One of the things I love doing is hanging out at the beach. Some days I bring my camera and capture the beauty of a seagull in flight, the arrival and departure of the waves, seagrasses dancing in the breezes. Other days I bring a journal book and write poetry. And some days I walk. As I walk along the beach, I often spot little stones or shells. Colors, textures, rich varieties.

I've had a thought, a wish, a dream, an intent, that one day, walking along the beach, I will pick up a stone and find that it is a diamond. Riches delivered by God. A gift.

It's not a bad thing to have dreams. It's wonderful. Imaging and imagining how life will unfold, the blessings we'll receive. The risk though, and the thing I'm realizing this morning, is that sometimes we miss the simple gifts when looking for the big ones.

I've collected lots of stones, each one unique, precious. But I forget the preciousness of these simple gifts when I am discouraged that the stone is not a diamond, my path to great riches. In that discouraged place, I miss the real beauty of each moment, each wave, each day.

I forget that each photo is a gift, made more valuable when I share it, that each poem that I pen is a gift, that each stone is indeed a precious and wondrous thing.

Life is both dream and realization. Big dreams take time to manifest. They come incrementally, as our faith grows, as our confidence blooms, as our readiness to receive grows, each adding to the landscape that is the whole of our life.

Take the time to recognize, appreciate, and celebrate each small blessing, and larger blessings will find their way to you.

Much love,
Stevie