Monday, December 15, 2008

Your Wish List



This is the time of year where many of us are making our wish lists for gifts we would love to receive. Some of the popular current items may be an Ipod and accessories, a new computer, a flat screen t.v., a puppy, electronic games, clothes, perfume, gift certificates for our favorite restaurants, a digital camera, and of course, jewelry.

Now if you can imagine how long your joy would last with these items, please keep in mind that they will wear out, break, be used up or will soon be out-dated. When that happens, we will then be updating our wish lists with new things to take the place of the old stuff. Although, I know these items can bring some enjoyment, I cannot help but think what it would be like if everyone had a different wish list that would be filled with items that wouldn't wear out or could ever be depleted.

Some of the things on my wish list are to have the feelings of peace, love, joy and gratitude even more of the time than I do now. I would wish for ease and enjoyment in all that I do....even the stuff I never enjoyed before. I would want to have meaningful relationships with others where unconditional love and understanding would always be present. I would wish for opportunities to serve others in a way that consistently brought joy to me at the same time. I'd wish for fun, no matter what I was doing. I would wish for insights into finding answers to questions that have always been difficult to understand. I would wish for abundance, so I could share it more freely and generously with others. I'd wish for opportunities to learn and explore new ways of thinking and doing things.

And the one big wish which would cover all of the other things on my list would be to remember that these things, or the potential to be experiencing them, are already within me. I don't have to wait for someone to hand me a package, nicely wrapped with a special item inside. I don't need to open a gift, I just need to be open.

It is our being opened that allows the beauty of these gifts to be present and felt. If we are distracted by all that is wrong or missing in our lives, then naturally we will be feeling the effects of lack with notable discomfort. If we focus on being grateful, we cannot help but feel the abundance of life available and ready to be received.



No comments: