NPR's "This I Believe" contest

An acquaintance told me that NPR is sponsoring an essay contest entitled "This I Believe," sent in a submission and encouraged me to send in one as well. Here's my stab at it, I hope you enjoy.

This I Believe ...

I believe that gifts and blessings are poured forth in all places, even in the darkest days, if only you open your eyes to see them.

I believe in the gifts of clarity and honesty, summarized in the simple aphorism "Say what you mean, and mean what you say," which my dad has always said to me, as well as my granddad before him. I believe that being clear and honest with yourself and others is to honor yourself, God, and the rest of God's creation.

I believe in the gifts of choice and free will. We as adults have the power of choice, every second of our lives, and no matter what mistakes we make and what tragedies befall us, we can still choose how we wish to see them and what and whether to learn from them. And we still have the choice to greet each day recognizing that although the past has made us who we are today, we don't have to be wedded to victimhood and shackled to our past today or tomorrow.

I believe that there is so much more going on in this beautiful world, in the universe, and inside of us than we humans with our wondrous yet limited senses can even begin to grasp or quantify - and that the gifts of humility and surrender help us to understand and accept the process as it unfolds in the infinite sweep of time and space.

Consider that atoms (and by extension, all molecular structures, including living beings) are 10 percent matter and 90 percent energy. There is 90 percent more to all of us than meets the eye. That 90 percent is the gift of the human soul.

I believe that there are definite evil and evildoers in the world, and the destruction, suffering, pain and anguish they cause are gifts, because they strengthen our character, provide definition, and enable us to appreciate, treasure, and live in all that is good and positive.

I believe in the gifts of faith, hope, and love; and in the greatest of these gifts, which is love. I believe we are all here on this earth to learn about love, in all its different manifestations, and that we all have a tacit agreement with one another, established before we were even born, to teach and learn from one another about love once we get here. And that even though the lessons you learn may be very scary, tough and ugly sometimes, you must always keep your mind and heart open through the pain and never lose sight of those lessons.

I believe that we are all God's face, eyes, hands, ears, and lips to one another on this earth and we must never forget this tremendous gift and responsibility in how we see and treat other people, at work and in our personal lives.

And, finally, because of all of the above, "I believe in you ... and I believe in me."