November 24th 2007

Dear Ronda,
I feel compelled to write you a thank you note for so many reasons. Thank you for the gift of the Gratitude Journal and thank you for the gift for The Secret. Receiving the Gratitude Journal is of particular significance to me because it is absolutely emblematic of the lessons in The Secret.

To begin at the beginning, during the summer some friends of mine told me about The Secret and how it had been working in their lives. What they told me resonated deeply within. Having just received an oops letter from the IRS, I was facing some financial challenges… at work I was surrounded by negativity that masqueraded as bonding in the “can’t do chorus” and my love life was, well, what love life. I went out and bought the book, devoured it, and began practicing gratitude. I also revised my day when appropriate. When the negative chorus began singing I would look them in the eye, smile and mentally say the words “think upward, you can do it” as a shield. What began happening is that the negative chorus began merrily moving forward. Which had all to do with them, and nothing to do with me, but was quite a bonus. I banged along, keeping my practice at the forefront and then something happened, I am not quite sure what, it may have been a minor injury while working out… it could have been a migraine it could have been working long hours and being stressed. It could have been anything, but one morning I woke up, had the blues, and had forgotten about practicing gratitude.

I tried getting back on the horse, but kept forgetting and fell again, and again. Now I am one of those people who always gets a parking place. So whenever I parked my car, which is often – I live in California – I let finding the perfect spot remind me to be grateful, and remind me of The Secret. Still I was stuck, I felt like a little kid who had just gotten beat up by the neighborhood bully on a playground far from home.

I did okay during the day, but at bedtime the blue beasts would overcome me, which made mornings bloody awful. The night of November 19th was particularly bad, I had hideous dreams, the whole shebang. On the morning of the 20th while having coffee and reading the news, a little voice said “Ask your fairy god mother for help.” Even though I am far to old to believe in fairy godmothers, I do and I did. That night as I was falling asleep a little voice said “Remember to practice gratitude, you need help practicing gratitude. Don‘t give up, things take as long as they take. This is a process not a solution.” When I woke up on the 21st my first thought was “thank you.” I felt full of happiness while doing my morning routine. I was delighted when I saw a message from The Secret Scrolls in my email, and you could have knocked me over with a feather when I read it. Help with gratitude had arrived, just like that. I clicked the link to take me to my chance at a free journal and found that I had 3 and a bit hours to wait. I made sure I was on that web site at the appropriate time, like 9 million other people on the planet. I clicked the appropriate spot for the journal and while waiting to complete the process received a message that they had been “sold out.” To say that I was crestfallen doesn’t cut it. I felt utterly miserable and cynical, but somewhere in there a little voice said, “Well, be grateful that you got the chance.” So pulled my socks up and set about creating a Happy Thanksgiving email to send to my clients. Which is how I spent my day. Somewhere around noon I had an impulse to check The Secret web site. I logged in, saw the spot for The Gratitude Journal gift, clicked it, and lo and behold, which sounds corny but…… lo and behold the order went though and a journal is on its way to me. I am just astounded by the synchronicity of all that occurred. The help I asked for arrived, not exactly how I thought it would or when I thought it would, but there it was. The gift you gave is huge because it serves as a reminder of the veracity of the process, and the strength of the force of The Secret. It also severs to remind one that giving freely enables one to be receptive to receiving and to gratitude. I think receptivity, giving, and gratitude create an energy that is the foundation of joy, and the recovery of joy if one is in a not so happy place. Thank you.

Thanksgiving on the following day was very special. I cooked for 21 family members and friends, chatted and played with my 11, 8, and 6 year old nieces who live in Manhattan, and generally reveled in all there is to be glad about, and grateful for. Really, if we can have but a little revelry and gratitude in every day, things can be so much better, no matter what is going on. I saw that when I was helping my sister though chemo. Chemo rooms are amazing places. But that is another story.

So thank you Rhonda for your gift and for making gratitude and reveling in it a cause that I am happy to be a part of and a message that I am more than honored to spread.

The best of all best regards to you and yours this holiday season.
With heartfelt sincerity.
Nancy