For the JOY of it!

 Often, I take for granted what I have, what I do, and how blessed I am. This season...this wonderful, joyous season, is a good time to reflect. On blessings. Friendships. Grace. Life itself. I've been reminded of this daily, lately. That I tend to keep asking for more, without taking in to account how much I have been given. That I have so much that I sometimes fail to truly see it. I am warm, dry, comfortable. I have income, I'm (fairly) healthy. My family is near, and also doing well. 

I know what it's like to have almost nothing. Yet here I am, not so terribly far removed from that time in my life, grasping for whatever might be in my future-instead of seeing the power of what I've been lead through, and the Source of the blessings bestowed. I walked away from my faith for several years...no, I ran. Fast. Far. Yet, the moment I'd just barely started to turn back, blessings awaited. 

This has been a tough year. In fact, I'm not sure there are really enough words to describe, for each of us, exactly what this year has been like. But, my friends...we're here. We're still walking through this, whatever it is. For me, that means I need to be more grateful. More aware of others' struggles. More giving. 

Albert Einstein said something that for me, is revolutionary. "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is."

This famous man wasn't known as a towering example of faith...but his words cut through to the heart of things anyway. We have to choose. I'm choosing to believe that everything is a miracle. Each breath I draw. Each person I meet. Each friend I have. Each family member. A living, breathing miracle. Placed in my life for a purpose, just as I am placed in theirs. 

I have such a sense of awe as I look back over the last few years and see my journey. It's unique to me. It's part of a Master plan. I'm learning to live my life on purpose...simply for the JOY of it! My prayer is that you will feel this calling, too and follow it to the path of purpose for your life.