by Tracey Frink
As I sit down to write this, my husband is on call to make a notification. Hopefully, most of you don’t know what that previous sentence means. Be grateful. That is a true gift. A gift and a blessing of Life.
My husband is an Army chaplain. When tragedy strikes, they call for chaplains. Today, seventeen soldiers lost their lives when their aircraft went down. After each soldier was identified, each family of every soldier needed to be notified that their soldier would not be coming home. A chaplain accompanies the notification team to provide spiritual support to those families. For many, it will be the worst day of their lives.
By now, you might be asking yourself, what does this have to do with the best gift ever?
When I first read about this topic, I started thinking about all the wonderful things in my life – my home, my farm, my truck, all the fabulous gifts I’ve received and the very thoughtful and fabulous things that have been given to me and deeds that have been done for me. I thought about the little ring one of my sons bought for me from the school store when he was five years old and a cardstock bookmark elaborately decorated with the name “mom” that I still have. Which gift is the greatest? Which one is the best? How could I choose?
As long as I can remember, I have lived my life with a certain degree of mindfulness. I have always been interested in the spiritual life and the way of the contemplative. While raising my children, I can remember thinking I wanted to be present and mindful of every moment because I didn’t want anything to pass me by. As thoughtful as I was, I entered a whole new level of mindfulness and intention when I was attuned to Reiki several years ago. Beginning a practice of Reiki, meditation, positive affirmations, and a spirit of gratitude continues to broaden, heighten, widen, and deepen my life’s experience. The greatest gift? Life.
Life, like Love, can be easily misconstrued or profaned. Life, in this context, is referring to that sacred essence that makes you feel alive when you draw in a deep breath and you are suddenly reminded of breath and breathing. Or those moments when you feel your heart pumping and you feel that every cell is awake and vibrant. How about those moments when you look into the eyes of a beloved and you see the whole world? Or those moments when you are overwhelmed by Nature? That sense of Life is what I am talking about.
This gift of Life helps us savor the smell of fresh coffee brewing in the morning, the aroma of fresh baked bread, the fragrance of warm horse breath, a cold wet dog nose on your face, a furry purring cat in your lap, a fiery red sunset through the trees, the earth after a thunderstorm, a fresh snowfall, and on and on and on. I encourage you to make your own list.
While listening to a meditation by Sonia Choquette recently, I heard something that caught my attention and really resonates with me: “Joy is a choice.” When we choose joy, we automatically vibrate at a higher frequency, thus making no room for lower vibrating emotions like fear, anger, worry, or stress. Another gift of Life. Choose Joy.
If we can fully embrace the enormity of Life and immerse ourselves in it at the same time, Life is no longer something we must fear. We can ride Life’s waves confidently, taking in the totality of their exhilaration and awe. Even when we walk through the darkest valleys of shadows, we need not fear. We will not be swallowed up. By embracing this greatest gift we can sit with those in their deepest sorrow, or even in our own grief, knowing eventually we will find its gifts.
To think about this gift another way, think of it like this – the best gift is you! Think about this phrase very carefully because it holds powerful magick. What is the first thing you think of when you read it? Who? Me? Yes. You. And, I do mean you, dear reader. Immediately, you are uplifted and begin to reflect on your worth. You are empowered and encouraged. If you begin to see yourself as a gift to someone, you will understand your own worth. You will be grateful. You will have joy. You will tell someone else, “You are a gift to me. The best gift is you!” And that person will be uplifted, empowered, and encouraged, increasing in value and Life.
The best gift is you.
Brightest blessings!
Grace Epona (aka Tracey R. Frink) is a modern mystic, healer, equestrian and faery lover. She lives on a small horse farm in North Carolina. She has studied all the great world religions and is forever trying to throw her arms around the world. She is just finishing her first year in the Temple’s Mystery School and is looking forward to Year Two. She holds a Masters of Divinity and is currently a Masters Student of Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Equine Assisted Mental Health. She is a Reiki Master and an avid barrel racer.