Deciding to be Happy

Think about how many choices you make a day. When to set the alarm, what to have for breakfast, what to wear, which route to take to work, when to make a doctors' appointment, what to cook the kids for dinner? Sometimes I think I make a hundred decisions a day. Some decisions come quickly and others we ponder for hours, days, weeks. I've learned that one of the best decisions we can make for ourselves is deciding to be happy. That may seem hard to do with all of the challenges that are thrown at us on a daily basis. It's hard to be happy when you have piles of bills to pay, if you are struggling with a health crisis, if your kids or spouse seem ungrateful for your sacrifices, if you have to deal with difficult co-workers or a boss that doesn't recognize your worth  - the list goes on and on. But, it's important that we don't let negative events or the negative energy of others invade our peace of mind. For me, one of the best ways to accomplish this is to focus on God's blessings, no matter how small. 

I was facing a very challenging day. There were some things that were weighing heavily on my mind and I could feel myself having a small pity party and I wanted to put the brakes on it right away. So, I decided that I throughout the day, I was going to take note of any and everything that was beautiful, funny or that I was just plain grateful for. As soon as I put the words into the universe, the first thing happened: my dad called me. I always love talking to Dad because he's so philosophical and he always puts me in a good mood, letting me know that I can handle anything. It might have been a conversation that I took for granted before I decided that everything good that day was going to hold some significance. But, when I got off the phone, I gave thanks that I had my daddy and that he loves me. The next thing, that I took note of - the beautiful weather. It was a sunny and beautiful day. I had been watching the news and other parts of the country were dealing with tremendously cold weather. Being here in LA, we get spoiled with the good weather - taking it for granted. But, today, I gave thanks that the day was clear and I could see the mountains from my window. On my way to run errands for the day, I was distracted for a moment and about to miss my exit on the freeway. As, I tried to make my way from the middle lane to the right, a couple cars sped up preventing me from getting over. As I was about to get frustrated by the thought of having to go a mile out of my way, a nice woman slowed a bit so I could get over and I was able to make my exit. Small, but, today, I'm taking note of all that I can. In search of more stuff in the "good" column, I was in the elevator at the public building and this little boy looked at his mom and said, loudly, "Mommy, I have to poop!". The look on the mother's face caused everyone to smile. Was good enough for me. The day went on and I wrote down everything that I could: seeing an old friend in the post office who told me about the new Zumba class that she was teaching, a residual check for .01 cent that I was able to laugh with my girlfriend about, my cousin from Georgia sending me an encouraging text, a parking spot right in front of the mall - the list went on and on. On a usual day, most of these things would never have been remembered but, once I made the decision to be happy that day, they all made me feel better. By the end of the day, I had about 20 positive things written down and it made me realize that the blessings are always there - I just had to look for them.  In no way do these things erase real problems and real problems still have to be dealt with. But, what I found was that I wasn't OVERWHELMED by the issues of the day, and it gave me the control over what to focus on.  And, I have to admit, when I need a laugh, I just remember the little boy in the elevator and instantly, I feel better. xo, Shaun

Your Purpose

This morning, I woke up with a renewed passion. I always try to start my day giving thanks to God for waking me up. "Thank you, Lord" are the first words that I utter - not audibly but, very consciously. This is something that just comes so naturally for me because of what my parents and grandparents instilled in me as a child - that life is a blessing. I remember, as far back as 5-years-old, the last words that I spoke at night were a prayer - "Now, I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." Hands clasped, eyes closed and kneeling at the side of my bed, my little prayer would continue: "God please bless all the sick people and poor people." (Which really included US). Next, on my list was my family starting with "God bless Mom, Dad, Michael, Grandma, Mama Ashie, Daddy Jimmy, Papa, Mama Nonie, Grandpa Robinson..." and go on and on until I couldn't think of any more relatives. Then, I would give an "Amen", make the sign of the Cross, jump in bed, tucked in with a kiss on the forehead from Mom or Grandma. 

I had no worries as a child - never fearing that God would let me "die before I wake".  Today...Michael, Grandma, Mama Ashie, Daddy Jimmy, Papa, Mama Nonie, Grandpa Robinson, and a host of others who were on my little prayer list, have gone on to heaven - their souls resting with God - just like I asked Him as a child and I know He has answered me. 

Life IS a blessing. But, it is also a challenge. My sleep as a child was never interrupted by worries of bills, job stress, bullying, the NFL's odd and changing domestic violence policy, Ferguson, ISIS, the missing girls in Nigeria and all the other world chaos we are confronted with when we turn on the news. The caption that I posted along with the picture above of this incredibly angelic little baby was, "Just Pray". This photo and that simple message were met with close to a HALF MILLION "Likes" on my Facebook page and 10,000 comments - numbers that truly overwhelmed me. Just looking at this child in earnest prayer inspired so many. It's one of my favorite pictures ever.

Someone said to me, "But we can't just pray away all of these horrible things happening in the world." We all know that is true. I said at the beginning that I woke up this morning with a renewed passion. Actually, that passion comes to me most mornings. It comes to me when I give thanks for another day to use every fiber of my being to change the world for the better. That passion comes to me when I thank God for my eyesight to see the things I need to help change, for my hearing to hear the voices of the girls I want to inspire, and for my health that enables me to get out of the bed and make a difference. 

Of course, we can't just pray away problems. But, we can use prayer to become more in tune to the needs of others and to have faith that God is working in us to give us the strength we need to meet every challenge with courage and optimism - that everything is evolving for our greater good. ~Amen.