Seeds

Life can change in the flash of a moment.  You close your eyes for just an instant, and awaken to a life that is unrecognizable.   What we do in those moments defines who we are, how we choose to live, how we love, and how we look at the future.

Maybe it's a diagnosis, an unexpected loss of someone you love, a divorce, a forced change of plans, or just the sudden realization that your life isn't what you had imagined it to be.   At some point in our lives we all will experience a moment that will shake us to our core, that will make us question what we believe, and the hope we have for the future.

Finding Purpose
Moments like this, whether happening to us or someone we love, stop us and force us to evaluate our lives and what is truly meaningful.  We begin to consciously live our lives to the fullest each and every day, taking every ounce of goodness life is willing to offer.  We become aware of the beauty that surrounds our lives:  the ticking of a clock on a wall, the sound of kids at recess a fews blocks away, the stillness of a late summer night. We suddenly don't have time for the trivial or the negative: we want to surround ourselves with positivity and people we care about.  We cherish every meaningful conversation, every act of kindness shown to us, each ray of sun that hits our face, and every person that fills our lives with joy. We realize that life is a gift that is far too short to be living without purpose.  That purpose?  It's something rooted in joy that is as unique and individualized as the person within whom it lives.

For all those facing any adversity, for those who awoke this morning and do not recognize the face that greets them in the mirror, for those who are missing someone they have lost, and for all those who face a battle greater than they think they are capable of fighting, life may seem riddled with despair, but I promise you that even within the darkest times there is still an ounce of joy that dwells deep within.   What do I mean? Within those moments that have changed the course of our lives, lives a small seed of joy.  It's in that joy we find the strength and purpose for life.  It's through that adversity we realize just how joyful our lives can be, and how very strong we are.  It's in that joy that we will live gratefully and love deeply, never taking a single moment for granted.

Endless Joy
I do not know what tomorrow will bring, nor can I control it, but I do know that the sun will rise.  I admit I live in fear of what tomorrow may hold, but I also choose to live in the hope it brings. I have also learned that amazing things in life can happen in moments of adversity.  One never knows where life will lead. Take this blog for example.  Never in a million years could I have imagined my life the way it is today, and the reaction my mere ramblings have caused not only in myself, but to others as well.  I am still in disbelief when looking ahead to the future and the amazing possibilities that lie ahead.  Is my life perfect?  Far from it, but it's sure a beautiful one and it holds so much joy behind every corner.  In all my life I choose to laugh freely, to love deeply, share kindness endlessly, and live gratefully in each moment.   Our lives can change in the blink of an eye, but in every moment I choose to live rooted in joy.  Love to you all.

Find your joy in every moment.