Life is Gratitude ....

Today's quotation: Amazing, isn't it, how some people see the basket half empty and others see it half full? Some see life hopeless, others hopeful. Even when things are less than perfect, if you can think of the good, the beautiful, the hopeful, you'll be more than sustained--you'll conquer. unknown

Today's Meditation: I remember many, many times when I've seen the basket half-empty. For much of my life when I was unmarried (I married at 35), I saw life as somehow empty, somehow lacking, because I was missing that which I most wanted. A husband and a family seemed to be an impossible dream that I was being denied even though so many others were blessed with both--and many had little to no appreciation of that. My view was tarnished by what was lacking in my life, and it did hurt me significantly. Fortunately, I worked my way through this before I ever met the man I was to marry. I finally came to the point at which I was comfortable being alone, and I was happy with what I had in life--I had many blessings instead of a family, and I began to appreciate them for what they were. The basket truly was half full, and even that "missing" half represented wonderful things that I already had experienced. I've found that life gives back to us almost exactly what we give to it. If we give it an attitude of appreciation and gratitude, life gives us more things to be thankful for. If we look at each thing for exactly what it IS rather than what it's MISSING, we'll see that our lives are filled with an abundance that we hardly can imagine. If we accept people for what they do rather than judge them for what they don't do, we'll find our relationships strengthening and growing and becoming something more than they ever were. We see things as half empty when we allow our fear to control us--our fear that something soon will be completely empty and we'll have to do without, or we won't be able to provide for our loved ones. We have to let go of that fear and focus on the fact that we have enough for now, and we can trust that tomorrow will bring us more--in its own way--if we're to live our lives in a happy, healthy way.

Questions to consider: Do you see the glass as half empty or half full? Are you afraid that a half-empty glass will soon be gone, or are you glad that you have half a glass of something to enjoy? How do the "half-empty" people affect you when you're around them? Are their views generally positive? Is it realistic to expect that all of our glasses should be full all the time?

For further thought: The unhappiness we experience is not so much a result of the difficulties encountered along our journey as it is of our misperception of how life instructs us. We may see a failed relationship as an indictment of our self-worth when it is really a lesson in using better judgment, in valuing ourselves more, in expressing greater appreciation for our partner--lessons to prepare us for a more loving and fulfilling union. If we are passed over for a much-anticipated promotion, it may be just the push we need to get more training or to venture out on our own as an entrepreneur. As we rise to meet the challenges that are a natural part of living, we awaken to our many undiscovered gifts, to our inner power and our purpose. Susan L. Taylor