Mrs. Lo's Annual Gratitude Blog

“Thanksgiving is an American holiday.  We celebrate it to give thanks to the Lord.  And also to remember how the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims survive in America.  Also, we give thanks for all the good gifts that God gives us.”  This is a quote from my 9 year old’s essay, which he handed into class this week.  As Thanksgiving approaches, we all turn our attention to the concept of Gratitude.  I get a lot of emails and messages from people who read this page and my Blog, asking if my references to Gratitude are from "The Secret" or various other books or gurus.  The truth is, the phrase I always use,  “Count Your Blessings,” comes from my grandmother.  I can still hear her saying it, as if it were yesterday. Come to think of it, my grandmother could easily have been a guru if she had lived in this era.  Everything she said, from “Always walk on the sunny side of the street,” to “Eat your Greens” and “Take your fish oil” turns out to be the subject of a book or Master Class.

            Some modern day authors will tell you that by being in a constant state of Gratitude, you can attract wealth, health, and other wonderful things to you.  I do not believe that to be true.  Because I do not believe that people living in poverty or suffering from Disease got that way from lack of gratitude.  However, I do believe that Happiness is something that is learned, it is not a state you are born in.  I am a genuinely happy person, although I wasn’t always.  And I try to make sure my husband and children have a genuinely happy home.  And I try to do what I can to make my community a better place.

            I have so very much to be grateful for, and if you read my Blog regularly, you know that I send God regular thanks for my great blessings: a loving husband, who has been the love of my life for 18 years; two wonderful, generous, caring sons, and a large, tight knit loving family;  a beautiful home that I love very much and that I use to welcome family, friends, and teammates on a regular basis; a successful law firm that my husband and I own together; a wonderful community in the Newburgh Rowing Club and the city and town of Newburgh; my own health and the health of those around me; and this wonderful community of friends and readers, most of whom I have never met, on Facebook and through the Mrs. Lo Blog; among so many other Blessings that it really takes me all day, every day, to count. 

            And now I would like to give something back to one of my many loyal readers.  If you have read this far, and if you are an existing “fan” of the LoBiondo Page, and if you live in Orange, Ulster or Dutchess County, then write a comment on this Blog, as to what you are grateful for.  We will choose one random winner, who will receive a $100 Gift Card to the River Grill, courtesy of LoBiondo Law Offices, to be announced on Wednesday, November 27^th.  Facebook rules do not allow contests to occur on facebook.  I realize people and businesses break this rule all the time, but as lawyers we are not going to do that.  No fanfare on this one, because I want this to go to someone who reads the page and the Blog regularly.  Post your Comment to the Blog between now and midnight on Monday, November 25^th.   This really will be random, I am going to print the comments, put them in a hat, and let Michael pick one out.  I am supposed to say that Facebook does not endorse or in any way benefit from or maintain this “contest.”  Thank you for reading, good luck, and have fun.  Wishing a very happy Thanksgiving to all my readers, family, and friends; and, as always, remember to Count Your Blessings! <3 Mrs. Lo 

What are you grateful for?