Gratitude

Today is my birthday. I have been up early sipping my espresso, listening to the "light classical" music channel , reading and praying. All is quiet and my thoughts are deep and wide. Birthdays can be interesting days for reflection and meditation. Thanks to the new social networking of FB many people have extended to me birthday greetings of which I am very grateful. One friend commented on the fact that she noticed I must have reached "that age" to stop listing my birth year on my FB profile ! Well it's not difficult to do the math if one cares to find out. I am 54 years old today and grateful to be healthy and some what sane. I am blessed to have a wonderful family, wife of 29 years and 3 sons that I could not imagine life without. I am grateful.

Sometimes in life, things happen too fast. We barely solve one problem when two new problems surface. We're feeling great in the morning, but we're submerged in misery by nightfall. Every day we face interruptions , delays, changes, and challenges. We face personality conflicts and disappointments. Often times it leaves us feeling overwhelmed, unable to see the lessons that these experiences are bringing.

One word that comes to me today over and over is Gratitude. It is a simple concept that I have applied many times before but amazed at how easily I can forget it. When we learn to say Thank you for these problems and feelings and Thank you for the way things are, something powerful happens. Please don't misunderstand me. I am not so much thankful for the experience but what the experience brings when I view it with the right perspective.

Today, I am going to focus on Gratitude until it becomes habitual. Gratitude helps us stop trying to control outcomes. It is the key that unlocks God's power in our life. It is the alchemy that turns problems into blessings, and the unexpected into gifts.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing this birthday blog with me today.