Soaring With A Grateful Heart

While I was at the swimming pool doing some laps before the summer heat arrived, I took a break to catch my breath at one end and paused to look up.  The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and a beautiful yellow butterfly danced in the air as it gracefully hovered over the water, as if to greet me on this particular morning.  Although for a moment I felt like this could be a scene from a Disney movie when the animals talk back to you and they break out in song, I smiled and simply enjoyed the wonderful scene that was displayed around me.  In the moment, I was in a complete state of gratitude and was simply absorbing all of this beauty, while I felt so appreciative of what I was receiving.  Interestingly, I always think about those instances when I am faced with this sense of abundant gratitude, while I contemplate how did I ever get to this facet of my life?  I can tell you that prior to getting here there were many instances of selfish thinking when I needed things to change because I was in an uncomfortable situation or simply that I wanted things my way at my time.  It has taken me many years to learn to appreciate from those periods in my life when things were not going right and still have a grateful attitude in the end.  I remember many prayers where I began asking for God's will to occur, yet in the end, I found myself suggesting that perhaps he could do something that I needed in the process.  I laugh to myself now when I think about how silly I must have sounded to someone that already knew the final answers to what I was requesting, while having to listen to my suggested plan for Him.  I am really thankful for the growth that I have experienced over the many years of my life, because it is so easy now to laugh out loud at my younger self versus where I am today.  I also feel compelled to share these experiences, as I believe that we all have a purpose in giving back to those that are in need, including those that are deficient in amounts of wisdom.  While we cannot save all young people from making the same mistakes that we did when we were younger, we can certainly empathize with their trials and offer some suggested advice that we hope will land in the ears of those that need to receive the message.  What I have also learned over the course of the years is that if you want family members to accept your advice, that also is a tall order.  What tends to happen is that a relative close to you will be more accepting of advice from a stranger or an acquaintance, than they will be from you, just because of the fact that you are related to them.  Hence, do your best to help others that cross your path and as a result, someone else will more than likely help your loved ones as well.  So the next time you are out and about in nature as you experience a moment where you feel grateful, don't miss the opportunity to appreciate all of that as you say thank you for the place you happen to be soaring over on that day.