It is always nice to get away for a little vacation and one of the really great benefits of getting away is being able to open up your mind, so you can be reminded of what is really important. This morning, I headed down to the beach to watch the sun rise, but I did not get to see it, because of the thick cloud cover. That was okay, because even though I could not see it rise, knew that it was and without any doubts. That got me to thinking about other things that I am sure of and here are a few that remind me of how blessed I really am.

Faith, Family and Friends. I want to take them in reverse order:

Friends: If you have people that you get to do life with, then you are very blessed. We are here at the beach visiting with friends and last night as we sat around the table enjoying our dinner, we laughed and laughed. It is so great to have people that you can totally be yourself with and not have to worry about judgement. It’s nice to have people that you know have your back no matter what. And it is nice to have people that you have no desire to judge and that you get to be there for. A real friend is someone who loves you with no expectation of anything in return and if you are blessed to have one and be one, then you are truly blessed.

Family: Someone said you don’t get to choose your family and in some instances that is kinda true, but you do get to choose your reaction and interaction with your family. And even in the most challenged of families, we are blessed to always be able to find someone who supports and loves us not matter what. My family helped to shape who I am today and they continue to shape me by supporting me and encouraging me as I continue to grow into the man that I was created to be. You may not get to choose your family, but you can choose to live your life in such a way that you are a blessing to them and the beautiful thing is that as you bless them, it usually comes back to you triple fold.

Faith: Having something to believe in makes all the difference in this world, You have a Creator that believes in you! No matter who you are, where you’ve come from, what you have done or haven’t done, your Creator loves you and has an amazing purpose for your life. Your Creator wants to bless you and allow you to walk through this human experience with favor. Belief is a very powerful thing and this is why it is so important to make sure that our belief is focused in the right direction. Believe in the One Who created you and Believe that you were created on purpose and for a purpose and then go for it, like you believe it!

If you have faith, family and friends, then you are a very blessed person! I am a very blessed person! Thank you for being my friend! Thank you for being a part of my family! Thank you for having faith! I am not only blessed, I am also grateful…