In life, we all go through challenges. Even when we strive for positivity, we are not immune to feeling angry, tired, frustrated, etc. A few years ago, I had been laid off my job. I was trying to stay positive and see the silver lining in the whole ordeal, but it was tough.

One day when the tears were flowing and I was questioning, “why do I have to go through this again!?!” A friend called and asked me out for lunch. I was not in the mood for lunch. I was on a tight budget with no job, so I didn’t want to spend money on lunch. I asked if we could compromise and meet for coffee instead.

A happy, “no problem,” was the answer. I made a joke and told my friend, “YOU DO KNOW, I am not in the best of spirits, right???”

She chuckled and said, “Even when you are down, you can still make a joke.”

True, I am lucky that growing up, my mother never allowed us to sulk or stay unhappy. She taught us to “immediately” turn a bad moment into a happy moment. It takes a bit of practice, but I realized early on that we are in charge of the direction our thoughts or mood go in. Focus on negativity, be angry all day, focus on the sweet smelling roses, smile and be happy all day. We decide! We choose to either be Pooh Bear or Eeyore all day! That is how I explained it to my daughters. This was a no brainer, we preferred to be “Pooh Bear,” who was always cute, happy and funny.

Anyhow, back to my coffee date. As we were drinking our coffee, my friend said she had a gift for me. I immediately felt guilty accepting it, because I felt like it must be a gift that said, “I feel sorry for you.” So, I forced myself not to be mean and say, “You shouldn’t have,” instead, I graciously accepted it wondering what it could be.

Well, I got quite a surprise, because in the cute packaging was a “Prayer Box.” I would never have expected something like this. Even better was when I opened the prayer box and read the nice rhyming sentence! I couldn’t help smiling.

As I read that sentence a sense of relief came over me. My stressed shoulders relaxed, I smiled and felt a sense of freedom. Give my worries to someone else, what a great concept.

So, imagine my surprise when I happened to open a box in the closet yesterday and there was my Prayer Box! As I am job searching again, I got the BIGGEST SMILE!

Prayer Box to the rescue!