President Obama’s speech at the memorial service for the thirteen fallen soldiers at Ft. Hood, Texas, was exactly what I needed to hear to put me into a very special place of gratitude for all the women and men who have served and continue to serve our country and preserve our safety, our freedom and our ideals – our honored Veterans.

It is so easy to take our abundant and comfortable lives for granted, yet so many Veterans  have given so much of themselves, sometimes ALL of themselves, to assure our ability to pursue happiness and stay free. I’m grateful for their leadership!

As I now have two family members who are committing their remarkable talent to the service of our country, I am especially proud of these two young men. Forgive me for proudly pointing them out separately from the many who serve and have served:

John Robert Crowley III, who is in the early process of becoming a Navy Seal, something he has been clear about for years.

Blake Ensley Fisher, who is a Marine in training to fly the V-22 Osprey. Blake has been focused for years on becoming a Marine pilot.

Our country’s freedom could not be in better hands than with men and women like these two outstanding citizens – and the many more like them with such a clarity of mission and service. God Bless you guys! I’m so proud of you!

God Bless our Veterans and God Bless those in our armed services who continue to defend human rights, justice and freedom all over the world.

Do take time today to reflect and express your gratitude to our Veterans.

God Bless the United States of America.

With much gratitude,

Ed Oakley and the Enlightened Leadership Team!

Technorati Tags: ft-hood, gratitude, obama, veterans

Yesterday was Memorial Day in the United States, a very special day

when we take time to be grateful to those who gave that ultimate

sacrifice – their lives – for the freedom of the rest of us.

I was not personally involved in a major celebration. Instead, I took

extra time…

… to read stories of fallen soldiers in the newspaper and

online. During the day when a short documentary would come up

on TV about a family’s sacrifice, or if I saw a report of a special service

being held, I just stopped what I was doing and allowed myself to

move into a deep feeling of gratitude.

I bought a poppy out in front of the grocery store from an elderly man

who was a veteran of foreign wars. As he shared how the poppies

were made by and bought from disabled soldiers and that 100% of

the proceeds were going to veterans in need, I found myself grateful

for him and all the others involved in this important cause. I proudly

wore the poppy.

As the day went on, I couldn’t help but notice how my little moments

of gratitude were so valuable for ME! I truly HOPE my gratitude is good

for the souls of those who died for our freedom. I’m PRETTY SURE my

gratitude is appreciated by the families of those who sacrificed their

lives. But I KNOW those moments of gratitude were good for my own

soul.

Those special moments of gratitude had a cleansing effect and had

me realize at a beautiful, deep level how trivial most of my worries and

concerns really are. What a blessing to feel that.

Then, this morning I woke up naturally and gradually with a

beautiful sense of peace and gratitude – significantly deeper than I

have felt in some time. I realized that the emotional and honest

appreciation and gratitude that I had felt throughout Memorial

Day was spilling over wonderfully into my new day.

Wow, what a special way to start any day, I realized – in appreciation

and gratitude. What a blessing this entire experience has been

for me. So, I quietly slipped out of bed, put on my robe, and went

downstairs to right this little post.

So, my plan is to take a few minutes tomorrow morning as I awaken

to think about what I am grateful for. I’ll be running on that question,

“What am I grateful for?,” even as I drop off to sleep.

I can only imagine, as I work with my team today at 

Enlightened

Leadership Solutions

, how my starting my day from gratitude will

naturally spill over to gratitude for them and everyone else I

encounter during the day. That will make me a better leader -

I have no doubt.

Leading from a place of gratitude is a powerful place from which

to lead.

I would enjoy your thoughts and comments about this!

In gratitude for YOU!

Ed Oakley

Technorati Tags: appreciation, gratitude, memorial day, POPPY