The Gift of Now

God gave us the blessing of "now." That is, today, right here - the moment we're living. It's something that is often overlooked. We're so busy having the energy zapped out of us, worrying about tomorrow and what will happen. We're consumed by to-do lists with events a mile long that we have to prepare for. It's draining. And if we're not worrying about tomorrow, we're dwelling on what happened yesterday and all the "yesterday's" before. "I can't believe she said that about me." "I wonder if I could have done something different to keep that from happening?"

Does this sound familiar? I know it is for me and it's a real problem - I am quite a planner to the excess. I have things planned out for months and years into the future! I know, I know. I am working on getting better about it. So realize, this post is just as much for me as it is for my audience.

We really have to stop going so far forward and prevent ourselves from going backward. Today is what matters. Today, the here and now, is all we can really be sure of and we really should appreciate it. Stop running in circles and start doing things you enjoy because you never really know how many more "now" moments there are going to be.

When you first log on to this blog, the song "The Moment" by Steven Curtis Chapman plays. He talks about how we should "breath it and breath it out, listen to our heartbeats." It's true. Take enough time to stop and listen to what is going on around you. Don't be so caught up in plans for tomorrow.

Another wonderful blogger, Christine Spencer, Certified Life/Success Coach, and author of Live Passionately, encourages her readers to "Awaken to Consciousness." She warns us that if we're not careful, we'll use today only as a means to getting to the future, rather than fully living a passionate life today. She recommends being patient, becoming aware of your breathing, and giving up waiting as a state of mind and encourages to just "be."

So live in the moment. Listen to Steven Curtis Chapman's song, "The Moment" if you must, read Christine's blog, or create your own way to just be here now and enjoy every moment of it. Get a relaxing cup of coffee, take the dog for a walk, or smell the roses - literally. No more excuses. The present is a blessing from God! Don't miss out on it!

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Cinderella

When I went to Steven Curtis Chapman's concert this past November, he played songs from his new album, The Moment. I fell in love with many of these Christian songs and I was thrilled when I realized that he posted two of my favorites on his homepage.

The first, Cinderella, is about how he'll "dance" (symbolic for spending time with) his daughters before they grow up and move out of the house. He knows not to miss a moment of time with them. The other "The Moment," for which the album is titled, talkes about how we need to live in the here and now.

Both are fantastic inspirational songs and I'd like to invite you to listen to them. They can be be found off of Steven's homepage. Click "Cinderella" to listen. Be warned, though, the first song is a real tear jerker! Get the tissues ready and enjoy!

If you want to know more about this click on the "Cinderella Video," to hear in Steven's own words, why he choose to write this song. It's very funny and is so relatable! And the photographs on the page are precious.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise

Steven Curtis Chapman

Steven Curtis Chapman, a Christian singer, is one of me and my husband Nick's favorite singers. His songs are always upbeat and positive. For Nick's birthday I bought him Chapman's new CD and surprised him with tickets to his concert a few weeks later. While we were at the concert, Chapman talked about adoption, a topic close to his heart since he adopted several Chinese girls. During the show, he casually asked that we drop change in designated buckets if we wanted to - all proceeds would go towards adoptions. What we didn't know until the end of the concert was that the money we raised that night would go to a family in Lancaster, PA (where the concert was) that Chapman had already selected. They had applied for his grant that would help them with the fees of adopting their baby boy and show-goers would be a part of helping. Chapman brought the couple, their children, and the one month old on stage and announced that we helped to raise $2,000 that night. Chapman would do the rest.

Not only was I impressed with Chapman's singing, I was impressed by his compassion. I felt touched that night as I realized that there are still caring people in the world. Now that baby boy has a family - now that's a blessing.

Wishing you "Blessings from Above,"
Denise