Actually, every single time I open my eyes I am grateful. No matter how annoyed I get with people, or how low my bank account is, I am happy to be alive. I am sorry that there are people that do not truly find joy in the simple act of living. I probably sound like a walking contradiction in my blog. Praising God one day, and damning people the next? Maybe I do, but that makes me human. It doesn’t mean for one second that I don’t understand how “first world problems” my issues are and how silly they sound compared to what so many people are going through. There are terminally ill people, homeless, prostitutes, victims of religious persecution, orphans, abused people, etc. I completely get it. I think that all of us get caught up in the petty and take our eyes off of God, if we are believers, and focus on our day to day and not the bigger picture. It doesn’t matter what kind of day I have had though, I go to bed and reflect on all that has gone right, or will go right the next day. Like my little girl in the next room singing this pretty little melody while trying to fight sleep, or the sound of my mom’s voice every day when we have our conversations about nothing major sometimes except for what we had for lunch and what errands we ran. Appreciation and gratitude lead to good things. Always.

My message today. Love yourself. Embrace the life you have. If you don’t like the way it is going, fight like hell to improve it. Appreciate the people that love you. Be grateful for what you have. Want more? Work for it. Don’t be envious of others, because you do not know what their life is like in the privacy of their homes or what they have been through prior to knowing them. Just be content in the fact that you have another chance each time you wake up to make a difference in your life and the lives of others. Sound like a buttload of cliche`s? You’re right, they are. But the words in those overly used sayings are so true and so right. I pray that whomever is reading this that feels like they have no hope or now way out of whatever situation that they are in, know that there is a God who loves them. And, that there are so many people that have had terrible upbringings or experiences or losses, but still persevered through it all and made it to the other side. Blessings…

simply~

Dee