Welcome.
Enjoy a few moments of silence and we'll begin.
Taking a deep breath,
Allow yourself to be right here and right now.
Life comes in two kinds of days,
Gifts and tests.
Neither are good nor bad,
They just are.
Gifts are there to be enjoyed and just like the word suggests,
They are also not ours.
They are given to us.
A stranger who offers you a flower does not make the flower yours,
Yet the experience is yours forever nonetheless.
You cannot possess the flower,
For the moment it was picked to be given to you,
It was also given a death sentence.
All things succumb to impermanence.
Enjoy the good days when you have energy,
When you are lucky,
When things just flow.
These days may not be ours,
But they are indeed for us.
A thoughtful gift should always be appreciated.
Do not misuse the gift with your worrying,
With your anger,
With your sadness or with your complacency.
If a stranger offered you a beautiful flower,
Would you put it down because you had something to worry about instead?
Life is short and one day you will get your last gift.
When you are tested,
Remember that,
Ultimately,
It is just a practice to improve your appreciation of the next gift that you will receive.
We only learn in adversity and we can only practice when we are challenged.
Rigorous testing is part of any finished product.
Remember when you have your next test that the universe is merely shaping you into who and what you need to be.
There are no bad days,
Just opportunities to practice,
To hone our presence and appreciation for those moments that are truly gifts.
And the greatest gift of them all?
You.
You are the collection of all your moments over the course of your destiny.
All of the memories,
All of the stories,
A one of a kind gift wrapped in a one of a kind box.
What kind of gift will you be to the world?
Who will receive you?
Whose life will you change?
Who will be grateful for you?
And who will remember you?
The final lesson is that everything is a gift,
Even tests.
This is true because sometimes we get gifts that we do not want but we need.
There is a greater consciousness that knows exactly what you need every single day.
And every night before the clock strikes twelve,
It packs that beautiful gift and sends it off to you in whatever form it will take for the next day.
A person,
A situation,
An idea.
Sometimes those gifts are not obvious,
So we call them tests.
But the giver of those gifts knows what they are and keeps giving.
Will you be receptive to what is being offered to you?
Will you open yourself to the possibility,
Even if that possibility is something that you may not want but nonetheless need?
If today is a test for you,
Will you allow its greater purpose in your life as a practice for the enjoyment of those future gifts?
If today is a gift,
Will you accept it with joy?
The flower has been picked and given to you.
Take it in for it will soon become a memory.
Be present to your present and let come what may.
Today is a gift,
Just like every other day.
This is a bouquet,
A gift for you!
Please Rejoice.
