“Appreciate the people in your life” was my mantra today. Often times we overlook the people that cross our paths on a daily basis. We see these people as insignificant and fail to recognize the blessing they are or the lesson we need to learn from them. We get so wrapped up in our own life, our own needs that we become blinded to the people around us. Selfish I guess. 

I heard a story by Joel Osteen once. He spoke of a man who had been a pilot in the war. His plane was shot down. What saved this man was his parachute. He went on to be recognized as a war hero. Many years later, he was sitting at a restaurant. A man approached him and asked if he was so and so from so and so. The pilot answered yes. This stranger knew everything about him. Intrigued, the pilot asked “how do you know so much about me?”  The gentleman replied “I was on the navy ship you were on. I was the guy who sewed your parachute and ensured it was in good shape before you took your flight every morning.”  These two men spoke for a few more minutes and went on their way. 

That evening, the pilot couldn’t sleep. He kept trying to rememember this man. He wondered if he had paid more attention, would he have recognized what a blessing this man was in his life. Instead, he never gave this man a minute of his time. After all, this man’s job was merely to sew parachutes. A parachute that saved this pilots life.  It was a wonderful reflection. 

How many people are in our lives that we never take the time to recognize? We see them as insignificant and/or fail to recognize the importance they are playing in our life. Maybe the janitor at a job. They keep the office clean so we have a nice place to work. The doorman who opens the door at your building. The barista who has memorized your coffee order and has it ready for you every morning. How about the friend who prays for you and reaches out to you periodically to make sure you’re ok? Get my drift?

When I was fighting cancer, a friend from high school who I hadn’t spoken to in over 30 years reached out to me. Her name is Heather however, I call her Ginger because she has beautiful, red hair and she calls me Chia. At that time I was bald and looked like a Chia pet. Besides fighting cancer, I was also in a very tumultuous relationship. You know the story. If you don’t, read my blog.  Every day for one year, Ginger reached out to me. She would send me positive affirmations and words of encouragement. Ginger was my only support and much of the reason I kept going. She supported and encouraged me on the days I couldn’t get up. I will never forget her. 

There are so many people who have been a blessing in my life. I am so grateful for all of them. I have so many stories of people who have come in to my life for a brief moment. My encounter may have been a few minutes however the blessing they left behind is a lifetime. 

I recall working at the newspaper where I was a Marketing Consultant. On many occasions our graphic design team was never recognized for their hard work. I’ll admit, on occasion I failed to show my appreciation but I knew then and still know today, that without their expertise I may not have become the successful marketing consultant I was at that time. Their creativity is what always made me shine. I tried my best to acknowledge them as often as possible for the blessing they were in my life. 

Today I want to say thank you to all my readers. Without you, I wouldn’t have a blog. I want to thank my mother for supporting me these past two years as I healed from the trauma cancer and my ex left behind. I’m thankful to all of my friends and acquaintances who have come in and out of my life. You’ve made a difference in my life. I’m grateful for my children and grandchildren.   They are the reason I still have love in my heart. I’m grateful for the good times and the bad times. The lessons I’ve learned have been life changing.  I appreciate everyone and everything and I appreciate the challenges in my life. They’ve made me the survivor I am today. There isn’t a person who I’ve encountered who hasn’t had some significant impact on my life.

My encouragement for those reading today is to take a few minutes to appreciate the people in your life. Pick up the phone and let them know how much you appreciate them. Say thank you as often as you can and never, ever forget that no matter how challenging life may be, there is always someone in your life to be grateful for.