Quite naturally you want good things in life to happen, and you are delighted when they do, when they come to you as gifts, perhaps as surprise falling from the sky. By the same token, you are crestfallen when great surprises of joy do not arise and seeming impediments wrap themselves around you instead. You see what you welcome as tributes to yourself, and those which you do not welcome as scoldings. Is that not so? You may live life according to a sense of reward and punishment.

But life is not that simple, at the same time as it is simpler. Whatever something may look like, there is something for you to wrest from it. Triumph and trial both bring their offerings. Even heartache takes your attention to love. Even prison takes your attention to freedom. Even war takes your attention to peace.

If life is a diamond, and I say it is, there are many facets to it. Hold your diamond up to the light, and you will begin to see.

That which seems to hamper you brings you forward. That which is a boon to you brings you forward. You are forward-moving in life. You can only move forward. Even hobbled, you move forward. You are always extending your arm out further. In order to progress, you extend. And you reach where you reach out to. Time and time again you do.

From the human perception, that which is clearly blessing is not always seen for what it is. That which you see clearly as obstacle is not always. Obstacle may be blessing, and blessing obstacle. You cry your heart out over something today, and next year you thank God for that which you now see as a boon. And sometimes your grandest moments have turned into regret. If you cannot tell the difference between blessing and downfall, why do you keep trying to?

In that case, call each event and each transaction and each meeting a blessing. Because something occurs that may not be what you intended, it doesn't mean misfortune befell. Do you concur that you don't always know what is in your best interest? So, adjust yourself a bit to events and try less to make them adjust to you. In the tapestry of life, there are no dropped stitches. Each stitch is in place whether you see it or not. You have not been able to follow each thread.

Consider life like ice cream. Perhaps you asked for mocha and you got vanilla. You wanted a milkshake and you got ice cream soda. You wanted hot fudge sundae and you got ice cream cone. Regardless, you were granted ice cream. Would you refuse it and take none?

And so life has flavors. And life melts. And life is delectable. And it is yours to take in your hand and relish. There is no time for pouting in life. Even when the ice cream cone that you most desired falls from your hand onto the pavement, you need not grieve, or grieve so much.

Life on Earth is fleeting. You know that. Then why are you so perturbed when life seems to turn in a different direction from what you intended? Ultimately all is in My direction. Whatever occurs does not change that. The greatest peaks do not change that. The lowest gulches do not.

Pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. Keep your eye on the target and keep coming to Me. Your awareness is beginning to reach Me. Yes, it is. You have only a short ways to go. You are almost here. Do you feel Our closeness?