Being Thankful

As many of us take time to be reflective during this Thanksgiving Holiday I gathered some quotes that reflect this mood.

I am thankful for the grace of God, without it I could not exist and would have no hope.
I am grateful to my family who continue to believe in me.
I am grateful my son-n-law returned from Afghanistan.
I am grateful for my son-n-law who will soon finish his MBA.
I am grateful for my church and brothers and sisters in Christ.
I am grateful for my wife.
I am grateful fro My beautiful daughters who are just as pretty on the inside as they are on the outside.
I am thankful for my grandchildren who are working on being just as pretty and handsome on the inside as they are on the outside.
I am thankful for my brothers.
I am thankful for forgiveness.
I am thankful for my Country and the constitution we live by.
I am thankful I live in a Country where we can peacefully vote out people who by their actions show they do not believe in our constitution or American exceptional-ism.
I am thankful for the American soldier that protects me because he wants to and he does not even know me, but he loves the American way of Life, and will die if called upon.
I am thankful for the Trials in Life that teach me to depend on God and him only.
I am thankful for the blessings God has given me in the past and I am thankful for the blessings he has prepared for me in the future.
I am thankful I choose to be in Gratitude everyday.

Being Thankful Thoughts

" The past does not equal the future" Anthony Robbins

"Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life."
- Northrup Christiane

"If the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you, it will be enough." - Meister Eckhart

"To receive more you must first be thankful for what you already have. Thanksgiving opens the doors for good ideas to flow, while cynicism blocks the door of good ideas." - Jim Rohn

"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

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."
- Melodie Beattie

"Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors." - Francois De La Rochefoucauld

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

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation." -Brian Tracy

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

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

"In all things, give thanks." -Holy Bible

"For today and its blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude."
-Clarence E. Hodges

"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues." -Cicero

"Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that thankfulness is indeed virtue." -William J. Bennett

"A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things." -Plato

"Whatever we are waiting for -- peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance-- it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart." -Sarah Ban Breathnach

"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." -Albert Schweitzer

"Many successful men and women claim they are "self-made." But the fact is that no one reaches the pinnacle without help. Once you have set your definite major goal for success-and taken your first steps to achieve it-you find yourself receiving help from many unexpected quarters. You must be prepared to give thanks..."
- Napoleon Hill

"What we think about and THANK about is what we bring about..." The Secret

"What can you do right now to turn your life around?? Gratitude" The Secret

"It's not what's happening to you now or what has happened in your past that determines who you become. Rather, it's your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you're going to do about them that will determine your ultimate destiny." Anthony Robbins

"Everything you do matters" Andy Andrews

"one of the hardest things to do is to learn to receive" Michael Mack

Michael Mack
A Grateful American

Some Lessons In Life to Live by

An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'


1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13.. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a spiritually enlightening book with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20.. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life..
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25.. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus .'
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31.. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

'If God is for us, who can be against us?'

(Romans 8:31)

Michael Mack
An American

Do You Qualify as a True American?

I Think You Qualify

TRUE AMERICAN

It is time to change from REDNECK humor to TRUE AMERICAN Humor!

Only it isn't seen as HUMOR, but the correct way to LIVE YOUR LIFE!

If you feel the same, pass this on to your True American friends.

Y'all know who they are...


You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
It never occurred to you to be offended by the phrase, 'One nation, under God.'

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You've never protested about seeing the 10 Commandments posted in public places.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You still say 'Christmas' instead of 'Winter Festival.'

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You bow your head when someone prays.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You stand and place your hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You treat Viet Nam vets with great respect, and always have.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You've never burned an American flag.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You know what you believe and you aren't afraid to say so, no matter who is listening..

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You respect your elders and expect your kids to do the same.

God Bless the U S A ! Amen

AND YOU ARE A TRUE AMERICAN, IF YOU THINK THE NATIONAL ANTHEM SHOULD ONLY BE SUNG
IN ENGLISH!

Michael Mack
An American

The Return of Many Hero's

On Sunday my family and I had the opportunity to attend the welcome home ceremony for part of the 3rd Infantry Division at Hunter Army Air Field in Georgia. The unit left November 14th, 2009 and returned on Sunday. The Flight for the Freedom Fighters was delayed from Friday to Saturday and Finally arrived on Sunday. We went there for one Freedom Fighter in particular., a Captain of the 3rd Infantry Division, Warlords Attack Helicopter Company. What an emotional Roller Coaster. The emotions were running high all week as the days were counted down and the delays mounted by the day, by the hour, by the minute. We finally arrived at the air field to see the veterans and USO Volunteers, and workers planning for the arrival. Announcements were made, telling you what was happening with them, where they were going to march in, what we were suppose to do, etc. There were friends who had supported the families there, whose fathers, mothers, brothers, sons, who were still deployed but were only there for support. Old acquaintances from wars past were rekindled, memories and stories swapped like bees goin from flower to flower. An old veteran and I swapped stories of being spat on when we returned from VietNam by War protesters. No Fan fair, no thank you other than from immediate family.
I remembered my own journey to and from Vietnam in 1971 and 1972, a much different atmosphere today more than 38 years ago. Leaving my mother crying on the front porch after an emotional good bye; "Michael come back!" Back then you came home one at a time when your time was up or in a flagged draped casket which ever came first, there were some 58,236 killed in Viet-Nam who never made that trip home. I was one of the lucky ones!
Operation Enduring Freedom has had 1396 US Casualties, and in Operation Iraqi Freedom 4427 US Casualties.
As I sat there listening to the Patriotic songs, God Bless the USA, Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue, The Green Beret song, The National Anthem: I remembered my own friends who never made it back, I remembered some of Travis's classmates from West Point who gave it all for all, I remembered the soldiers from the most recent conflicts who have come home with one less arm, leg, eye, hand, or in some cases quadriplegic, and the concerts that I have been to raise money for homes they could live in that were specialty built for their needs.
I saw Mother and Fathers crying with tears of joy.
I saw little boys and girls crying because their daddy was not there.
Then they opened the doors of the Hanger and the formation of our Hero's came marching in: The pride, the chills and goose bumps, the tears began flowing with joy, gratitude and happiness. Everyone got their hugs in the proper order Wife, Mom, then dad.......then the rest....no particular order after that...
I am a member of The Patriot Guard, a motorcycle group which began to protect families of returning hero's who had made the ultimate sacrifice, to keep protesters away from the funeral. I remember one funeral I went to and rode and stood the line, did not know who he was, did not know his family, did know anything about him other than he gave his life for this country and all that live here. In a small Middle Tn town the widow was 23, no children, much the same age of my daughter. Although the ride from the funeral home to the cemetery was only 2 miles there was not a space along the street where a person was not standing holding an American flag paying their respects.
The now widow was escorted to the funeral by an officer, As the American flag was carefully folded by members of the Honor Guard, hundreds sat in silent reverence of a hero laid to rest, an Army Colonel in Dress Blues told the widow your husband served your country and your community well. He fought the good fight, his job is done. We are in awe of his courage, steadfast loyalty and dedication. We thank him for exchanging all of your tomorrows as the price for our Freedom. May your family’s pain be eased by the pride they have in you. They will remain in my prayers and you will always be a Hero to me.

All gave some and some gave all.

We enjoyed the ceremony and the joyful reunion of family and friends.

Welcome Home Travis

Michael Mack
An American