Shuck: Finding the wonder in life

I sat in a chair, leaned back and flung both arms toward the sky. I took a deep breath and filled my lungs with air. Inside, excitement framed my whole being as I exhaled and basked in my appreciative mood.

That day was one that could be described as a normal day. I had nothing particularly planned, to bring me joy. There were no upcoming trips on my horizon, I had nothing materially, to which I was looking forward, or no special social engagements on my calendar. Yet inside, I felt that I was immersed inside a beautiful, colorful, bubble. My joy was indescribable. "Why," I asked. The Christmas Holidays were over and the celebrations of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day had brought us all into a new era. I felt that the old had passed away and the new had taken its place. We could forget the bad, unfortunate happenings of yesteryear, yet, remember and learn from them. We could, now, open our minds and welcome the new. "WOW," I thought to myself, "I have so much for which to be thankful. The world is my oyster. I can make something good out of it or I can shatter it with my selfishness and complaining."

I felt so proud, happy, and eager, as I pondered the future, a place where I could start all over again. Even though I may be unable to change things physically, I can certainly try to control my outlook. I can take responsibility for my thoughts and make it a point to look for the good, rather than find fault. I jumped with glee, inside.

I saw before me, the differences in the weather patterns, the appearance and warmth of the sunshine, and the cold, rainy and average days. The changes provided interest and anticipation in my world--something different, something awesome. I understood the statement made by a news anchor that I heard recently. "I can't wait to get out of bed every morning," she said. "The minute my feet hit the floor, I want to see what has happened." The woman woke with the expectation and excitement of looking forward to what was ahead, how she could prepare for it and what she could do about it. One could say that her attitude was like those who like to chase ambulances and police cars, but she had a far more worthy and purposeful mission than that. The world is indeed like a wheel. It constantly turns and our part in it does the same. We try to keep up, to a point, yet we cherish our peace, stowed away in our secret place inside us. We can happily wonder what God has in store for us. If we look for good gifts from the Holy One, we will receive them, if we look, instead, towards the bad, tragic and worrisome happenings, that , will be our miserable reward.

The world possesses an entirely different slant when we think of it as the Kingdom of God. We can think of it as a place of beauty and love, and we will do our part in helping to make it so. We will ask how we can help to bring peace and joy into its landscape.

God brings wonder, surprise and joy to people during all stages in life. It's like when we watch a movie or read a book. Each time we see or read it, we find something new and different. Our perspective changes as we become older and our understanding fits our present situation, age, needs and acquired wisdom. I hope I shall never stop looking for the daily surprises that God has in store for me. Everyone encounters worry, hardships, disappointments and being rejected. Those types of heartbreaking occurrences touch every one's lives. No one escapes the sting of sadness but we can all decide to go on.

We can experience many, Aha! moments, as our perceptions of what we see and hear change. If we watch and delve deep within what happens on a daily basis, we will, ourselves, experience manifestations and epiphanies -- those moments of wonder in which we suddenly realize something we've never known before.