Celebrate My Life

As I enter my 7th decade (60 years young!) — at first with trepidation and now with joy – I want to acknowledge and celebrate all that I have to be grateful for.

I’ve arrived at this tender age as a result of a lifetime of determination and what I like to call perseverance and tenacity (rather than stubbornness <G>). I’ve learned to live my life with daily gratitude for all the abundance that surrounds me that includes my husband, Russ, my 2 sons, Cam and Damon, my friends, my home, and the beauty of nature all around me, there for the taking in.

My 2 sons, Cameron and Damon! I am blessed that they chose me as their parent and I, them. They are both men now, having done a fabulous job of growing up through some trying times and the stronger for it. They are young men with integrity and a gentleness and capacity for love that they can be very proud of, as I am of them. As different as they are from one another, they each have very special gifts to offer the world and I am convinced they will use them wisely. They both have an excellent sense of humour, are intelligent and very giving. They both are very sensitive and loving individuals in their own unique ways. Cameron is methodical is all he does and has a very quick mind. He is quietly very sensitive to those he cares about and demands the best of everyone as he does himself. Damon has a perception that has always been beyond his years. He is very caring of those involved in his life and willingly shares all he can with them including his often profound wisdom. They both love to laugh and make others laugh. What a gift.

I celebrate my friends. I am blessed with a number of wonderful women and men who consider me friend and who love me for who I am. Some have seen me go through many transitions, from someone who was so brittle and filled with insecurities, yet beneath it all saw in me my depths of strength that helped to become the woman I am today. There are also those of the last few years who have been significant in helping me develop my spirituality and clearer understanding of my purpose in this life. My women friends, that I continue to be close to as the years roll by, and some of those who I speak with all too infrequently, have been a support for me that without, I would not have survived. I love each of them dearly and ask that Creator bless each or every one of them, always.

I celebrate my parents and siblings. From them I have learned what works for me and what doesn’t. From them I’ve learned to stand on my own 2 feet and be responsible for, and to, myself and that victim mode did not and does not serve me. I particularly am grateful for the lessons my father taught me and his belief that I can do anything I put my mind to. I am forever grateful for his total understanding and acceptance of me and who I am. I am grateful for lessons of my mother that include always looking my best regardless of the challenges I face, that the way I look is a clue of how I respect and feel about myself.

And then there is Russ. I celebrate my incredible husband who loves me unconditionally and has taught me gentleness. He brings me a sense of safety and peace I never would have imagined possible. He models unconditional love as I’ve never experienced before and with it I have learned to appreciate my self worth and my many gifts. He has given me the freedom to live my life as I see fit — to continue my education in whatever area I felt drawn to, to be at home for my children regardless of their age, to figure out what I want to do when I grow up, and to make a home that brings us comfort and a deep sense of warmth. His support of all I do has given me strength and a sense of security that no matter what, I am safe and I am loved. The opportunities and life he has afforded me and my children have been, and continue to be, a gift that not only benefits us but as a result benefits others.

I celebrate my success at arriving to this point in my life intact! My life, in most part, has been a giant roller coaster of a journey. Because of the ups and downs including a number of devastating downs and the lessons I have learned from them, I have developed into a woman I am very proud of. I’ve learned that even the toughest experience has been a lesson that has given me strength. I’ve learned to love myself, appreciate myself, and so very slowly, be gentler with myself.

Last but not least — and all encompassing, is my gratitude for Creator’s role in my life. I am convinced that it is Creator who brought Russ and I together. I am convinced that I am loved unconditionally and am perfect in Creator’s eyes — and always have been regardless of the many lessons I needed and continue to learn along the way. I have learned that abundance is a state of mind, that seeing a small fish try to swim upstream or the beauty of a flower, of clouds in a sunny sky or the rain that falls to feed the earth — these and so much more are all but a reminder of Creator’s love for me and I need only stop and listen and take a look, and learn. I’ve learned over the years that I manifest what I have in my life, with my thoughts and belief systems. I have learned that I receive what I believe I deserve and that love of self and Self are most important. I’ve learned that all I need do is ask from a place of deserving and it is given. I’ve learned that what I give out comes back and the Universe unfolds…

I’ve learned that with gratitude, no matter how small, comes abundance and as a result, more love.

Patricia Ruth Milland
Age 60 – celebrating Spirit which has no age.