Thankfulness

Every Moment Counts

“I am thankful for every moment.”

Al Green

I had a Facebook message this week from a cousin. It said his brother had died quite unexpectedly. I grew up with these cousins and, as children, we were close. The brother who died is one year younger than I. Always when someone close in age dies, I feel the need to pause and consider how I use my time here on earth.

One of my friends who walks about three miles a day was hit by a car this week. He stepped off a curb to cross the street between two cars in a car-pool line, thinking the driver behind obviously saw him, but she didn't. She hit him hard enough to knock him down, bruise him and cause a limp to one ankle. He was lucky.

The point is, we don't know what any day holds. We may get up in the morning in perfect health, and have things change in a blink. I say this not to sound like doom and gloom, but to say that it is important to savor the moments we do have. Just as the book on “tidying up” suggests, we should choose what to keep based on whether it gives us joy. Here are some good questions: “Is this (this object, this activity, this cause) something I truly want in my life? Does it give me joy? Is it sacred to me?” If the answer to these is no, cease and desist.

Life has its challenges, and not all moments are equal, but I suggest we focus on what inspires, what lifts us up and makes our hearts feel satisfied. It may be that you give yourself away day after day, but if it gives you joy to do that, it adds rather than subtracts from your well being. None of us, young or old, knows just how much time we have here on the blue-green planet, but gratitude makes all of it better.

Affirmation: “Today, I am thankful for every moment.”

                                               In the Spirit,

                                                   Jane