Happy Thanksgiving! Not only is it a wonderful day for family, food, and fun – it also kicks off the most wonderful time of the year, as originally sung by Andy Williams
Thanksgiving is often considered a selfless act. Of course, when done right, it is. It is often thought of as self-reflective. It’s passive. No – Thanksgiving is active. Even when your body is still, your mind is in motion. It creates an emotion.
https://biggsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/The-Best-Thing-to-Give-blog-post-image.png430448George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Fosterhttps://biggsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/BIGG-Success-Nurturing-Your-Inner-Entreprener.jpgGeorge Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster2024-11-18 12:42:382024-11-18 12:43:27The Best Thing to Give
This time of year, we are reminded of all we have to be thankful for. Not only is it good for the soul, but new research shows it is good for your physical and mental health!
Be thankful for the benefits
Robert Emmons, a Psychology professor at the University of California Davis, did a study to determine if there are benefits to being grateful.
He divided the study’s participants into three groups:
Michael Bailey recently wrote a post about an e-mail you may have received before. It was very timely and got us thinking about events of 2008. Let’s test your memory …
Who won the World Series? We know it was NOT the Chicago Cubs. Will that ever happen? The Philadelphia Phillies won it this year. Maybe baseball’s not your thing, so let’s try this one …
Who won the Super Bowl last year? The New York Giants.
What movie won the Oscar for best film?No Country for Old Men.
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I have to admit that I haven’t seen this movie. On the other hand, I don’t have a country either!
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You aren't an old man either…yet!
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Who topped the Forbes 400 this year? Warren Buffett overtook Bill Gates to be named the richest person in the world. Of course, this was long before the recent financial turmoil. We’ll see how he rates this next year.
Who was the American Idol? You may say, “Who cares?” You may not, but millions do. It was David Cook.
So how did you do? We found it interesting that we didn’t really remember many of these events without some prodding.
The surprising list of the most important people of 2008
We had to look many of these up. For example, as soon as we realized the Giants won the Super Bowl, we could picture in our minds the pass from Eli Manning, escaping the nearby defenders, to David Tyree, who caught the ball on top of his helmet. That catch allowed the Giants to keep the drive going that ultimately lead to the winning touchdown.
As we discussed it, we realized there are people who you remember without having to really think about it. So here are a few questions for you to think about to help discover the most important people of 2008:
Name a friend who helped you through a difficult time in 2008. They deserve a toast!
Name a person who taught you something worthwhile in 2008. Roll out the red carpet for them!
Name someone who made you feel special in 2008. Give them a bigg party horn toot!
Name a person who you particularly enjoyed spending time with in 2008. Reach out and touch them – figuratively, not literally!
This list is not exhaustive. Feel free to add categories. But you get the point – in spite of the fact that there are people who accomplish bigg things, who excel in their chosen field, we often don’t remember it.
It’s the people who affect us individually that we remember. We recall those little acts of kindness, that one-to-one help, individual caring and sharing. These things may seem small and inconsequential, but they’re not because they affect us personally.
So here’s one more question: Who would put you on their list?
We do! You’re on our list of the most important people of 2008 because you take time to check in on us. We thank you so much and wish you a peaceful, prosperous, and happy New Year! Here’s to your bigg success in 2009!
https://biggsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/bigg-success_stacked-1080.png10801080George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Fosterhttps://biggsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/BIGG-Success-Nurturing-Your-Inner-Entreprener.jpgGeorge Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster2008-12-31 15:46:272008-12-31 15:46:27The Most Important People of 2008
The other night we saw an episode of According to Jim. Jim (played by Jim Belushi) was stressing because he had not had a good year – money was tight and it was Christmas time. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to buy his kids the gifts they wanted.
His wife, Cheryl (Courtney Thorne-Smith) pointed out to him that the kids had barely looked at the presents they got the year before. In fact, one was still in its original package – it had been unwrapped but never opened and played with!
Maybe that kid was just a collector at heart!
But this show made us think … sometimes we get caught up on getting something new and not reflecting on the gifts we already have. So today we want to unwrap some of our most special gifts.
If you want to listen to us open these gifts, just click the “play” button above. Otherwise, picture each package being opened …
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Why don’t you kick it off, Mary-Lynn?
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This one is a real, real special one. It’s the gift of my Dad. He had a bit of a health scare going into the holidays. He’s fine – clean bill of health. So thank you, God. I love my gift this year! Alright George, it’s your turn.
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My gift is memories of Mom and Dad. Mom’s been gone a couple of years now so it’s still somewhat fresh, I guess. I think about the things I learned from them, the things that helped make me who I am, for better or worse – I can blame them! I had a very special Mom and Dad and I’m very thankful for that. Now, you’re up Mary-Lynn.
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Oh, yes … we’ve had a cold winter here in Illinois. There have been nights when you just hear that wind outside howling and I am inside and toasty warm! So the gift of a nice warm house is something I’m very, very grateful for this year.
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We often don’t stop to think about the basics and how many people there are who don’t even have something as simple as that.
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Exactly. Alright, George, tear into the next one.
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One of the features of our car is remote unlock. Man, as we’ve been out shopping in the cold, it’s really nice to be able to find your car quickly because it winks at us. And of course, to be able to get right in once you’re to it.
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That’s a good one. Okay, I’ll open the next one. Ah, the gifts of our kitty cats – Fifi and Fraidy. We have original cat names, don’t we? Boy, they just give us gifts all year long … loving and purring.
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Yeah, and sometimes they leave us a little something on the floor!
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We don’t like those gifts at all!
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Okay, let’s open the next one. It’s for both of us, Mary-Lynn. Let’s see what it is … ah, it’s our families. You have a great family, Mary-Lynn. Love your dad and your sister.
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You have a great family, too. Your sisters are all so fun – listening to all of the siblings laughing together. It’s just so nice!
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Yes, and the in-laws aren’t so bad either. A cool group of nephews and now, one little niece. And Mary-Lynn, while we’re on family, I have to say that I’m also very thankful for you.
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Ah, that’s so sweet. I’m thankful for you too. You’re a special man!
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It brings up the point, though. I think sometimes those closest to us are the people we most take for granted. We often don’t show them the appreciation we should.
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Yeah, I forget about you all the time, George.
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I know you do!
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George, I’ve got to tell you … I think we scored this Christmas.
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I’m with you on that – but Mary-Lynn, I just noticed something … over there in the corner, it looks like there’s another bigg present for us.
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Alright, let’s open it up … ah yes, of course. This is something we’re really grateful for.
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We’re grateful for you! The fact that you spend time with us like you do – you share your insights, you listen to our show, you read our blog posts. However you spend time with us, we’re just so thankful.
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You are the reason that we get to do what we love to do! That is such an amazing gift and we thank you so much.
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So to you we say, whatever your chosen holiday at this time of year, we wish you and yours the very best. For us, it’s Christmas … so Merry Christmas!
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I have to admit that I haven’t seen this movie. On the other hand, I don’t have a country either! 
The other night we saw an episode of According to Jim. Jim (played by Jim Belushi) was stressing because he had not had a good year – money was tight and it was Christmas time. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to buy his kids the gifts they wanted. 
