It is good to be thankful for what you have in life
and what you have accomplished. But I must open my
eyes to the larger picture. If I am to appreciate
the fruits of life, I must first appreciate the tree
that bears the fruit: birth itself.
Birth is my beginning. It is a window to the
chance of a lifetime, the chance to fulfill my
unique mission. So a birthday is a momentous
occasion to be commemorated just as a nation
commemorates its birth or as an organization
celebrates its founding. Still, it is much more than
an occasion to receive gifts. It is a chance to
remember the day that a major event occurred, to
celebrate and give thanks and to reflect upon how
well I am fulfilling my calling.
Because time itself is like a spiral, something
special happens on our birthday each year: The
same energy that God invested in us at birth is
present once again. It is our duty to be receptive
to that force. How do we do so? By committing to
a life guided by God's will, and by using the
abilities and resources we were born with to
perfect ourselves and society, and to make the
world a good and sacred home for God.
A birthday is a time to celebrate birth itself, the
joy of life. It is also an occasion to rethink your
life: How great is the disparity between what I
have accomplished and what I can accomplish?
Am I spending my time properly or am I involved
in things that distract me from my higher calling?
How can I strengthen the thread that connects my
outer life and my inner life?
A birthday can also teach us the concept of
rebirth. To recall our birth is to recall a new
beginning. No matter how things went yesterday,
or last year, we always have the capacity to try
again. Our birthday is a refresher, a chance for
regeneration--not just materially, but spiritually.
On birthdays, gather with family and friends
and study something meaningful together.
There is no better way to celebrate a birthday
than to commit a special act of goodness. It is
easy enough to say you are thankful; it is far
better to show it by doing a kind deed, something
that you did not do yesterday. Not because
someone is forcing you. Not because someone
suggests it. But simply because your inner
goodness, your soul, wants to express its thanks
for being born and alive.
Such an act of kindness gives God great pleasure,
because He sees that the child in whom He
invested, the particular child he wanted to be
born on a particular day, is living up to its
potential. And nothing, of course, gives a parent
greater joy. This is the true experience of birth,
the true beginning of a life of meaning.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME....
and what you have accomplished. But I must open my
eyes to the larger picture. If I am to appreciate
the fruits of life, I must first appreciate the tree
that bears the fruit: birth itself.
Birth is my beginning. It is a window to the
chance of a lifetime, the chance to fulfill my
unique mission. So a birthday is a momentous
occasion to be commemorated just as a nation
commemorates its birth or as an organization
celebrates its founding. Still, it is much more than
an occasion to receive gifts. It is a chance to
remember the day that a major event occurred, to
celebrate and give thanks and to reflect upon how
well I am fulfilling my calling.
Because time itself is like a spiral, something
special happens on our birthday each year: The
same energy that God invested in us at birth is
present once again. It is our duty to be receptive
to that force. How do we do so? By committing to
a life guided by God's will, and by using the
abilities and resources we were born with to
perfect ourselves and society, and to make the
world a good and sacred home for God.
A birthday is a time to celebrate birth itself, the
joy of life. It is also an occasion to rethink your
life: How great is the disparity between what I
have accomplished and what I can accomplish?
Am I spending my time properly or am I involved
in things that distract me from my higher calling?
How can I strengthen the thread that connects my
outer life and my inner life?
A birthday can also teach us the concept of
rebirth. To recall our birth is to recall a new
beginning. No matter how things went yesterday,
or last year, we always have the capacity to try
again. Our birthday is a refresher, a chance for
regeneration--not just materially, but spiritually.
On birthdays, gather with family and friends
and study something meaningful together.
There is no better way to celebrate a birthday
than to commit a special act of goodness. It is
easy enough to say you are thankful; it is far
better to show it by doing a kind deed, something
that you did not do yesterday. Not because
someone is forcing you. Not because someone
suggests it. But simply because your inner
goodness, your soul, wants to express its thanks
for being born and alive.
Such an act of kindness gives God great pleasure,
because He sees that the child in whom He
invested, the particular child he wanted to be
born on a particular day, is living up to its
potential. And nothing, of course, gives a parent
greater joy. This is the true experience of birth,
the true beginning of a life of meaning.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME....
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