Daily Gifts....

With the passing of Christmas and the New Year, I was reminded of what is most important.... the real gifts. I wrote this July 30th, 2001 and it still stands true for today. :)

Daily Gifts

Sometimes in the depth of the night I sit in silence... and I ponder... over trivial things. I think not on just the day's happenings and what still has yet to be done, but on the sweeter things in life.

...The smiles of a child, the joyful pant of a dog, the smell of a rose whose bud has just opened...

things of that sort

and

I smile.

I smile because it warms my heart to know that such simple things add such beauty and joy to a busy and sometimes ugly life.

Have you ever just stopped and watched? Watched children playing on the playground, an elderly couple gently caressing on an other's hand and smiling , or even a young couple just tenderly holding each other and realizing you're watching love bloom right in front of your eyes?

Stop... Watch... Listen

Not on the negative, the harsh, or the rude. Just close your eyes and look beyond. You'll find it.... that joy, love, and bit of sunshine. It's always there. Even on the worst of days.

Some people would say that I'm sentimental. Others would say that I see only what I choose. They're both right. For without sentiment we are without cherishing and if I choose not to see through the daily drudge then I would simply die inside. Nothing is worse than looking at life and asking yourself: "Is this all?" or "is this as good as it gets?"

With my eyes I choose to see better. With my mind I know that the next day will bring more. But with my heart.....well... with my heart I find sentiment... happiness... peace... contentment.... and love..... all of which I cherish and hold dearly and securely as daily gifts. Presents that are freely given to me, daily.

Now, please don't get me wrong. I, too, get caught up in the hustle and bustle drama we call life. Without giving a second glance, they have been discarded without a care 'til they're gone. How easy it can happen. How sad that they are passed by, but I try.

So, in the next week I encourage you to try. Find your daily gifts in life and hold on tight. If in a week you see a brighter place or find more joy, add a day. Keep adding days, until it just happens. You begin to do it voluntarily, without keeping track. Just enjoy life, as it were. This isn't all and it isn't as good as it gets. There's more and it's better.