Hajja Salesjana January-March 2020

H AJJA S ALESJANA 4 Let us learn to be more grateful! Each New Year reminds us that we have been given more time to enjoy this great gift of life, to glorify God with our existence and to do good to others while we can, no matter who they are. Alas, it is ever so easy nowadays to get side-tracked with all the responsibilities, busyness and hassle we all face day in day out! It is so easy to just barge on forward without appreciating the little miracles and joys of every single day. Yes, you have read perfectly well, it is not a misprint! Each and every day has its own bright moments, its own little wonders but we need to have eyes, ears and a heart willing to acknowledge them. It could be a stranger’s sincere smile as you cross paths on the road, it could be a kind deed you receive from someone at work, it could be a hug from a dear relative, it could be a word of praise from a friend, it could be an uplifting sms thanking you for something you have done, it could be the simple chirping of a carefree robin perched on a leafless branch awaiting the rebirth of Spring, it could be the warmth of the sun on your shoulders as you walk back from the supermarket, a dazzling sunset as you take your dog out for a walk or a crystal clear star studded winter night sky which you behold at the end of a long day from your bedroom window, with a warm mug of tea in your hands as you become aware that the God who knows each star by name, knows and loves you more than you can ever fathom.... Yes it is these precious snippets of life that once stitched together with the golden thread of our awareness help us to see beyond the mundane everyday and raise the veil on the apparent normality of it all, revealing God’s hand and providence always at work behind the scenes. Let us strive not to get carried away by the rampant, vane glorification of being busy so prevalent among us all, let us learn not to rush headlong along life’s way unaware of all that is around us and let us learn to truly see all the beauty that surrounds us every single day and be thankful for it. True, sometimes on certain days you need to seek harder for that good thing, but there is always something to be thankful to God for, no matter how hard or tough life gets. Let us hone this attitude of gratitude within us as we commence, a new year in our life’s story and in so doing we will become even more authentic and genuine as human beings who are often duped in being human doings forgetting what really matters at the end of the day. Let us first learn how to truly ‘be’ in order to ‘do’ all that we have to, with more purpose, with more poise and with more meaning. Let us stop from taking everyone and everything for granted for life as we know it can change in the blink of an eye. Only in this way can we trod life in such a way that we make the most out of it, living it to the full, as God always intended us to do. The choice is ultimately in our hands. Happy New Year! Fr. Sandro Camilleri sdb Photo: Karl Fredrickson from www.unsplash.com