“Recognize your special uniqueness as your gift to the world which you can offer in multiple ways.” – Bonnie Fatio

What is your special uniqueness that can be offered as a gift to the world? We all have greatness within us! Even if a bed measures one’s boundaries, the challenge most of us face is to accept and acknowledge the special gifts within us.

Did you know that there are actual health benefits to giving? Studies have found that giving can not only lower your blood pressure but it can lower your stress levels too. Who would think that giving of your time, through volunteer work, could increase self-esteem, decrease depression and lead to a longer life? Researchers also think that giving back might give individuals a “happiness” boost by providing them with a neurochemical sense of reward.

In this month of thanksgiving, I challenge you to find your special talents and give them to the world.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, ask yourself these questions: “What are you thankful for about being the age you are?” What are the blessings that come with being 43, 58, 62, or 97?

To answer these questions, reflect on the ages you’ve been and what has changed as you have grown into who you are today. The young are often energized and dream about things to come while the more mature are blessed with insight. They understand that relationships are what sustain us, not the accolades we have collected along the way.

When you are in your 40’s you are full of self-determination and aim for respect and accomplishment.  You’ve had the opportunity to learn how to connect with others and have begun to feel a sense of gratitude for wisdom gained from previous life experiences.

In your 50’s the satisfaction of accomplishment and the value of connecting with others sets in. The demands of your 30’s and 40’s are diminishing, allowing you to diversify your interests. You are gaining back time to do things you have put aside for years.

When 60 rolls around, you are entering an entirely new, exciting point in life. You possess the ability to see yourself clearly and take action on things that you feel need more attention. The park has more meaning as you appreciate the moment, and the morning air becomes the kind of potion that you have not known since childhood.

At 97, you are a marvel! The quality of reflection you have on life is so different from the young that your words must certainly be listened to. You become society’s living history. You have seen triumphs and tragedies, revolutions and wars, and great achievements in technology. Gratitude shines in the freedom from the urgencies of earlier days and you have truly learned to cherish each moment.

The truth is that no matter what age you are, life is about doing every age well. So find thankfulness in your Age-esteem!

Marie Skripec, Member of Committee and Volunteer of the YWCA Germany

A Thanksgiving Message

My name is Marie Skripec and I come from Germany. I would like to share some thoughts with you that I wrote down on Monday of the World YWCA conference in Bangkok 2015.

Amongst others I was inspired by Bonnie Fatio and the exercise she did with us where people stood up and said what they were imagining, what they were dreaming of.

So this is what I imagine:

 I Imagine

I imagine a world

where there are no more armed conflicts,

no more wars

no more people that have to flee from their countries,

that have to leave their homes and their beloved behind

I imagine people,

 women and men

to stand up

and say that we don’t want people to be killed,

we don’t want to support governments and people

that develop cruel strategies

and initiate conflicts and wars

in beautiful countries.

We don’t want any more people and governments

that are responsible for the death of so many people

only

because they seek for more resources, influence and power

claiming to operate in the name of democracy.

I imagine a near future

where we don’t spend our money on weapons, soldiers and armies

but on the protection of our environment, our nature and the people around us,

on education and the future of our present and following generations,

on mutual exchange and learning from each other

all around the globe.

I imagine my country

to take more responsibility,

a sustainable Germany

ecologically, economically, socially and culturally.

 I imagine people

that consume less

and instead open their eyes

to see all the beautiful things around them

and conserve them:

trees, flowers, birds, butterflies

women, men, girls and boys

neighbours, friends, sisters and brothers.

We often say

that we should see the world

through the eyes of a child

 Well, I imagine

that we seriously ask children for their opinions

and consider it in our decisions we make

locally, regionally, nationally and globally.

I imagine

children in our governments.

Parliaments consisting of

male and female leaders of all ages.

Deciding on our present and future,

learning from and relating to good and bad

practices and experiences in the past.

A flexible parliament

ready to learn permanently,

listening to its people and all its variety.

I imagine

many raindrops

changing the direction of many rivers

heading towards a just and fair world

I imagine

 a world in peace

where we all live as one.

Thank you Marie Skripec for these meaningful words. May we share these thoughts with you as we recognize our blessings on this Thanksgiving 2015.

Happy Thanksgiving from AgeEsteem,

Bonnie Fatio

A RETURN TO LOVE by Marianne Williamson hangs framed on my wall to remind me of my own commitment to shine unabashedly at every age. You will recognize its influence within this Age Esteem Prayer of Thanksgiving. 

An Age Esteem Prayer Of Thanksgiving

Dear God, Spirit of Life,

We thank you for the blessings of the enlightened voices you have given us and the experience, talents and wisdom that have grown us into who we are today.

We know that we each have a unique power within us to manifest our light. – That we are powerful beyond measure.  We were indeed born to manifest the glory that is within us and to share our voices abundantly.

We are grateful for the freedom to let our lights shine unconsciously as a beacon to others so that they, too, might break through their own barriers of fear and self-consciousness.

