A Beautiful Gift

Life. What a beautiful gift. You’ve heard me say that before, and I’ll say it yet again, probably in the future too! 🙂 Life is a precious gift that we only get to live once. With that, we have ample opportunities to enrich others lives, learn valuable life lessons, and make the world a better place.

Life is from B to D. B is Birth and D is Death. It’s what is in-between B & D that matters. So my question to each and every last one of us is: Are we doing what matters? Each and every day we have ample opportunities to enrich the world, and it’s our choices that enhance and enrich the world, or don’t. Choice. That’s really what it comes down to.

Life is filled with ups and downs. The question is, are willing to make an awesome batch of lemonade with the lemons that come your way. I am. Are you?

Lemons. Whether we like lemons or not, in life it is inevitable that we are going to be faced with them. Maybe you’ve learned this already? I’m guessing you have. How about we pause for a moment and think about a lemon (or two) that we were faced with in the past that ended up changing our life for the better. Ready? Okay, take a few moments to consider and then come back to reading.

My lemon that stands out is being really sick for a number of years. As hard as it was, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. It taught me a lot about life, health, truth, morals, values, integrity, and faith. Making some tremendously awesome lemonade out of lemons is exactly what I did. That’s not to say that I had trying moments. We all do. We are all faced with emotions, questions, and turbulence when faced with challenges… but the character building happens in how we face, react, and overcome these challenges.

Overcoming. I’ve heard people in life say, “I want to leave a legacy.” When I hear that I wonder what they really mean by that statement. Maybe next time I should ask a person instead of wonder. I think I’ll do that! Did you know that according to Merriam Webster Dictionary the definition of legacy is defined as: a gift by will especially of money or other personal property.? That’s what a legacy is.

After hearing that definition I have a personal question to ask you. Do you want to be remembered for the money and personal property you had, or for the many memories created, life stories shared, and friendships made with others?

There was a study done recently that when asking Americans what they wished they would have done more of in their life, their answer was: Spend more time with family & friends. Travel was also noted, but spending more time with family and friends was answered much more than travel. Tell me, if more people want to spend more time with family and friends, why are we not already doing this? Now, don’t tell me you don’t have time. That isn’t a justifiable answer, at all. We all can say “I have to work.” Trust me, I know from firsthand experience. When push comes to shove if you can pay your bills plus have extra you are blessed. If you have more than extra, what is holding you back from taking time to make memories with those you love most. Too many people end up waiting until it’s too late to spend time with loved ones, even to travel as well. They often end up getting sick, and then are unable to see friends and family, or travel too.

Life is too short to not to make lemonade out of lemons. It’s too short not to spend some extra time with loved ones and create amazing memories. Life is also too short not enjoy the most treasured and beautiful gift we were given, the gift of life. It’s time for each of us to smile more, love more deeply, laugh more freely, and live the greatest gift we have been given. It’s time to take a deep breathe in and slowly let it out. And it’s time to lace up your sneakers and say, “Today is a day that I will never get back. I want to live it to my fullest and love everything about it, no matter what it encompasses. I’m here and I’m ready!”

Are you willing to live the greatest gift you’ve been given to your fullest ability? Are you ready? I thought so! Today and everyday are yours to do with whatever you want. May you make awesome choices and make this world a better place! You and you only you have the choice to do so. Make good choices friend!