Life.
A journey we often can’t quite plan out.
It’s made of ups and downs, sometimes smooth and at times rough.
I’ve yet to meet anyone whose life has gone exactly as they have planned.
We are told to set goals, have dreams, make a bucket list, which are all great things. However, there is something to be said about living life with an open hand.
I recently went on a train ride with my husband through Yosemite Valley. The fall air was crisp, the trees were starting to color themselves in arrays of bold reds, deep yellows and burnt oranges.
I wasn’t quite sure where we were going but instead of trying to figure it out, I just breathed in the fresh air and focused on the view in front of my eyes. Often I try to control my today and especially my tomorrows and, in so doing, I miss out on the beauty and the gentle whispers from my Heavenly Father.
How many times have I missed the messages God is sending me by the constant rushing, planning, and running throughout my day.
I am determined to slow down, enjoy life more and focus purposefully on the people around me. My advice to my kids has consistently been, “Don’t work for things but experience life instead.” Countless times I have failed to heed my own advice.
Yet those moments I take to breathe and look at the details in the beauty of my day is when I often find myself most at peace. 
Where are you going? Is it a rush to get to the next thing… and then the next… and then the next. When does it end? When is it enough? And how many things have we ran over that were meant to slow us down and whisper in our ears what is most important.
Enjoy life.
Love people.
Find the beauty.
Smile.
Laugh.
