Living with Gratitude

         Do not waste a moment in regret for the past. When we waste our present time thinking about the past we can't move forward. We can't see clearly and cannot see past the choices that we made and the choices that we did not make. The choices we made in the past should not hold us back from anything we can create in the present. Living with Gratitude does not mean you are perfect and that nothing bad has ever happened in your life or that   you've never made wrong choices. It simply means that you started to realize that you can make a better tomorrow starting today. I can tell you that I'm living my best life. Not because life has always given me what I want. But because it gave me things I was not expecting to make me the person I am.  The person I am today is full of Joy and Love. The person I am now is a different person than the one I knew 4 yrs ago. The moment I nearly lost my life was the same moment I awoke to a new existence. A life I had never imagined unfolded before me. Understand that I was already leading a fulfilling life. My children, my home, my job—I've cherished life even through the toughest times. And just when you believe things can only get better, that's when life threw its curveballs (cancer, heart disease). My gratitude doesn't stem from having all the answers, but from embracing life's journey. I live with Gratitude   because I am grateful that my experience did not stop me from continuing to dream and make more goals and memories for myself with my children and with all my loved ones. I am grateful for the strength God provides me. I am grateful for the patience he gives me. I am grateful for every single person that has been here for me. The most amazing thing I experienced during that time, was all the Love that had built around me. To continue to move forward with my children with my life. I thank God I was strong enough to transform my challenges into opportunities to keep moving forward. I decided that my Mental Health was bigger than any obstacle holding me down. I decided my dreams were bigger than the obstacles being placed in front of me. Being grateful and living with gratitude can be as simple as strengthening the bond with yourself and the people around you. Taking care of your Mental Health leads you to a better tomorrow. It leads you to better health as well. Everything is connected to each other. If you are new to my life, let me tell you that I am grateful today, because I am alive. I almost lost my life 5 yrs ago and have been living with Heart Failure and a battery pack. I live with a pump in my heart that is helping me live my life. When my doctor informed me in November 2020 that I needed a heart transplant, I didn't ask, "Why me?" I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Instead, I felt an inexplicable sense of gratitude that it was me facing this situation and not any other woman in my life—my mother, sister, cousin, or friends—even with my own life at stake. The return of my late partner's cancer diagnosis left us feeling equally devastated. It's a blow not just for him and me, but also for our families and the future we were creating together. How much Gratitude can one person have when this is all happening so quick, so young. It is something that you have to overcome in order to keep moving forward. How do we navigate life when tragedy happens?  How do we stay grateful in hard times? Just being alive should be enough, right? We need to shift our focus, our thoughts our mindset and our energy to see the beauty that exist. Focus on all the good things that are also happening around you. Celebrate any small step, any milestone. Celebrate another person in your life. That is what being grateful and living with gratitude is. Also doing what you want. What gives you Joy in life. Unlearn anything that might be holding you back from feeling grateful and living your best life.  Life is waiting for you to realize it is working for you. Be grateful every day and see the universe bring everything you want to you. Every time you feel like there is nothing to be grateful for, look around you and find the beauty. Find the beauty in you.  

- I continue my journey with faith, resilience, dreams, goals and love. Don't let anyone or anything stop you.

LOVE ALWAYS - Z