Gratitude

It’s Thanksgiving and like so many others who have been posting on social media all day, I have so much to be grateful for. I decided the essential oil that would be perfect for today was “Gratitude”.    After inhaling it I spent some time meditating on all the things I am grateful for.

As I was baking pies to take to dinner at my parents’ house, I found myself thinking of the many “tests” I had faced during my life. Instead of feeling resentful or angry I felt my heart warm with a different type of gratitude. I experienced a growing feeling of thankfulness for the many things I had learned with each test, and for the woman I have become as a result of each one.

I have always looked at life’s tests as an opportunity for my faith to grow. Each test has seemed harder than the preceding one to the point that I would think I couldn’t possibly survive another one. My life growing up was pretty much a storybook life. I have wonderful parents and two equally wonderful younger brothers. We were brought up with a strong sense of faith, family and commitment to each other. This does not mean that my brothers and I always got along. I was a wicked older sister who would have nothing to do with them. It wasn’t until I went away to nursing school that I realized how truly special my family was, especially my brothers.

I was pretty naive about life in general, as I had not experienced many hardships. I was fortunate to have a college education and a career as a nurse. I had married my college sweetheart and thought that life couldn’t possibly get any better.  Talk about rose colored glasses!! It is good that I didn’t know what my future held, or I might have not gotten out of bed ever again!

The next 30+ years proved to be a rollercoaster of events, each one more difficult than the preceding one. Two divorces, my father (who is my John Wayne) having colon cancer, multiple miscarriages, a baby with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, my older son paralyzed in a freak accident as a teen (he made a full recovery) ……you name it, it happened. Remarkably, as each test got harder, my faith grew stronger and I learned many valuable life lessons.

This morning as I looked out the kitchen window, I found myself smiling at how great my life is and how fortunate I have been.   My most resent test is by far the hardest and longest of them all.  I guess I haven’t learned all that I need to learn! It has provided me with opportunities in my life that I would not have had. One of these opportunities is my involvement with Young Living. I am fascinated with all that I have learned since starting with essential oils in 2014. My life has changed on so many levels as have the lives of the people I work with. Truth be told, I would give just about anything to have this test concluded.  But, by the same token, I would not change anything that has happened over the past five years.

Recently I’ve started looking at life’s test as “opportunities”. They are opportunities for growth on so many levels. I will admit that they are challenges that can be daunting at times, but the final outcome is so much better than anything I could have ever dreamed possible.

My business and life coach (Becky Mashuta – everyone needs her, trust me) gave me the most wonderful tool ……………. Whenever I’m facing a particularly challenging “opportunity” and I feel overwhelmed, I simply ask myself “is this something that I can handle with my God?”. The answer is ALWAYS a resounding YES!!

What opportunity are you facing today and how are you handling it?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Alicia

www.alicia-anne.com

www.myyl.com/alicia-anne