Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com November 21, 2018 LETTERS TO EDITOR POLICY Desert Messenger encourages letters from its readers. Letters should be no longer than 300 words, and may be edited for grammar, content and length. OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE DESERT MESSENGER. We invite you to not only see a problem, but search for the solution to share with the community, keeping the benefit of all in mind. Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published. Third party letters will not be accepted. To avoid confusion over people with common or similar names, writers must provide a full name and indicate the name they are known by. Writers must provide a full street address and phone number. Rvers can provide the location of park/BLM land, etc. Street addresses will not be pub- lished. Phone numbers are for verification only and will not be printed. Mail letters to: Desert Messenger, P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 or E-mail to Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 O� T��� - E���� T���! Founded by Walt Akin October 1, 2004 P�������� �� P���� R��� P��������� C�. P.O. Box 3185 Quartzsite, AZ 85359 P�������� ����� � ����� 1st & 3rd Wednesday Sept. thru May with Special Summer Editions June, July & August EDITOR/PUBLISHER Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING JOURNALIST Joanne Winer GUEST COLUMNIST Gypsy Jane Finley CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE LETTERING Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.MyQuartzsite.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2018 © Copyright All Rights Reserved Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW US on Twitter @QuartzsiteRain By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear Editorial Neighborhood Watch to meet Thurs.DEC. 6 Town of Quartzsite invites every- one to attend the next meeting of Neighborhood Watch at 6:00 PM, on THURSDAY, DEC. 6th, 2018, at the Quartzsite Com- munity Center. For more information contact the Quartzsite Police Department at 928-927-4644. Coming to Quartzsite this Season 2018-2019 Evening Speakers Pro- gram. All programs are at the Town Hall, 465 N. Plymouth Ave., Quartzsite. 7 pm to 9 pm FREE 12/6 Set in Stone - Allen Dart, Southwestern Indian Rock Art But not in Meaning (Petroglyphs and Pictographs) interpretation. Sponsored by The Quartzsite His- torical Society and the Friends of the Quartzsite Library. Made pos- sible by a grant from Arizona Hu- manities. 12/20 On the Road Since Wm Holden The Colorful History of AZ High 1925 Highways Magazine. 1/24 Orphan Train Alison Moore, Stories from the train that Phil Lancaster brought orphaned children to the west. 2/7 Specters of the Past with Jay Mark Arizona ghost towns. Library programs It's that time of year again when families gather together and set aside time to be thankful. We don't really have to wait until a holiday to be thankful. If being Grateful was a daily affair, our lives would be more peaceful and fullfi lled. Imagine the feelings we have sitting around the table with our friends and family on Thanksgiving. That feeling of grati- tude fi lls the air. Did you know that Gratitude is actually good for our bodies, our minds and our relation- ships? How can we practice Grati- tude on a daily basis? Over the past decade, hundreds of studies have documented the social, physical, and psychological benefi ts of gratitude. Robert A. Em- mons, Ph.D., is the world's leading scientifi c expert on Gratitude. He is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and the founding editor-in-chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology. "Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses!" ~ Alphonse Karr According to Emmons, Gratitude involves appreciating the value of something. When we appreciate something or someone, we honor the gifts they bring into our life. Gratitude allows us to participate more fully in life. Gratitude allows us to be present and to celebrate the moment. Gratitude actually blocks toxic emotions. Professionals are even using the practice of Gratitude for prevention of depression. Grate- ful people tend to be more stress-re- silient. Gratitude also strengthens social ties and self worth. Mother Theresa talked about how grateful she was to the people she was helping, the sick and dying in the slums of Calcutta, because they enabled her to grow and deepen her spirituality. That's a very different way of thinking about Gratitude— Gratitude for what we can give as opposed to what we receive. Many cultures start the day with prayers of Gratitude. "When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself." ~ Tecumseh To cultivate Gratitude, Emmons sug- gests keeping a Gratitude Journal. Just write down 5 things that you're Grateful for; the things that went right today, etc. If you do this on a regular basis, folks tend to feel more alert and alive, feel better about their health, wake feeling refreshed, and feel more helpful and more connect- ed to others. Research shows blood pressure can actually be lowered by regular journaling on Gratitude. "You could Be Anywhere, Doing Anything, and You are Here Doing This, Thank You" ~ Robert Greygrass (thank you from me too!)

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