Dying Man’s Daily Journal – Day to celebrate/appreciate life

Every day we life is a gift, not a given. It is something we should realize and appreciate everyday. The the human body, the human mind is such an intricate design it is beyond belief. It is so durable, so reliable we take it for granted. It is so durable, yet life can be so fragile and can be gone in a second.

Daily we hear of people killed in automobile accidents or in hundreds of bizarre or unexpected ways. When those people awoke those days, do you think anyone of them could have imagined what was instore for them that day? I some how don’t think so, instead I imagine they just took it for granted they were taking life for granted.

As we rush through our busy lives we take so very much for granted. what I think is the most sad of all is taking health and family for granted and we are all guilty of that. There are thousands of other things in our daily lives. I could go on with an almost endless list, but instead will give just one example that I hope will illustrate the point I am trying to make. If you are realing this you are on a computer. I am not even going to get into how amazing computers or this whole internet thing are. I am going right to the basic, you have electricity.  It is an essential to our lives, it heats our homes, lights our homes, allows us to cook our food……. We have it and take it for granted and not appreciate it for one of the gifts we have in our lives, we are the lucky ones, a large portion of the world’s population don’t heve what we take for granted.

Now, as I see it, Thanksgiving is a day set aside to appreciate the wonders in our lives. Now I am speaking only for myself here. For me in the past usually Thanksgiving was nothing more than a gathering of family and sometimes friends. Now that in itself is wonderful. As I think back I realize for me, it was more a party with family and again that is wonderful. But, the “thanks” part, the gratitude part was missing at least in my heart. Often someone would say a prayer giving thanks just before the big meal. Usually, even during that my thoughts were elsewhere, on the meal itself or things I had to or wanted to do while we were all together. Why did I have to hear the words, “you are dying” before my heart was seemingly able to be truly grateful or for my mind to appreciate all that is in my life.

I remember a few times when someone would call on us all to say something that we were grateful for on that day. I think most if not all responded with it being family and again I think that is wonderful. That was always my answer and I meant it. Why is it that so very often it seems that recognition and gratitude of family seems to only last for those few short moments?

In my ususal rambling way I have finally reached the main point I am trying to make in all of this.

I am a very lucky man and I know it. The Good Lord smiled down on me when He gave me the family I have and all the people I have in my life, that most certainly includes all of my dear blogging friends. I am so very grateful for and do appreciate eveyone and every thing. (even electricity).

Let’s for a moment assume you are aware of and do appreciate everything you do have in you life. Again, let’s take it back to the most basic thing of all. Everything I have talked about are things in your life, they are not your life. Have you ever given any thought of gratitude for the basic fact that there is life in your body. Without that spark of life, you simply would not be here to enjoy or appreciate all of the rest.

On a daily basis life is a gift not a given.It is the most wonderful gift of all for without it nothing else matters. Again, it took hearing the words, you are dying before I could come anywhere near realizing or appreciating that.

If we could somehow come to realize and appreciate the value of this wonderful gift, the gift of our own lives, would we live it differently?

The ideal is obviously to be able to appreciate life while in good health. Poor health cam make things so much more difficult but does not mean we have to stop living or appreciating life.  As long as there is a spark of life left in this body of mine, I will appreciate it and live it to the fullest.

Please help me celebrate our lives on November 1st.