Celebrate Life!

Karin Rochelle

There is so much to be grateful for. The sunrise, the sunset, the air we breathe, the freedoms and quality of life we have, the friends and family we are able to share time with, the fact that we have time to share…the list goes on and on. BUT there are days when nothing seems to go right.  Days you are lucky if positive energy doesn’t get zapped into the ground, leaving you a pile of negativity.

Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty? 

When we look at things from a negative perspective, we cannot see when something positive DOES happen. I had a friend who would tell me, you cannot know joy without pain. While no one wishes to have pain in their lives, on any level, joy would not seem as profound without it. I am not saying you should go CREATE situations that bring pain. I am suggesting that in those moments, when you can’t get away from inevitable loss and pain, it is in your best interest to look at the positive, serving goodness that still surrounds you.

Recently my friend lost her uncle, a man I had become close to as well. When he died of cancer, I lost him too, along with his smile. And, knowing he was going to die did not help the situation. While everyone handles death differently, I cried tears of sorrow and soon moved into the phase of celebrating the moments I enjoyed with him, which were not as many as I would have liked. What made it an especially difficult time for me was the fact I had just lost a beloved pet cat and my great grandmother all within six months.

Opportunity to Honor and Celebrate

This year I took part in a memorial service that allowed people to celebrate the lives of those who had passed on before them. We were each given a rose and encouraged to look beyond their loved one’s death to celebrate the life lived. I think I can take this further. I would like to celebrate their lives, and mine.  Even if they were taken too soon, I have not been taken yet, which means I still have something to live for. I celebrate their life, and I celebrate mine.

Death and grief are some of those “inevitable” pains I spoke of and not things we can ignore or take lightly. The important thing to remember is to spend more time celebrating the life of those we’ve lost rather than regret the time we did NOT get to spend with them.  Pictured to the left is a  bracelet that says “Celebrate Life”! I am sure each person who wears the bracelet finds their own unique meaning. I would like to encourage you to celebrate life; the fact that you are still breathing and have been given more time on this earth to do what it is you are here to do…your purpose.  If you know what your purpose is, I encourage you to move forward in it.  If you DON’T know your purpose, seek it out.

Whose life do you need to celebrate?