Gratitude is one of the amazing gifts that comes from using The Principles. While Thanksgiving, like Christmas, has been stripped of many of its deeper meanings, this holiday is really meant to be more about thankfulness than turkey. So it might be worthwhile to spend some time on this short holiday week thinking about how we can be more thankful and have more gratitude in our daily lives.

Although gratitude is a wonderful feeling, it is not always my natural state. I have to use The Principles to achieve it. Here are some principles that lead me toward gratitude.

Surrender - If I am always trying to control and change the world, it means that I must not find it to my liking. And, yes, there are many things that I wish could change but I am largely powerless over anything except my own behavior. The problem with focusing exclusively on what I want to change is that I miss out on the things that are already deeply fulfilling in my life. When I surrender, I am able to be grateful for the things that are right rather than obsessing over what is wrong.

Responsibility - I've had to remove the word victim from my vocabulary because I find that I have at least some responsibility in every situation that I find uncomfortable. One would think that the process of looking at my own bad behavior would bring despair rather than gratitude. On the contrary, if I give myself a break and see that I am a human being who gets greedy, afraid, and jealous, I feel connected and grateful to be a part of the world.

Honesty - When I am an open book, I no longer have to hide. And what could be a more wonderful thing than that? So many of us have one persona for work, another for love, and yet another when we are at home with our family. When I am an honest man of integrity, I am deeply grateful because I get to be the same person in every setting.

Service - The most fulfilling moments of my life have been when I am selflessly helping another person. With the focus on another person rather than my own petty problems, I can feel true gratitude and pride. How great that many Americans have made feeding the homeless and other acts of service a part of their Thanksgiving tradition.

Preventing Complications: Nerve Disease
Posted by Christine McKinney, M.S., R.D., C.D.E. on Mon, Nov 20, 2006, 10:23 am PST

One of my clients - we'll call him Dave, a fictitious name - has diabetic neuropathy, a condition that causes pain or numbing, usually in the hands, legs, and feet. I met Dave about a year ago, when he came to our medical center to consult an endocrinologist because his blood glucose levels were very high.
At the time, Dave was on disability and hadn't worked for the past six months. He was about to lose his job if he didn't go back to work. He had left his job as a custodian because he could no longer stand for any length of time. He could barely walk into our clinic that day because his feet hurt so much. The feeling he described is that of pins constantly sticking his feet as he walked.
Being on disability was a financial strain on Dave and his family - especially the cost of his diabetes medications and food. He had lost about 60 pounds in the last six months from high blood glucose levels and now was very underweight. We started him on insulin that day and a higher calorie and protein diet. Every month that Dave came back, we saw improvements in his blood glucose levels, weight, and neuropathy. Eventually, Dave was able to return to work.
About 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes will develop some form of nerve damage. There are two types of nerve damage. Peripheral neuropathy, which is what Dave has, a pain or weakness in the arms or feet. Almost 30 percent of people with diabetes over age 40 lose sensation in their feet. More than 60 percent of amputations that are not from trauma are from diabetes. Autonomic neuropathy, the second type of neuropathy, affects the nerves that control our body's involuntary functions like digestion, sweating, bladder control, even sexual function.
Once again, the focus for prevention of diabetic neuropathy is controlling your blood glucose levels. I'm starting to sound like a broken record, and that's good because it means you're getting the message! So, repeat after me:
Know your A1C level. Your doctor should measure your A1C every 2 to 3 months or every six months if the level has remained below 7 percent.

Test your blood glucose levels at home. This can help you detect trends in your blood glucose levels and what time of the day may be a problem area for you to work on.
To prevent neuropathy, it is essential to take good care of your feet. Check them every day for cuts, blisters, or sores. If you have problems seeing the bottom of your feet, use a mirror on the floor to see your feet. If you see or feel anything unusual call your doctor or see a podiatrist.
Some clients tell me that their doctor doesn't check their feet. My best advice is to take off your shoes and socks as soon as you get into the exam room - your doctor is sure to always check your feet then. Always wear well-fitted shoes and socks to protect your feet, and keep them clean and dry to avoid fungus buildup from too much moisture.
Finally, seek help from your doctor at the first sign of any problems, such as a cut that won't heal in a few days. Don't wait like Dave did. Be aware of diabetic neuropathy.

~ Coffee is a fruit which grows in mountainous, tropical climates. The seed of the fruit is used for making what we know as the beverage "coffee"

~ Coffee is the second largest traded commodity in all countries.

~ Coffee can be stored like grain before roasting, but perishes rapidly after roasting. Generally, roasted coffee will be kept for one week if not refrigerated, ten days to two weeks if refrigerated.

~ Improperly ground coffee will be flavorless or taste bitter. The basic rule is the faster the brewing method, the finer the grind!

~ Coffee is like wine in the sense that it will never be any better that the quality of the fruit you start with. What is true of the relationship between grapes and wine is the same when choosing beans for coffee, you can roast good coffees poorly or make bad wine from good quality grapes.

~ There are approximately 3400 roasted beans in one pound of coffee!