on being grateful for the given moment, and the opportunities that it contains.  So, this morning I have the gift of waking up early and having some time to my thoughts.

Today, I get to run a race with my two daughters and my son.  It is going to be cold.  It is going to be muddy.  And it can be fun.  How often do you get to run a race in these conditions?  Snow and rain?!  I am going to go out and do my best and support my kids.  And I am going to find joy in every moment, even when my body tells me that it is hurting, or when my kids are telling me that they want to stop.  And then I will have the opportunity to spend the day with my family, with my parents, my two brothers, and our respective families.

Today, I will practice gratitude.  I will be grateful for the beautiful wife that I have, who supports me in all that I do, who raises six children and who makes me want to be a better man.  I will be grateful for how determined Elizabeth is.  I will be grateful for how deeply Eden experiences her emotions.  I will be grateful for how much Noah looks up to his father and enjoys experiencing life with me.  I will be grateful for Maggie, her beautiful smile, and how she wants to spend time with me.  I will be grateful for how loving and sweet Luke is.  I will be grateful for how expressive and happy Jack is, and how much he makes me laugh.  I am most grateful that we are all healthy and get to spend today together.

A grateful world is a happy world.

I hope to contribute in positive ways to a happy world.  So, I will be grateful.

Thank you, David Steindl-Rast.

It is raining. It is almost snowing, spitting white flakes amidst the raindrops. We had our dog, Taylor, put to sleep yesterday, and it is really tearing at Marcia. She is playing sad songs all day.

I know that she blames me for Taylor. She was not ready to say, “Goodbye”. I was not either. I loved Taylor. It is fine with me though that Marcia blames me. I can take it. She thinks I am cold and ruthless, which is not the case, but I feel I must not question our judgment.

It is a cold and rainy day. Pretty miserable and depressing.

Tomorrow morning, we are registered to run a race at the high school. The Turkey Trot. Our annual Thanksgiving tradition. I am honestly not looking forward to it as I have in the past. The kids are excited to compete in the race. Liz is ready to just go out there and do it. She is thinking about putting salt on her shoes, since there will be snow on the ground. Noah is good to go, as he and Maggie both did very well in the Gobble Gobble Go run at their school yesterday. Maggie wants to run her first 5K. I am not sure who will run with her though …

This morning, I got home from a sleep study last night at Johns Hopkins. I bought 2 dozen doughnuts on the way home. Jack has been at them all morning. He is now raging on sugar.

I wonder if we can institute a new family tradition tomorrow that Marcia has been talking about for awhile – the annual Kennedy lacrosse game. I am certain there is no way that we can get it off the ground…

Today, we said goodbye to Taylor. It was not an easy decision to make. She has been suffering for some time and her quality of life was poor. The veterinarian told us that she would not get better, only worse. We made the decision to end her life today.

It was very sad for me and for Marcia. Luke and Jack were with us. Luke had tears in his eyes and said goodbye to Taylor. He gave her a kiss and he petted her. He understood. Jack said, “She is dead.” I don’t know how much he understands.

I am leaving work early to break the news to the older kids. They have done a good job of taking care of Taylor and they loved her. And so have we.

Rest in peace, Taylor. We have had several good years together. You will be with Molly soon.