Thank you.

Gratitude is inextricably tied up with the virtue of humility. Gratitude shows that we’re paying attention to the acts of service people perform for us and that we truly understand how those acts make our life better, easier, and happier. The ungrateful man is callous; he’s come to think that all the good things that happen to him and all the service rendered him are an automatic response to his impeachable awesomeness. He deserves all that stuff and more. Thus, he never takes notice of the good things that happen to him. And he’s never really happy with what he has. He deserves only the best in life, and concentrates solely on the ways in which this ideal hasn’t been met.

The grateful man is a humble man. He has no illusions of his grandeur. He knows that bad things happen to good people. He knows how easily a rally can turn into a slump. He knows how much worse off many others are than he is. He understands the sacrifices others make on his behalf. And he deeply, deeply appreciates them.

The Art of Manliness is a blog that I highly recommend and it is not simply for men, although some features really are just going to be of interest to guys. They are not shy about tackling subjects that every person needs to know such as how to reconnect with old friends or starting a journal.

Right now they are running a 30 day series entitled, "30 Days to a Better Man" and day 5 was Cultivate Your Gratitude.

Reading approvingly through the post, I was struck by the idea that I am long overdue in saying, "thank you" to you, my friends who come and visit.

I have gotten many hours of enjoyment from not only writing posts and discussions in the comments boxes, but also in considering subjects and thinking over how best to talk about them. As well, let's not forget about the spirited conversations about movies, television and books. It has made me into a better writer, a more charitable person (at least a tad, I hope!), and a more thoughtful, grateful Catholic. I could still put the blog out there and enjoy it, but if no one came ... well, it wouldn't be the party that it is for me.

I could still be much more humble but I'm working on it. But I am always thankful and I wanted to let you know.

In appreciation, let's take another look at Validation because I am not sure you know how great you are!