BECAUSE I'M HAPPY (^^,)

Over the past couple of years I have decidedly psyched myself up (even when there's nothing to be psyched about) for my Birthday because I came to realise that it makes the thought of ageing suck a little less! LOL.Walt Disney said, "Adults are only kids grown up anyway." On the real though, I have come to believe that celebrating your birthday is a form of gratitude. What better time than this to be intentional about counting your blessings. Most of the times, we look to other people to make this day and our lives for that matter "happy", but it's really up to us whether to be intentionally enthusiastic about it, or not. “It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude. It’s gratitude that brings us happiness.” – Anonymous When I think about the many people I know who are no longer with us, like my sweet grandma who passed away this year, I feel that neglecting to express my gratitude for yet another year of life may just be thoughtless.

I realize there are people who don't celebrate because of some tragedy that occurred in their lives around or at the time of their Birthday and this is understandable. Whatever your reason for not wanting to accord any special meaning to your Birthday, everyone has a right to their perspective. There are many cynics who will tell you that Birthdays are not worth celebrating. But that mostly depends on their definition of what it means to "celebrate". And also whether they view the glass as half full or half empty. Although Birthdays are a reminder that we are getting older, that's not all they are. As I was piecing this blog entry together, I discovered that there's a growing body of research on the benefits of gratitude. Most of them conclude that grateful people are happier and more content. So it stands to reason that practicing gratitude on a daily basis, and especially on your Birthday, would make you happy on it. Among the benefits of being grateful, personally I have found that it draws me away from depression. Being grateful does me the world of good, and if you're willing to try it, I hope it can do the same for you. 

Try making a gratitude list on your Birthday, it might make a difference. You don't necessarily have to share your list (mental or written) with anyone in order to experience the benefits of gratitude. It is important to be honest with yourself about what you are truly grateful for, and not about what you merely hope to be grateful for. The latter is counterproductive to the process because it is forced. Some argue that Birthdays are not worth celebrating because they are not achievements. Sure they are not. I don't congratulate myself for "surviving yet another year" because I have no power to keep myself alive; so on the day my passage into this world was granted, I give thanks to the One Who alone has the power to grant it and takes pleasure in sustaining it. 

Here is an inexhaustive list of things I am grateful for today: 

I am grateful for how I remember my father with warmth more than I do with pain. Although the pain never fully goes away, and can at times be triggered, it is not as CONSTANT as it used to be, nor is it as debilitating. I am grateful for the strong relationship I had with him because it is the foundation from which I find it easy to relate with God as a Father. 

I'm grateful for our son's progress, and for his infectious laugh. I'm grateful for God's timely provisions.

I am grateful for the beautiful friendship that I developed with my mother, and the candid conversations we are able to have that as a younger woman we could not; for how we share our lives more than we did when I was just another teenager she could not understand. 

I'm grateful for the friends that inspite of how much my life has changed in the past five years, they have been purposeful about remaining in it. I acknowledge that God does not work in vacuums. I am grateful for the people He chooses to use to add value to my life and make it worth living.

I'm grateful that my hands are never without something to do. 

Taking nothing for granted truly does make for a miraculous life. Family, friends, I am grateful. And this is why when you have been blessed to see another year, when it's within my power, and sometimes when it's not, I endeavour to go out of my way to make you feel celebrated. 

Wishing you all WHOLENESS and a continued blessed existence, all ways and always. 

 Big Love,

 Nicole