I think that others can be roadmaps to new directions if we're open to allowing their experiences and insights to teach us something. I can attest to being profoundly changed by the women here over my several years here. I have to especially give credit to JJ whose positive attitude opened my eyes to the possibility of changing my negative/depressive patterns of thinking. It took a lot of work, at first it was every moment, 24/7, being vigilant in catching the negative thoughts and then deliberately replacing them with gratitude and positive thinking.

JJ often shared about how her Mom would get up in the morning, open the curtains and greet the day with something like "Hello world!" I adopted that, and believe me, it was very hard for me to get out of bed some mornings. But I did, opened my curtains, and every morning would thank God for the beautiful new day, the beautiful tree outside my window, and for the chance to learn more wonderful things about life and love that day. It took awhile, but slowly it began to change my life. Now it's just part of my day, catching those negatives - perhaps mulling over them for a bit to discern where they're coming from - but then resolutely focusing on the lesson behind the situation, the blessing beyond the pain and the light behind the clouds.

So as you say, Yonuh, I did witness here how positive thinking and gratitude attitude worked for others, and used those wisdoms and perspectives to help change my own way of thinking and seeing the world. I like the change. There's still more to do, but I really like how far I've come, thanks to everyone here!