How often in life I have found that the things I have had to work at the most have been my greatest blessings.

I suppose it has been this way even in the Bible as God pronounced that Adam would have to work, “Cursed is the ground for  thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”  That sure doesn’t sound like much fun to me.

Yet it seems in work do many men find their identities and a sense of profound satisfaction.  We often start conversation by say, “Where do you work?” or “What do you do for a living”?

God pronounced something much different for women, “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children”.  Many women I believe would say that their greatest burden in life and their greatest joy is their children. 

We all tend to appreciate most the things we have worked the hardest at or taken the most time to achieve.  For me that would be relationships as I am not naturally gifted at being around people.  It has been hard for me, a labor of love to learn how to get along with people, to learn to be polite and thankful and gracious.  And yet my friends and the people close to me are what I cherish the most. 

I would have to put my children in that category as well as they are all highly independent and it is with much effort that I balance my parental role with trying to be their friend and mentor.

I am one of those people that have few really close friends but I would say the ones I do have are quirky, weird, eccentric and absolute gems.  I relate to people like that as I am very much like them.  I also appreciate people that have given themselves permission to be who they are without excuse.  People pretending to be something they are not make me crazy. 

There is great freedom in allowing yourself to be your true, authentic self.  There is great integrity or honesty in allowing yourself to be who you are without excuse. 

I like to say that people who are in alignment with you will walk with you.  And the ones who are not you are better off without.  There is no sense of trying to be something you are not.  Eventually the real you will shine out so might as well be that way from the start.

I truly believe that it is more important to have love in your life than anything money can buy.  Only love matters.  Loving yourself is a great place to start.