Thank You For Being A Friend
by Stan Faryna
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Andrew Gold, Thank You For Being A Friend
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The Big Thank You
Thank you for coming here – to this blog. Thank you for subscribing. All of you. And there’s a lot of you – 10s and 10s and 10s of thousands of you that come here every month.
I thank you all. With all my heart.
Your attention, kindness and friendship means much to me. Beyond what these words can signify. And I bless you.
I bless you with all my heart just as I bless all those who have helped me (and will help me) to be the better me that I can be.
And, yes, this must include the world, the universe, and everything that our science, philosophies and theologies cannot imagine.
What is gratitude?
Wikipedia defines gratitude as a “feeling or attitude in acknowledgement of a benefit that one has received or will receive.”
Wikipedia, however, only goes a little way in helping us to understand what gratitude is or how we should live it out.
Obvious to me, gratitude as merely a feeling or attitude is profoundly incomplete. Because gratitude must be expressed in action. And, gratitude wants to express itself in a manner as large (or larger) than the benefit.
True gratitude also must include the contemplation of the benefits which we have received – all of the benefits. Not just recent benefits. Not just those benefits we recognize among our immediate interests and ambitions.
It goes beyond the feast. Beyond family and friends. Beyond a single day – gratitude goes from here to forever. It must be intimately ontological and well as existential, phenomenological and, last but not least, spiritual. True gratitude – it’s that big.
True gratitude takes us to a place of we – a place beyond the self-centered juxtaposition of me.
Love
Gratitude fuels love – a love that is greater than desire. True gratitude fuels a love that serves and gives. Without expectation of anything but love.
Thank you, my friends, for fueling this kind of love in me.
For in your service of friendship, you have encouraged my perfection, my beatification, my salvation, and, yes, my happiness.
Crazy, huh?
Crazy and beautiful and true!
I hope, this brief glimpse I give to you – of what you have done for me…
I hope this will help you to understand your own potential and Destiny.
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Stan Faryna
22 November 2012
Bucharest, Romania
Stan, I might not comment here often, but know this: I consider you to be a friend, appreciate your words/works and support, even when I’m just “lurking” around here:) “thank you for bein’ a friend” Cheers! Kaarina
Big hug Kaarina. Social is a busy place. I appreciate whatever you can give me. Thank you!
Thanks for your friendship, Stan! Have a good one!
Hope your feast is awesome, Bets!
That’s what we’re here for, Stan. Helping each other. It took me a while to realize that.
It takes us all a little while. And then, still, it only comes in waves, my friend.
You are welcome. 🙂
Thank you, Laurinda!
Happy Thanksgiving, Stan : )
Thank you, Mark, and God bless you.
Thank you for being a friend Stan
Your gift of friendship is bigger than mountains. Deeper than oceans.
So damn true Standard. Thanks for being there. Enjoy the weekend.
It’s the least I can do: drum up enough honest, human drama to be relevant. [grin]
But, you know, I still have 58,126 unopened emails in my inbox. [big sigh]
Stan
Wishing you all the best
Excited that it’s going well
Thank you for your encouragement!
Thank YOU for being such a wonderful person Stan. Even though we might not interact much, the support and friendship always remains. I appreciate you and thank you for being a dear friend. 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
You’re relentless service truly sets you apart, Harleena.
Than you for being an interesting person.
And thank you for actually reminding me what do I care about enough to have my own opinion about it, whether anybody likes it or not, whether even I like it or not.
Also, for quite interesting experiences, both in this blog and in PD (as I can ‘blame’ you and your HR and PR skills for moving on there and actually playing a online game for some amount of time) )
Have a good time, and good luck.
Rjak,
So we gonna get Cable or what? [grin]
And what about Mockingbird? You you buying her, today?
The funny thing about most games (and I include social media in that category) is that the people make the game relevant. Or not.
Stan,
Thank you for your consistent glowing spirit and your genuine friendship!
I’ve enjoyed getting to know you online – Through Networking Peeps, an I am glad we have had a chance to connect at other points on the web too.
You have been such a genuine friend to many, and taught us all about service!!
I like this: “Gratitude fuels love.” You are absolutely correct.
Love ya Stan,
~Keri
Big hug to you, Keri.
Honestly, if anyone is going to get mileage out of social media, it’s you. You’re one of the few among the tens of thousands of connections that I have made – that rare and amazing few that has what it takes to collaborate and build an online community.
Foremost among your virtues, of course, is your enthusiasm to serve and lift others up.
Happy Thanksgiving! I might not always stop by to comment but I make sure I am a regular reader! 🙂
You are a good man Stan, always glad to visit.
This gushing positivity is going to carry me through the week and even through the holiday season, Stan! =) Thanks for always setting such an amazing example and for being a part of my blogging world. Hugs!