Life's Greatest Gifts

Most days, I don't slow down enough to stop and dwell on my life. I don't think a lot of us do. Today however, is different. I woke up this morning reflecting on my life and just how lucky I really am. Everyday is truly a blessing. I am a very rich woman. I am a recipient of life's greatest gifts.

I have a wonderful husband and two precious children. They each have their health and I have mine. We all woke up this morning and have been blessed with another day on this Earth together. Every breath we take is a reminder of just how rich we really are. We have food to eat and a safe home to live in. We have family that loves us and friends that support us. Most of all, we have a God that loves us more that we'll ever be able to comprehend. What in this life could possibly be more valuable than these? What gifts could possibly be more precious?

I have come to realize that it doesn't matter what kind of car I drive or what kind of clothes I wear. It doesn't matter if I live a life of luxury or if I just get by. The people in my life are what matter. The life I share with them and the love we share with each other are the things that make me rich. They are my treasures.

When we die someday, it won't matter if we had a million dollars or ten dollars. We can't take our material things with us. However, the lives we lived and the love we shared with others will shape the legacies we leave behind.

I don't want to be remembered by what I had in this world. I want to be remembered by who I was in this world. I pray the legacy I leave behind will be defined by the kind of life I lived, and the love I shared with others. Not the material things I possessed or the things I did for myself.

As we wake up each morning, we should all take a moment to reflect on the positive things in our lives. When is the last time you slowed down enough to do that? Perhaps you could start with the fact that you are alive today. The fact that you woke up this morning and were given another day on this Earth is an amazing gift. Our very lives are valuable treasures. Every breath we take is precious.

My hope is that each day we will all be able to slow down enough to reflect on the most valuable things in our lives. Even when life is hard, may we all try to identify the positives in our lives and not only dwell on the negatives. May we all strive to remember life's greatest gifts.