There are many changes in our lives.  Some are related to our situation, from childhood to old age.  Ready or not, they appear again and again to challenge our perception of who we are.

Music has been an important part of my life since childhood.  My mother and I sang all the time.  Even while cleaning the house we would sing and she taught me harmony.  When I was in school, I took every opportunity to sing.  Singing in school was the first time I sang outside of our house.  Then, when I was old enough to be in the choir, singing in church became my favorite place to sing.

As time went on, I sang in choirs, became a cantor and played parts in musicals. I began to compose songs and performed with bands as well.

Throughout my musical journey, my role as cantor has been a regular part of my life.  It has nurtured my mind and soul for a very long time.  Every week, I would plan the liturgy and lead congregations in song.  

Recently, there have been changes and I am not a cantor anymore.  This has been a big challenge for me.  Still, I sing in the choir at my church and have the opportunity to share my God-given talents there.  But as I age, it becomes more difficult to adjust to the changes in many different areas of my life.  This is just one of many new challenges that all of us must face as we grow older.

But I must remember that gratitude is a saving grace in almost every difficult situation.  And that is what I must keep foremost in my mind everyday.  Being grateful is the best way to be in almost any situation, even if it is a catastrophic occurrence.  That is because there is always something to be grateful for, every single day.  Even when it may seem impossible to find it, looking for it and believing it will be found can make us able to accept each challenge we face.  And that is a very good thing indeed.

Most of us know how time seems to go faster when we are enjoying ourselves.  We can even experience it when we least expect it to happen.  Whenever endorphins are released, we can’t help but feel the joy that accompanies them.  Joy has the power to make everything better.  And time flies by.

But even when we are experiencing pain and emotional distress, after all is said and done, the time can seem to have flown in retrospect.  Of course, when bad things are happening, the pain can be devastating.  But the passage of time can change our perspective into a feeling that lets joy back into our lives again.  And when enough time has passed, even negative memories can sometimes fade into the background.

For anyone who knows me, I was devastated when my son was killed in an auto accident.  But, because I embraced the pain and felt every bit of it, I was able to recover my joy with the help of my family, friends and counseling.  My memories were stored in my heart and I was able to see all of the good we had in our relationship.  To be able to feel that way was a gift.  It was not easy, but how could it be?  No parent is ever prepared for losing their child, nor should they be. 

Time passed more quickly because I was actively working on my recovery.  I embraced all of the goodness we had in our relationship and savored all those memories that could never be taken away.  I felt the pain and allowed it to flow through me.

The most wonderful blessing that I had, to bolster me in this most difficult time, was my loving family and great friends who were with me, always there for me.  And looking back at it now, time seemed to fly, even then.

I don’t know how it started, but I have become a cloud watcher.  I have always liked looking at them, but recently, my husband and I have been going to more places and he has been the driver.  That has freed me from having to watch the road so much.

Since I experience pareidolia and see faces in all kinds of things, clouds have become something I am attracted to in a big way!  I have always seen people and animal faces in many different objects, like the woodwork and tiles and furniture.  But faces in clouds are a more recent discovery for me.

Clouds are one of the most wonderful places to find faces, because they can move and change shapes.  The sky can turn dark or bright and change color as you are moving in a car.  It is fascinating!

Taking pictures of them has been so much fun!  When I am home, I have found that I can see them really well from our back porch because it is high enough to avoid having electric distribution lines and telephone poles ruin the view.  It makes it easier to get a good shot!

For some reason, I see a lot of animal faces, especially dogs.  It really is hard to believe there are so many, different, species I have found.  They almost seem to be saying, “Look at me!”

The most interesting part of this ability to see these things, is that I just recently have become much more aware of this phenomena in my life. Since I have only recently noticed it in many more places, could it be that I needed to be retired to truly observe my environment?  

Noticing the wonders around us is a wonderful gift.  The time I am afforded to notice and enjoy the little pleasures around me make me grateful.  This is a gift from God.  I must remember this when I pray, to thank God for the opportunity to see such wonderful surprises in creation.  To this I say, “Amen.”

Something as simple as a smile can make a real difference.  In our society today, many people don’t even make eye contact with each other.  Since I am a “flaming extrovert,” I can’t fathom the act of ignoring people.  

When I am out walking, I smile at people as we pass each other on the sidewalk.  If I am ignored, that’s okay.  But if I get a smile in return, it just makes my day better.  And sometimes, if I say “hi,” the other person will say “hi” back to me.  Even a simple interaction like this can elevate my mood.

I realize that these are small things, but often they can lead to larger ones.  Sometimes another person and I can even have a conversation.  I am energized by connecting with my fellow human beings.

Every so often, I have had an interaction that has led to a conversation and I have had the opportunity to listen and learn something.  Each time this happens it makes me so happy.

There is the opportunity to grow as a person when we interact with those who are not like ourselves.  When this happens it can make a difference in how we view things.  Some connections can even lead to friendships.  I find this amazing and wonderful.

However, there are reasons to refrain from smiling if you should ever have a negative feeling about a person you don’t know.  In that case, don’t initiate eye-contact.  Those feelings are warnings and need to be heeded.  

There are so many opportunities to share your smiles generously with people you know and love.  But if you can sense that listening first may be needed at a time when you are in contact with one another, the smiles can be saved for later.

The fact remains that even a little smile can make a big  difference.  And that is reason enough for me to keep doing it.  Besides, I really can’t seem to see it any other way.  My face seems to have a mind of its own.

I know it sounds bizarre, but I do have a “liquid personality.”  For me, crying is a frequently-used emotion.  I have strong feelings about  many different things.  There are times when I have been told that I care too much.  But I don’t believe that.  One’s behavior can be judged by others, but I don’t think it’s ever that simple or easy to understand another person’s reactions.  And it’s unhelpful as well.

One time, I had a problem and was very upset and crying.  Friends were close by and gathered around me to support me and just “be there” for me.  The more they showed me love and compassion, the more I cried because their loving words and actions touched me deeply.  It can be hard to explain that the loving care I was feeling touched me so much that my emotional response grew as a result.  So as I continued to cry, they began to give me more and more tissues so that it created a huge pile of wet ones on the table in front of me.

I decided to just tell people that I have a “liquid personality.”  I started saying this as an explanation to my doctors, therapists and friends when I would cry in their presence.  It made some of them laugh and that made me so happy!  I love it when something that I do or say amuses another person.  And then it makes me laugh too.

Having a “liquid personality” isn’t a terrible thing for me.  It saves me from having unreleased emotions trapped inside my mind and my body.  I guess I have more than my share of them.  Thanks to my parents, I was never told not to cry.  In fact, in our family, we laughed a lot.  And I don’t remember crying unless I physically hurt myself.  The longer I live and the older I am, I feel things more deeply and care more deeply.  It’s a good thing to feel these ways.  And I am especially equipped to handle them, because I have a “liquid personality.”