By: Vince DiPasquale
July is the month of independence. It is a time to reflect on all the gifts we’ve been given. We spend time celebrating the 4th of July. It’s a time to play, pray, and thank God for our greatest gift: freedom. It’s funny, but so many people think to be free means you can do anything you wish. Real freedom means to be responsible for yourself and to look out for the needs of others. Sometimes, we forget the meaning of the word “sacrifice.”
No matter where we go in life, every part of our journey involves sacrifice and growth. One thing is for sure, we can’t stand still. Sometimes we’d like to run away from life but it comes back to face us. There’s a special prayer that tells me so much about life- it’s called the Serenity Prayer and it follows in its long form.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Help me to be at peace within and to realize I cannot change another person. For my serenity, I must learn to accept others as they are. It’s called unconditional love.
Courage to change the things I can;
Courage to be open and to always be willing to grow as a person. We’re never done changing. Remember if you work on yourself, you’ll leave everyone else alone. To work on yourself is a full-time job. We can’t stand still; we’re never done.
And wisdom to know the difference.
Wisdom is the gift to be open, humble, and to listen and learn. The wise person knows how to listen. Remember, if you think you have all the answers, you aren’t listening to the questions.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time;
The gift of simplicity is living one day at a time. Each of us only has one day. We do not know about tomorrow. Enjoy the moment. Each one is precious.
Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace;
All of our struggles are part of our journey to learn. If we can look at our struggles as a way to discover the power we have inside, we will learn something positive from each difficult experience.
Taking this dysfunctional world as it is, not as I would have it;
Looking at life through the eyes of reality. We can’t go back to the way it was. We must accept the world as it is and learn the healthiest ways to live in it to the best of our ability.
Trusting that my faith will make things right, I surrender to God’s will – His will, not mine;
We all have to learn how to let go and let God be in charge.
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy in the next.
We all search for the gift of serenity or inner peace. We all search for our comfort zone in life. Always remember to take life one day, one moment, at a time and to enjoy the present.
The month of July is a great time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the summer. Remember, this is the month that we continue to celebrate our freedom. Let’s all thank God for the great gift that we have received. Pray that we do not take it for granted but that we accept this gift responsibly.
Enjoy the summer. We all deserve the best.
