“If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.”

                                                             via FreeDigitalPhotos.net


It is so easy to forget as we go about our own lives that those around us may be facing battles we simply aren't aware of. It's not that we are self centered or uncaring, but that we become so wrapped up in our own lives that we simply don't see what is around us.

Last night, I learned that a young man in my community is battling a brain tumor. Not only is this young man in my community, he has been a close friend with my son since they were young children.Yet, I have been oblivious to his struggles. Not because I didn't care, but because I've been too caught up in my little world to even notice.

Although my heart goes out to this young man and I wish him peace and comfort as he struggles to overcome  this hurdle, it also goes out to his friends who are suddenly confronted with their mortality. At 26, one shouldn't have to think about such frightening possibilities.

His friends have rallied to begin fundraising to provide this young man with the financial resources to travel to the Cancer Center for treatment. Feel free to share the link with anyone who can help them reach their goal and alleviate the stress of worrying about not having the gas to travel to and from treatments. HELP Josh get the treatment he needs.

Today, I am grateful for my own health and the health of my family. May we learn not to take good health for granted and give thanks for it daily.

I am grateful for the sound of rain on the window, the coming of fall when the air smells crisp and earthy, and for my garden as it prepares for a long winter's sleep. I am grateful for squirrels and chipmunks that scurry to collect nature's bounty of seeds and nuts for a mid-winter feast.

I am grateful for the sun that will soon return, for the brightly-colored foliage and for fall flowers that continue to bloom. I am grateful for birds that wing their way south with a promise to return again in the spring. May their journey be joyous and food be plentiful.

I am grateful for work that keeps me busy, for inspiration to take my writing to new levels, and for readers who are blessed by my words.

I am grateful for eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to love.

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May your day be filled with peace as you go forward in the direction of your dreams.