So it is a Monday. With all the proverbial groanings that Monday often seems to inspire.

And on top of the grumblings of "It's Monday again"...I see a huge amount of dramatic, angry posts on facebook from folks concerning our inept government. Both folks from the left, right and even the rare moderates (please Lord, raise up more moderates within our country) are unhappy with our leadership.

I've also seen folks griping about the end of summer, the traffic, their co-workers, their families, lamenting about this, that, and the other.

What a way to set the tone for the week! Grumble, mumble, shuffle and glare, life isn't perfect, nor is it fair.

Okay, got it. But let's try something different for this week. We're a nation that is stuck in a rut; of anger, of divisiveness, of complaining and being unsatisfied. Now, each of us, one by one, can't change the tenor of the whole country...but we *can* change the mood, pace and peace of our own lives. We can choose to be happy instead of looking for reasons to be angry. We can try and find unity with others instead of digging the divide deeper. We can be openly encouraging instead of engaging in the national pastime of complaining. We can name our blessings, one by one, and feel their bounty in our lives, instead of being bitter over what it is we do not have.

And if we change our lives, that will ripple over into the lives around us. But it has to start somewhere. Will it start with you?

Will you spend a day, a week even, not complaining? Will you spend a week where you only build other people up, not tear them down? Will you focus, this week, on your blessings instead of what you lack?

Changing these patterns can dramatically improve your life. You learn to seek peace, to relish quiet joy, to get a sense of deep satisfaction when you encourage others, to be happy for no reason other than...to be happy.

Let the drama, negativity and anger go for a while. Yes, there will still be frustrations. But you'll find if you don't feed those fires, they'll have less control and sway over you. They won't be able to drive and control you; you'll be able to see them in perspective.

How will you spend this week?

Be blessed, my friends, and may you be a blessing to someone else,
Beth