Here we are, on the fast track of the approaching lazy, hazy days of summer.
Perhaps your family will be experiencing a graduation or maybe a wedding.
Perhaps you're looking forward to outdoor cookouts, vacations, fun in the sun, laughter, relaxation, being with friends, or even an afternoon siesta.
Most individuals believe these times of celebration are reserved for specific times, or for weekends or holidays.
Most of my life I believed it was about struggle and work with times of fun sprinkled around in particular moments.
Never in my wildest imagination did I conceive of the idea that all of life could be a celebration, until recent years when I realized this truth.
Having lived on both sides of the fence, I can assure you that the way I now live exceeds all that went before.
Celebration is defined as experiencing good times, honoring publicly or sharing in festivities.
My wish for you is to understand that ALL of life can be this way, and that the only thing required to experience this phenomenal life depends on your choice.
Right now you might be saying something like, "Yea, right, what a joke.
This lady has no idea what's going on in my life or she wouldn't make such a ridiculous statement.
" Here's the beautiful part of what I just stated...
it's really true! Everything in our life revolves around choice.
We can choose to see the glass half empty of half full.
We can see our challenges as struggle and hardship or as a gift that helps us move beyond what we thought we could do.
There's a saying out there that goes like this: "If you believe you can, or you can't, you're right!" Get it? It's all up to you! You will experience challenges that may appear to be difficulties or even tragic.
You might experience illness, death of a loved one, job loss, financial devastation, broken relationships, all of which can appear as a tragedy, certainly not a celebration.
But you can choose another way of viewing these life situations.
Everything comes into your life for a reason, and it always is there to help you grow.
When things are going along perfectly smooth you usually don't ask for divine help: you probably figure you're doing pretty well by yourself.
Then along comes the appearance of a problem and what immediately happens - you cry out for help.
In this place you are ready to listen because you no longer know what to do.
When individuals feel helpless, they are ready to surrender.
Surrender allows one to move beyond and accomplish something not possible before.
Why? Because in this place you are accepting the divine power within you as you reconnect with your power source - your Creator.
Now you can move mountains! This doesn't mean you won't experience challenges, for life does bring these to everyone.
But what it means is that you can see the gift in every circumstance and know it is in perfect divine order.
Illness may help you see new ways for healing, including letting go of old patterns and emotional negatives as is did for me some years ago.
Losing a job will most probably bring you a better job if you allow it to come to you.
A broken relationship happens, and in hindsight most individuals eventually see what a blessing it was.
Financial devastation is only devastating if you allow yourself to remain in the victim mindset.
Instead, ask for divine help and then follow the new doors that open.
It may take a while, but I have found that every time I reached a point when I thought I couldn't make it, something out of the blue would appear and sure enough, I'd make it once again.
Now, I never go to that place of doubting the end result because I know that my Creator is watching out for me as long as I remain connected and trust the process.
The same can be true for you! It may not be easy for you to see life as a celebration when you're lying sick in a hospital bed or juggling a large stack of unpaid bills, but if you realize there is a bigger picture that although you cannot see it at that moment, there is a power greater than you on your side, directing you through whatever you are experiencing.
Then you can shift internally so that you can celebrate whatever is in your path.
If you never had night it would be hard to appreciate day.
So it is in your life.
It's hard to appreciate the wonderful times unless you experience the not so wonderful situations.
But, no matter what, it is important for all of us to celebrate whatever enters our path.
Even night has great beauty if you simply look at what it offers: bright stars, a beautiful moon, emergence of nocturnal creatures like the owls, sleep, romantic evenings, and so on.
Most of these things you would miss if you only had day.
Here are a few examples.
Maybe a quarrel revealed some important bits of information that helped to create a new and beautiful relationship.
Perhaps while lying sick in bed you discovered new things about yourself and your life, or maybe you found out how wonderful your friends and family were as they helped you.
Maybe an accident totaled your car and gave you the definite incentive to buy a new car you had been thinking about purchasing.
Perhaps the day you were late due to a traffic jam saved you from being the person lying dead on the freeway.
Shift your perception of what you see in your life and amazingly your life will become quite different.
This is not denial about reality, it's simply creating the reality that you truly want.
If your challenges become a great gift you can see the benefits of whatever shows up, even if it feels painful at first.
As you move through the situation, you become an expanded and stronger being, and that is always a reason to celebrate! Look at each day as a celebration of life, for each day truly is, even the very fact that you got up that morning and are alive.
See it as a celebration and that's exactly what will show up!