The ability to open our eyes and celebrate life daily; to make our world better is a great gift and an opportunity that should never be taken for granted. JPJ

So I just realized I had missed a friend’s birthday. I was feeling bad so I finally mentioned it at the same time expressing how sorry I was and wished a happy belated birthday. I was not surprised by the response because if I were to be honest my response would have been pretty much the same “no biggie” that I heard.

Then the thought hit me, why do we say “no biggie” as in no big deal. Is it that our ideal of how a birthday should be celebrated does not conform to the world’s standard and therefore if we are not putting on a big bash then it’s just another day? There are birthday celebrations that are “off the chain”…sweet sixteen parties turning into all night gala affairs. The big four zero that is ushered in with lots of fanfare etc. That is the world’s standard, but what about persons who do not have the resources, friends or simply choose to defer the big celebration in that manner…what do they do, count it as another uneventful day?

Life was meant to be celebrated, it doesn’t matter if we have a big bash or a quiet time with those closest to us,  once we get a single day to shine, we should shine. We should not count it as just another day because we are not shining in the way that the world expects us to shine. Once again we are caught up with experiencing our lives through the eyes of others. We have to admit that sometimes it’s all fluff, when we get down to the “nitty gritty” of it all, we are all that we need to shine.

Each birthday we have is an achievement to be thankful for, it should be welcomed and celebrated because it gives us an opportunity to look forward to another year. Another year with the possibility of changing our lives and that of others, being able to make the impact we thought impossible before. It is a new year to make changes from negative experiences into positive ones. It’s a new year to correct past mistakes and begin new. To say I love you as many times as needed and the list goes on…to become “the best thing since sliced bread” as some would say.

Where would we rather be, in the ground or above ground? And that in itself makes it a big thing.

This is great inspiration to us to celebrate life and be happy that we are alive. Be blessed.

Isaiah 55:12 (TLB) “You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills, the trees of the field—all the world around you—will rejoice”.

Affirm: I will celebrate life daily; I understand that it is a great gift and an opportunity that I should never take for granted.