Be a blessing, or don't show up

I got home from work today and I was so tired...void of energy and lacking enthusiasm for life.  I literally felt as if I could not even move off the couch.  Getting old presents with some not-so-pleasant side effects, as I am finding out first hand.   My phone began making it's text message sound and this is one of the very entertaining photos that came across the screen.  This is my daughter, Alyssa...being who she is...goofy, silly, hilarious, caring, loving, sensing I needed a laugh and some motivation.  I love her spirit...her joy and silly goofiness...even though I must admit I am not always in the mood for it.....but she is always determined and breaks my mood and I can't help but start laughing at her...and then it's all over...she has won!  Joy has won!!  Why was I fighting against it anyway? Why wouldn't I just laugh at the first antic or the first picture or the first conversation that she started having with me in a foreign accent?  I need to learn from her and not always be so serious or so bent on the goal and purpose at hand that I forget to sit and laugh and be in the moment with those who are so precious to me..

I miss this when she is away at college...and yet she needs to be persistent to remind me of that very fact when she is home.  I think about how blessed I am to have her and her sister and brother...all so different and yet so alike.  I will hug them tight tonight and get down on my knees and be thankful for the most beautiful blessings that I have been given.  I will be thankful that I have them all home together under my roof for a few weeks...I know it will not always be so.  I too often focus on my needs and not on how richly I am blessed.  

This is my lesson for the day...to be joyful, to be present and mindful of my blessings.  I was reading an interview with a celebrity once....not necessarily a favorite celebrity...I was probably stuck in a Dr's waiting room reading it.  This celebrity recounted some advice given to her by her grandmother: " Be a blessing or don't show up".  I like it....and it reminds me of Alyssa's spirit of joy and inspires me to do just that.  Tomorrow I will strive to be a blessing, because not showing up isn't one of my options.