I heard a wonderful phrase this weekend – the speaker said she tries to live life in the “is” instead of in the “isn’t” – in other words she looks at what IS in her life instead of mourning what is missing. I have always (ok, almost always) incorporated gratitude lists into my daily attitude, but I to admit that it didn’t always keep me from focusing on the “isn’t”.

A Christmas with a family member (errant teenager) missing- and rather than appreciating the family that WAS there, choosing to be sad because of who WASN’T there.

Receiving beautiful gifts for Christmas or a birthday but setting them aside because of the gift or card that DIDN’T come from someone.

In hindsight, how awful must that have been for the family and friends who WERE there and who DID go to the trouble of shopping for a card or gift. What was I saying to them, other than, gee thanks for coming but sorry, you just aren’t good enough.

It turns out that “Isn’t” isn’t a very nice place to be. And it’s even harder on the people around us. I heard early on in my spiritual journey that we can’t be grateful and depressed at the same time. Depression and “isn’t” share real estate a lot of the time. People who live in “isn’t” are hard to spend time with – nothing is ever good enough – they are rarely satisfied.

On the other hand, what a joy to spend time with people who enjoy life – who are grateful for both the big and small things. Who live in the present and happily anticipate the future… not looking for something new, but knowing that “is” will be there tomorrow too and it’s a great place to be.

I got to spend this weekend with a lot of people who practice living in “is”…. they have an energy about them, and a passion for life. I always feel like I have put “air in my spiritual tires” after one of these weekends.

I am hopeful that I can get back to regular postings here — I started out with a goal of four times per week, and  hung in there for awhile, but then life got in the way. And, sadly, I spent some time in “isn’t”. But I am back now, and am eternally grateful to all of you who kept the home fires burning in the land of “is”.

I would love to hear from any of you who would like to share a story, whether it’s about “is” or anything from a past post. I can be reached at yaygodblog@yahoo.com – I look forward to the days to come, and the surprises that unfold, as we live life one day at a time together.

Yay God!!