Be with each person as she and he steps into her own power of voice and “being” her authentic self, filled with love, laughter, gratitude and commitment to test her voice in new ways as a gift to the world.

Guide us to wash away our fears and self-imposed limits in our thinking and actions.

Shower your blessings upon us as we ripen and mature knowing that the definition of aging and elders depends on how WE choose to live and the examples that we become for generations to follow.

And so it is. Amen.

Written for my interview on Using Your Authentic Voice to Transform the World.

Bonnie Fatio

Giving Thanks For Age Esteem

Thank you November

For your special day!

How grateful we are

For Thanksgiving’s way

Of bringing together –

To share and to feast

(In fair or “fowl” weather

From South, North or East,)

Young ones or elders and

Those in between –

And thank you for guiding us

To our age esteem!

Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem®

In several parts of the world, today is celebrated as a day of thanksgiving.  Whether or not this is a day of celebration where you live, I invite you to celebrate your blessings.

As children we used to sing a grace that said,

“For health and strength and daily food we praise thy name oh Lord.”

For those of us who are older these blessings remain as important as they did when we were young.  Looking at our blessings helps us to focus on what we have, rather than what we might be missing.

Yes, I am thankful for my health, my strength and my nourishment.  I am also thankful for my wonderful relationships and for age-esteemers like you who visit my blog.

Have a happy day of thanksgiving.

• Focus on what you have to be thankful for.
• Smile and state out loud what these blessings are.
• Let the people in your life for whom you are thankful know that you are thankful for them.

You are a blessing in my life,

Bonnie Fatio

Thanksgiving

Come, Dear Friends, let’s feast together;

Thanksgiving Day is almost here.

Don your coats, we’ll face “fowl” weather

At this special time of year.

There’s no end to our Thanksgiving;

Thanks for friendships which remain;

Thanks for seasons, all things living

Thanks for when you’ll come again.

Written by Alexandra Taylor for AgeEsteem®

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today is celebrated as Thanksgiving Day in several countries of the world.  But isn’t every day a day of thanksgiving?  We have so much to be thankful for !  Even on the days that seem to be grey and dismal when we want to complain, we can be thankful that we are capable of complaining.  It means that we realize that life could be better and that we still have higher aspirations than just what today may bring.

Gratitude is an important facet of age esteem.  Gratitude, feeling thankful because we recognize our blessings, is key to feeling good about yourself at the age you are today.   What are you thankful for?

I am thankful to be capable of thinking and learning.

I am thankful for my sight, that makes it possible to bask in the beauty of nature.

I am thankful for my hearing and to enjoy laughter and the rustling of leaves.

I am thankful for my arms that make it possible to hug.

I am thankful for my voice and being able to express my thoughts aloud.

I am thankful to feel emotions, especially love.

I am thankful to smell the freshness of the air after a storm.

I am thankful for Age Esteem.

I am thankful for family and friends.

I am thankful for those without names who have touched my life.

I am thankful for those who share their goodness.

I am thankful for YOU.

Bonnie Fatio

SAGE

It might be difficult to believe should one walk by a sage bush that it is such a valuable and versatile gift from Mother Nature.  In some parts of the world as in the south of France it may be found growing wild, so it is free as well as assuming one might pick a branch or two.

Probably the first thing one would think about sage is the Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey as it is an important ingredient in the stuffing.  It has healing powers too.  A hot sage gargle for sore throats and tonsillitis is recommended for curing these conditions   Add one or two teaspoons of dried sage to boiling water.  Then gargle!  The herb is not recommended for children due to the great amount of tannins found in it.

Actually there are two types of sage – Clary sage and Spanish sage, each with a different ability to treat symptoms.  Clary sage is efficient in combating stress or anxiety while Spanish sage is a more stimulating herb used in treating bronchitis, muscular aches and pains and poor circulation. Both treat conditions by baths, compresses, gargling and massage.

Used either in cuisine or for medicinal remedies, sage will bring comfort and joy to all.

Grandma Nature

Abundance Is An Attitude

Each of us has potential that can be freed by looking at the abundance and goodness around us.  When we lighten our lives by seeing the fortune that we have we are not only happier and more confident, we also become a magnet for others.  There is a goodness in abundance which creates more goodness and more abundance.  Look around you.  The abundance is there.

AgeEsteem is acknowledging our abundance.

1.  Interview people around you who are of different generations.

• What are they most thankful for?
• Do they have a habit of giving thanks daily?  How?
• If so, when did they begin this habit?
• How do they benefit from their daily thanksgiving?

2.  Do you see a difference between the attitude of those who give thanks regularly and those who do not?
3.  Now, interview yourself using the same questions.
4.  Taking all your interviews into consideration, do you see a correlation between people giving thanks, and feeling good about themselves at the age they are today?
5.  Share your experience by leaving a comment or mailing Bonnie.Fatio@AgeEsteem.com.