Today is the first day of summer! It’s the time for family vacations, beach parties, nature walks, herb gardens, fruit and flower farms and all things family fun! And yet, summer is not my favorite season. In fact, both my hubby and our two sons were born in the winter months. And hubby and I were married during my favorite season…fall – with the colorful leaves in bright oranges and tinted yellows and reds.
However, while summer is not my favorite season, it’s the season for which I’m most grateful because June 21 is also the day I was born. At 57, I can reflect on my journey with such a sense of gratitude. I use the term gratitude because there is absolutely nothing that I could have done to deserve life, and even now, there is nothing that I have done or could ever do to warrant me using the term deserve. My life is such a blessing. It is such a blessing! This inalienable fact is true for all of us.
And yet, while we have done nothing to deserve life, we all deserve to feel blessed and worthy because of this gift.
In the past year alone, I have endured the threat of death, hospitalization, the loss of 17,000 of my spiritual brothers and sisters, and the loss of a family member. The pain is deep and almost inconsolably challenging. But still…I rise. We all do. I appreciate so much the innateness of the human spirit – our resilience, our courage, our ability to love and forgive without judgement. It is that kind of power that while innate, is also bestowed. My God…is GOD and I am so grateful – so thankful to know him.