“Strange as it may sound, we can choose joy. Two people can be part of the same event, but one may choose to live it quite differently than the other. One may choose to trust that what happened, painful as it may be, holds a promise. The other may choose despair and be destroyed by it.” (Henri Nouwen)

                Life does not happen without challenges. We all will experience heart break and disappointment, but we can also experience our share of triumphs, smiles, and the joy of communion with others.

               A practical exercise to help you choose joy in the face of any circumstance, is one that I practice called the 10/10 exercise. Each day when you get up in the morning, spend a few minutes thinking about, and writing down, the things you are grateful for. They can be big things like a loving spouse or a new job, or small things like a smile from your neighbor or a beautiful sunrise. It is ok to write some of the same ones down each day.

                In my case I cannot see the beautiful sunrise coming through the window. Neither can I enjoy the simplicity and comfort of seeing my parents faces or the swoosh of my dog’s tail as she greets me, but instead I “can” choose to smell, taste, hear, touch, and “sense” the overwhelming joy in the air that fills God’s creation all around me! I’ve lost all my eye sight, much or my hearing, and some of the strength in my legs, but it does me no good to focus on that. Instead I choose to be grateful for the fact that my sense of smell is much keener, my touch more discriminating, and my hearing more perceptive. My impression of others is not clouded by what I see, because I am learning to see with my ears and my heart. I view this as a gift.

                Life happens every day, every minute, and every second. How will you choose to react to what it brings your way? Will you try to take this journey on your own, or will you choose to nourish the relationships that God has blessed you with? Will you choose gratitude over getting stuck in resentment and fear? There are countless choices we are forced to make each and every day. Having an attitude born of gratitude helps us to live our lives with more joy and the promise of a better tomorrow. That is my wish and prayer for you.

Always remember that the best is yet to come!