Today I Can Choose

I love Sunflowers.  Have you ever noticed that in a sunflower field, the flowers almost always face the same direction?  I read somewhere that sunflowers actually track the sun when they're young - they'll face East in the morning and then follow the sun throughout the day until they're facing West in the evening - that's why they're called sunflowers.  I like to think they're also a reminder for us to look up - to seek out the light in our own lives.

I came across the following affirmation a few years ago while preparing for a talk in church and have loved this from the momet I first read it.  We really are in charge of our attitudes - how we feel and how we allow others to affect us each day.  It's also a good reminder about how our actions affect those around us.  I've misplaced it a few times so thought I'd just post on my blog so I'll always know where to find it - especially on those days when I need an attitude adjustment.  ;) 

TODAY I CAN CHOOSE

"Today comes with built in decisions, great and small. The clothes I put on, the road I travel, the people whose lives I touch. In fact, nearly everything in my day depends on how I choose. Today I can choose to carry the blame myself, or to hold out a helping hand...to shout out loud in anger, or to wait ten seconds...to cloud someone's mind with doubt, or to lift a heart with encouragement. Today I can choose to count stars or to count mud puddles. When I go to the store, I can choose to see how much there is to buy instead of how much I have to pay. When I get stuck in traffic, I can see, in every other car, a person just as important as me. Today, because I live in a free land, there are a thousand things I can choose: The neighborhood I live in, the friends I laugh with, the work I do, the thoughts I think, the dreams I dare. And what I will become, in spite of my fears and failures, in spite of the talents I lack, in spite of all the privileges I never had, depends on how I choose to challenge myself today. For I have power, if I choose, to act instead of complain...to speak out instead of cherishing a hurt...to seek justice instead of revenge...to love the world instead of waiting for the world to embrace me first. What I choose today may well be the cause of my tomorrow. Today...I shall live as I choose. Let me choose wisely and well..."   Author Unknown

Remember to look up - like a sunflower!  :)