Life...

I recently had the unfortunate opportunity to be reminded of how frail life can really be. While the loss is very difficult for my family, it also reminds me that life is precious. We should embrace it and live each moment as though it’s our last, because you never know when it just might be…

I believe we should laugh at least once a day. Not a little giggle, but a deep belly laugh that feels good all the way down to your toes. I believe there is a lot of healing in laughter.

I believe we should give gratitude to our Higher Power each and every day. Every day we encounter and receive countless blessings. We are usually just so wrapped up in the mundane day to day tasks that we often overlook them or take them for granted.

I also believe we should acknowledge and give thanks to those around us who are there for us on many levels. Whether if be family, friends or coworkers, there are people who do things just for us on a daily basis. I try very hard not to take those around me and those I care about for granted. When you are no longer able to see them for the blessing that they are, they begin to feel unwanted, unneeded and unappreciated. That to me is a very sad thing, yet it’s such an easy rut to fall into with out even realizing it.

I believe we should love, passionately and deeply with out fear. Not a co-dependant love. I am not suggesting that everyone find someone to “complete them”, I believe we need to complete ourselves. I also don’t think you should love someone to feel good about yourself or to fill your own needs. This is the type of selfish love that gives love a bad name. I am talking about LOVING someone, just for who they are.

I believe we should also love and embrace ourselves. We are truly unique in our own way and each of us holds a different set of life experiences that sets us apart from every other soul on the planet. That’s pretty mind boggling if you sit and think about that. We are each given gifts, talents and challenges. We all have our own contribution to make in our time here on earth, and that time is short when you really start to look at it.

We need to make a conscious effort to embrace each moment, to savor the time we are given. We need to stop and reflect on all the beautiful gifts we encounter each day instead of getting so trapped in the challenges that we face. Its so easy to get stuck in the negative and forget to see the positives and the beauty and gifts we are each given.

My children are a gift. I was medically told I would probably be unable to have children, but here I am, mother of three. They defied medicine and I am truly grateful for them. I receive much joy in watching them learn and grow as they develop into the people they were meant to become. They challenge me, infuriate me at times and frustrate me to no end some days, but I never stop loving them. This, for me, is a true example of what love is supposed to be. It’s unconditional. No matter what my children do, I always love them and I always will.

My family is a gift. I was blessed to be raised by good parents who love me and support me. I have wonderful brothers and sisters, who I remain close to, even though we don’t talk as much as we used to. We are very tight knit and I am thankful to have them.

I also have varying levels of friends that I am thankful for. I have friends who make me laugh, I have friends who I can cry on when I am struggling, I have friends that I talk to daily, and I have friends that I talk to only on occasion. They have each blessed my life with something. They have all come into my life when I have needed them. There are friends that I no longer talk to for a variety of reasons, but I am still thankful for the lessons I learned from them and for the time we shared.

I hope in return I am the kind of friend that also leaves people with something positive. That they are able to take away from the time they share with me, something that will enhance and enrich their lives in some way. I hope to be the kind of friend that people will feel blessed for knowing or having known me. I hope to be the kind of friend that doesn’t make people feel taken for granted or taken advantage of. I want to be the kind of friend that you can share your inner most personal thoughts and feelings with. To know that I will be the kind of friend that won’t desert you or betray you. I want to be the kind of friend that people have confidence in, to know that it is never my intentions to hurt anyone. I want to be the kind of person that you know you can trust to always be there.

Life is short, go live it.