There But For The Grace Of God Go I ~ #MondayBlogs

Years ago I used to share office space with a lovely lady by the name of Ruth. Whenever Ruth heard of anyone's misfortune she always uttered the words "There But For The Grace Of God Go I."  Through the many years since I worked with her I've often found myself uttering those words in appreciation of my own blessings.

It's hard to hear news of someone else's sorrows and not empathize and when we empathize we find ourselves shuddering in fear as we realize the same thing could have happened to us. And we are thankful that it didn't — and then maybe we feel a tad guilty even though we shouldn't. Being grateful for our own fortunes doesn't mean that we don't feel for them.

We should always realize the things we have to be thankful for and never turn our backs because not everything goes our way. We should also, no matter how strongly we feel someone else's pain, never lose sight of joys. Each morning that we wake is an opportunity and each night that we close our eyes to sleep is an achievement.

A good reminder for me and the way I live my life is the Tarot card, the five-of-cups. The common depiction is of a sorrowful figure who is focusing  on three overturned spilled cups and ignoring the two full cups behind; although the meaning is a card of loss, it shows us that there is still something left. Never ignore all the joys and riches you have in life, concentrate on the good things. Like the old adage, "When life gives you lemons make lemonade," life is what you make of it.

Does this mean that we have to settle, no. We are still allowed to want, to set goals for ourselves, and even to appreciate the occasional win. We can be happy. I think the moral is that we shouldn't devalue the good things we have no matter what we may not have gotten in our lives. 

Appreciate everyone you have in your life.
Be happy with the things you have.
Enjoy life.