I Am Blessed, I Am Grateful...

     I celebrate my birthday today with a thankful heart and a humbled spirit.  Words cannot fully illustrate my gratitude and to bespeak them will always be an understatement.  I live not a perfect life but I have made it my rule to always look at it with positivity and deal with circumstances with sincere optimism.  It doesn't make me complacent nor less vigilant, instead, I acknowledge imperfections for what they are.  And then I take the challenge without losing sight of what's truly important.

     We have things to learn from each moment of life and yes -- even from the darkest of hours.  To face it with optimism requires nothing less but courage and character, and at the end, for what we have lost, we also have gains.  We gain truth from the pain, strengths from the weaknesses, realizations from the shortcomings, maturity from the experiences, acceptance from defeat.

     We must recognize that life isn't perfect, but we must also acknowledge that it don't need to be if we are content of what we have.  Contentment does not mean we need to be stagnant.  We still continue to dream, and make them real.  We know all too well that life is a struggle -- it's a never ending battle for happiness and peace of mind, for recognition and worth, for a little space on this earth.  And life and its battles does not end when we reach the bottom or hit a dead-end.  It doesn't end when we get broken or stepped on or disappointed.  It goes on, it moves on.  And it moves on with a thankful heart and a resilient spirit.

Today on my birthday, I am thankful because...

     I am blessed with wonderful parents who taught me how to love, how to care and how to be responsible.  They taught me to be real, to be who I am -- though imperfect yet they taught me to be the best of who I can become.  I am blessed with awesome and inspiring friends, though they may be few, they have taught me how to be humble, how to be sincere and how to inspire others the same way they have inspired me.  My friends have taught me how to become a friend.

     I am blessed with the things I know so I try to share them with others when needed.  And I am also blessed with the things I am yet to learn, because they give me the opportunity to improve myself.

     I am blessed with things I yearn for, because they teach me how to dream and look forward to tomorrow.  Then I learn how to hope and have faith.

     I am blessed with my fears, because they've taught me how to value myself, my strengths, and to cherish the people I love whom I fear of losing.  I learned that courage is not the absence of fear but mastery of it.

     I am blessed with the things I've lost, because they made me treasure the here and now, and what I have.  

     I am blessed with my imperfections, because with them, I know I shall find someone (or have found someone) who compliments them and makes them perfect.

     I am blessed with wonderful challenges and opportunities that have made me learn more about life, about people and about myself each day and every day

     I am blessed with a journey that is just as interesting as the destination.  The life experiences and the lessons made me who I am, what I believe in and perhaps what I shall become.

     I am blessed with a God who is steadfast, loyal, humble and true.  I will continue to pray that He make me a better person each day.  I will ask him to make my faith grow stronger and that I be the person whom He wants me to become.

     And I am thankful and shall be grateful not just today but every day for the rest of my life.

     Today is indeed a happy birthday!  You may leave some birthday greetings and wishes on the comments' section below.  Thank you for reading and see ya on my next post!

tags: things to be thankful for in this life