As I sit here on the night of my first summer school class, I take the time to think about how truly blessed I am. There are so many things in my life that I could thank God for at this given moment even though I insist on complaining about the fact that grad school is killing my summer. There’s so many things that we do not realize are blessings such as things that we take for granted everyday, but it is truly hard to always remember to be thankful for these things especially with how busy the world is today.
Take for instance our 5 basic senses, when is the last time you really thought to yourself, “Man, I’m so glad I can hear, smell, touch, taste, and see!” It’s not something that we think of on an everyday basis, but if that thing were taken away from us we may realize really quickly everyday how that affects us. Walking and talking are two other large things that we take for granted. Think about the runner in the Boston bombing who lost both his legs. He just got done running a marathon and then out of no where is losing his legs. This man has tremendous courage to make appearances around Boston and is showing the world that he cannot be brought down by something such as that. Our senses are things that we don’t often think about but are very much gifts that we use everyday.
Right now though, I keep dreading the fact that the next two months of my life are dedicated once again to another school semester. It’s not so much the work load, it’s the time that I feel like I could be doing so many other fun things with. I know that July and August are going to flyyyyy once they are here because summers fly as it is already for me.
In all, though, I can’t complain, I am in a 2 year program, and half of it is done, this time next year I will be a graduate wishing I was just about to start classes again! At this time, though, I thank God for the photography sessions he has blessed me with. Not only did I shoot five weddings last year, but I’m shooting another five (maybe 6!) this year. Two years ago I would have never imagined that I would be in this position. I was always just the person that liked to take pictures of people. Now, here I am, half successful! I am doing what I love and I enjoy doing it. I often wonder why I did not study this in college instead of psychology, but God has his way of pointing us in the right direction, and I would say I’m on the right path with the decisions I’ve made. I’m thankful with how God has blessed me not only in photography but also in my schooling, auctioneering and Zumba. I truly love my life.
One other thing that I think we often forget about is the people that less fortunate than ourselves. Sometimes all it takes for me is a trip to the nursing home to remind myself that there are people suffering everyday and sometimes these people are even unaware of it. I have a soft spot in my heart for people who are suffering or in need. This is why I chose the path that I did. I want to help people who can’t always help themselves, especially those children in a school setting. People need advocates, they need to be seen as people who are maybe going through a rough spot. They should not be seen as a diagnosis that is just a label. There is meaning, there is purpose. Everyone has a life story, and they are their own experts of their life stories. It’s my job to listen and take the journey with them.
So be sure to thank God or whoever your higher power is for the things you have and things that you may forget you have. We only have a short time on this earth, better spend it knowing that we appreciate what we have. 🙂