By Sherri Hughes Sokol

To stay in the Sunlight of Spirit on a daily basis in the midst of life.children, work, cell phones, email and relationships.what works best for me is to be in Love, yes, in Love with life, in Love with myself and in Love with you.

You may be thinking it's easy for her to Love her life, but she doesn't have my life, how can I be in Love when my life is so difficult? Well, I do know personally and professionally how challenging life can be. In the drama and trauma of loss of jobs, health and home and broken relationships, I have thrived with an appreciation for all of my blessings and not focused on the lack in my life and situation.

Each day, I thank Spirit by making a written gratitude list of my blessings and other times just a mental rehearsal of all the good in my life. Some days I am just grateful to get up in the morning, to be alive and to be in the present moment and other days I have boundless reasons to thank Spirit for the abundance in my life. Through many life experiences of my own and from others, I have learned that the external conditions of life do not determine serenity or happiness. Happiness is truly a choice, misery is only an option, and today I choose to celebrate life and to be happy. Oh, how good it is to see how good it is!

I have recently moved my gratitude up a notch and go on sprees of appreciation purposefully looking for things to be thankful for in all situations.traffic jams, so-called disasters and just chaos in general. I have discovered that I don't always know the difference between a blessing and a disaster so now I just look for the miracle in it all. Life does not always look pretty and often does not turn out the way I've planned though it is my life, I do Love it, and more important I Love myself today. It's taken me many years and much effort to get to the point where I can honestly say that I Love myself and it's based on acceptance of myself of all that I am, all that I'm not and all that I'll never be and acceptance of you for the same. This acceptance comes from the constant connection to Source revealing who I truly am and who I can become.

I have discovered the more Love I have for myself the more Love I have to give to others and the more capacity I have to receive Love from others especially Spirit. My relationships are healthier, more rewarding and I attract more positive people into my life knowing the connection Spirit plays in my Life and Love. The significant romantic relationship I am in has been an answer to prayers and has been a tremendous support in my spiritual growth and enlightment. By staying in conscious contact with True Source first, loving our selves next and accepting each other as we are, we are fully self-expressed in our relationship and Love without the past dictating our future together. What a miracle that is!

To stay connected to the Sunlight of Spirit requires my conscious awareness and participation in life one day at a time and being Great-ful for the abundance and joy life has available for me. Thank you Spirit for this Celebration called Life.