Frequently, we forget to appreciate our life, as it is, when we’re focused on obtaining more stuff. Maybe we don’t live in a palace, and maybe we haven’t gotten all that we would like to experience in this world quite yet, but surely there is plenty in our life for which we can be grateful.  I knew a young man once, named Miguel, who didn’t seem to have many worldly things. He rented a tiny room built on the side of my neighbor’s garage. He worked as a janitor at night and did odd jobs around the neighborhood during the day. My neighbor told me that he sent most of his scant wages to his family who lived somewhere in Mexico. Yet, I’d never seen a happier person. He walked with joy in his step, he genuinely whistled while he worked, and there was always light in his large, brown eyes. Curious as to how he could sustain so much joy, I asked him his secret. He answered simply, “Any day above ground is a good day.”

Let’s face it, earth life is a limited offer. Life on the planet is finite. But, we’re here now! No matter how his life might have seemed to others, for Miguel, being alive was a cause for celebration. Our life is a miracle that we have not made or earned. As the saying goes, “Life is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present.” However, have we said, “thank you” for the gift and does our life express our gratitude? Or, instead, are we holding back for for more…and more “things” before we sing our song of thanksgiving?

If we had all the worldly goods that money could buy, but we couldn’t feel appreciation for them, what good would our possessions be to us? And, likewise, if we were able to feel joy in being alive, whether we possessed anything at all, then our “neediness” would disappear.

Prosperity and abundant good but be just around the corner, but we hold the gift of “the present” in our hands right now. Today, let’s dance with the Spirit to a song of praise.

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