I was asked, about 25 years ago, what I wanted to do with my life. Being a recent college graduate and a newly engaged 20-something, I had to think before responding too quickly. Even so, my answer stunned the man who had asked… I wanted to get married and have two kids but my goal was to raise them to become “productive members of society” and remain married to the same man for my entire life… anything beyond that was “gravy”.
While I was a bit idealistic in my thinking, the fact remains that this has always been my life’s primary focus. Now that my boys have grown into men and don’t need so much of my hands-on attention, I’m learning to find a great deal of joy and contentment in the “gravy” of my life. I find joy in capturing a unique moment in sports with my camera. I find joy in spending hours in the car with my husband, who is also my best friend. I find joy in working at a winery and sharing the knowledge I gain with others. More than that, I also find joy in the daily routine of my life. Although I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis over 15 years ago, I don’t ever let that define who I am… searching for, and acknowledging, the joy in my life is far more important. By focusing on the joy and blessings of my life, I can allow the positive to outweigh the negative… and isn’t that a much better way to live?
This is a tangible way for me to focus on the joys and blessings of my life. Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful. We’re all told to “find our bliss”. This is my way of doing so… and I hope you enjoy following my journey.
Beatitudes of my life 