Happy November, Wendy!

We hope you are still enjoying this monthly newsletter, as well as the radio shows shows we've got lined up for you.  Please let me know if you'd like off the list.

Hugs and gratitude, Wendy

The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery.

But while we may acknowledge gratitude's many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. So many of us are trained to notice what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more than just a Thanksgiving word. 

For deeper reflection on this, enjoy this brief audio: "Am I Looking for What's Right, or Am I Looking for What's Wrong?"

We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. And that can take some time.

That's why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.

Remember that gratitude isn't a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It's more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope.

There are many things to be grateful for: colorful autumn leaves, legs that work, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh eggs, warm jackets, tomatoes, the ability to read, roses, our health, butterflies. What's on your list?

Some Ways to Practice Gratitude

• Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way.

• Make a gratitude collage by drawing or pasting pictures

• Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine

• Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation

• When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.

• Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it, sing about it, express thanks for gratitude.

As you practice, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. That sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work.

That's certainly been my experience of producing and hosting SCCT Radio Hour, and teaching drama at Aldo Leopold Charter School. These offerings light me up. My intention in sharing is they might light you up too.

This Sunday 11/14, enjoy S2 E11: Stories of Home: Unscrupulous Bettina (Chellee Chase) stirs up trouble for cousin Jeanette, as Amanda and Edward (MaryAnn Marlar and Greg Bond) try their best to assuage her fears in "Amanda of Honeymoon Hill". Betty Crocker intervews Eve Curie (Robin Santa-Theresa) on her book about her mother, scientist Marie Curie, while stirring up the batter for Apricot Streusel coffee cake, and J. M. Barrie weaves a haunting story of a Father's love and loss of the Daughter that"might have been" (Dan and Ella Jameson).

Sundays at 5 pm MST on KURU 89.1 FM, or online at www.gmcr.org

Our Aldo Leopold Drama kids certainly sound like professional radio actors now from inside their classroom "recording fort" and fancy new Pod 4 recording system!

You won't want to miss Sunday, 11/21 SCCT Radio Hour S2 E12: Contributing to Community. 

"The Wishing Pond"   tells the tale of a little bunny who learns to love herself, just as she is. "The Enormous Turnip" teaches the importance of working together as a community, particularly at Harvest time. "Jack and the Beanstalk" inspires the part of us that sometimes feels small and insignificant to open to unexpected possibilities that may propel us beyond our current circumstances, and "Stone Soup" is a classic tale of a community nourished and transformed by small, cumulative acts of contribution. 

Sundays at 5 pm MST on KURU 89.1 FM, or online at www.gmcr.org

Sunday, 11/28 SCCT Radio Hour S2 E 13: Enjoy Thanksgiving Leftovers with Old Time Radio Classics!

My Favorite Husband was arguably the radio training ground for Lucille Ball before she created television history in "I Love Lucy". Featuring Sarah Thrasher, Billy Dominguez, Mary Barrett, Carol Gadda, and Liz Mikols in Dinner for Twelve...you might just laugh so hard you'll cry!  Father Knows Best: Thanksgiving Show reunites our brilliant local cast: Doug Abbott, Gregg Jarrette, Chellee Chase, Sarah Thrasher, Monte Valenzuela, Mia Riley, and guest star Greg Bond for an episode sure to leave you feeling heart-full and emotionally satisfied!

Sundays at 5 pm MST on KURU 89.1 FM, or online at www.gmcr.org

As a final gift before the end of 1st Semester, and the end of a challenging year, our Aldo Kids prepare one more awesome show for you...

Sunday, 12/05 SCCT Radio Hour S2 E14: Gifts from the Heart.  Prepare to be moved, and entertained! 

Sundays at 5 pm MST on KURU 89.1 FM, or online at www.gmcr.org

Happy Thanksgiving Wendy,

With Love