The back of our cereal box has the message "Embrace Life" scrolled on it in a big, beautiful font. It advertises that this cereal could help us embrace each day. Other quotes fill the design on the box with encouragement to "look at life in a new way", "make the most of rainy days" and strive to "reach new heights."
What lofty goals for a cereal! I can barely do this myself. I feel compelled to embrace life, still I often I find myself wanting to ignore my hurts and give up on life altogether. It is a deep challenge to live a life completely changed by loss; one that is different from anything I had ever wished for or imagined.
So let me break down this word embrace. Let me see what my cereal is really asking me to do. Embrace means holding something close. It means accepting or adopting new ideas; working to discover a new me. Embracing something in our lives means including it to be important – taking time to look at what matters.
The word embrace compliments the idea of gripping onto that which gives hope. It encourages me to grasp, cling and grab a hold of something meaningful. It means seizing the day ahead; appreciating what is in front of me and finding gratitude for the life inside of me.
Can I allow myself the gift of this moment? Can I try to embrace only the minute at hand and walk inside those sixty seconds? Can I embrace the short instances of my life instead of becoming overwhelmed by the magnitude of life as a whole? Can I embrace the beauty of the immediate not the unknown of the years ahead?
Can I embrace the now? Yes, I believe I can embrace the now for just a minute, just a moment, just an instant.
I took a permanent marker this morning and wrote a new message to myself on the cereal box by adding one word: Embrace Life NOW.
