Alphatudes: The Alphabet of Gratitude

Aphatudes: The Alphabet of Gratitude

My Synopsis:

Alphatudes: The Alphabet of Gratitude by Michele Wahlder

Gratitude, it's something we hear a lot about around Thanksgiving and other times when we are reminded of the important people and things in our lives. But what about in our everyday lives? What are we grateful for? In a world filled with so many negative aspects, how do we remain positive and live happy and fulfilled lives? Gratitude is a choice!

Michele Wahlder, has come up with an ingenious 26 step plan, based on the alphabet we all learned in grade school. Sometimes seeing things from a different perspective can help us understand what life can be! Want to have more joy and happiness in your life? Be grateful... Count your blessing! What are you thankful for?

My Thoughts:

This is a very inspiring book. Michele Wahlder uses her experience as a life coach, counselor and psychotherapist to show readers a way to change their thought process, to see the positive things in life and not dwell on all the negativity that surrounds us every day.

This is book is absolutely gorgeous! The quotes and illustrations are inspiring just in themselves but each letter in the 'gratitude alphabet' is also accompanied by a prayer and a discussion where readers will gain insight on how to apply the knowledge of gratitude to their lives.

I am a gratitude enthusiast. I keep a gratitude journal in which I write down every day the things I am grateful for. I believe readers will take the information they are learning from Michele's book and derive their own gratitude alphabet on a daily basis. This will help them focus their thoughts and energy on the positive things that we tend to overlook.

I recommend this book to my readers. It is not only beautiful but it will help you learn how to find joy and happiness today!

An Ideal Gift - Inspiring and Beautiful !

I brought a copy of Alphatudes to my office because reading a brief passage, an uplifting affirmation or a soulful prayer gave me a sense of peace during my stressful work day. The great thing about this book is that its structure is similar to that of a daily devotional. You can open Alphatudes on any page and know you are on the perfect topic for you at that moment. i.e. Acceptance, Choices, Forgiveness, Hope.

This book has mesmerizing and colorful illustrations as well.(you don't find many books for adults these days that spend time or money on beautiful artwork - Alphatudes does) By the end of the day, all my co-workers wanted a copy for themselves or to purchase as a gift of encouragement for a friend. They were all "ooohing and aaahing" about the gorgeous artwork and as they flipped through the pages, they were inspired by the spiritually uplifting messages.

If you want to feel better, more positive, optimistic and grateful - I would highly recommend this book for yourself or as an exceptionally, lovely gift.

Count Your Blessings Alphabetically!

Sometimes when one has so much, as most Americans do, it is easy to forget that and focus only on what one lacks. In Alphatudes: The Alphabet of Gratitude, author Michele Wahlder teaches the reader to alphabetically count the abundance of riches that make up an "ordinary life." An alphatude is defined as "a person, place or thing for which one alphabetically expresses gratitude."

Alphatudes "utilizes the ABC's as an easy and methodical structure for developing a sustainable consciousness of gratitude." Each alphatude is introduced with an illustration and inspirational passage, followed by a brief essay and concludes with a prayer. The alphatudes themselves are largely the intangibles that provide true meaning and enrichment: Dreams; Forgiveness; Hope; Kindness; Music; Passion and more. Given the book's structure it is best savored an alphatude or two at a time.

Alphatudes is a beautiful book that would make a great gift for a friend (or for you)!


Publisher: Life Possibilities Publishing (January 15, 2010), 128 pages.
Advance review copy provided courtesy of the publisher.

Simple, Insightful, Friendly and Enjoyable - Don't Read It All At Once

When I first picked up this book, I wasn't quite sure what the title was about. The subtitle says "The Alphabet of Gratitude" which really left me more confused than curious. However, when I opened it I was delightfully surprised by the beautiful pictures, pleasant design, and of course the content. :)

This book shares 26 spiritual lessons that are focused on how we can use gratitude to understand the lesson. For example, "F" is for "Forgiveness," and Michele shows how we can be gratelful for Forgiveness. Each lesson also has a short prayer and a beautiful picture, both intended to help move the wisdom deeper within us in different ways.

The thing I like about the book most is its simplicity. Most spiritual truths are both timeless and timely, as well as simple yet deeply complex. This book captures all of those essences effectively, and also reads not like a preacher telling us how to be, but rather, a friend sharing her wisdom with us heart to heart.

To be honest, the only disappointing aspect of this book for me is that there's not a hardcover version. I really think that having it in hardcover would make it a definite "Coffee Table" book... you know the kind of book you leave on the coffee table and it catches somebody's eye and starts a conversation. Maybe that's just my prejudice against softcover books on coffee tables, though. :)

Last but not least, I believe this is a book that you can read more than once, at different times in your life, and gain different benefits from. I wouldn't recommend reading it in one sitting, but rather, one lesson per day and just cycling through the book. Many spiritual teachers note the importance of starting your day off with gratitude, and Alphatudes provides a delightfully simple way to do that.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.