LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE.

I was 12 years old and had talked my older brother into taking me with him to a drive-in movie. I felt so grown up hanging out with him and his friends. When I found out that one of them had smuggled a bottle of cheap wine into the drive-in, I even talked my way into getting a few drinks from it myself. It was a big mistake. The wine hit me like a grape sledgehammer. Within minutes my brain was buzzing and my body felt numb. When my brother and I arrived home I did my best to walk straight and appear normal. It didn't work. Dad knew the second I walked in the door that I was drunk. I can remember him yelling at us for quite a while and I woke up the next day both hung-over and grounded.

That experience did serve to teach me one thing, however. It taught me that I definitely prefer a natural high over an artificial one. You can get a natural high from so many things too. I get a natural high when I talk to God and feel His love inside of me. I get a natural high when I walk in the sunshine and watch the birds flying across the sky. I get a natural high when I exercise my body, mind, and soul. I get a natural high when I pet my dogs, hug my children, and share my smile. I get a natural high when I read a letter from a friend and write one back. I get a natural high from reading a good book, singing a joyful song, and sipping a glass of iced tea. I get a natural high from feeling the morning breeze on my face and smelling the first flowers of Spring. I get a natural high from every good thing I do and every act of kindness I share. I get a natural high every time I choose to laugh and choose to love.

You too can fill your life with natural highs that lighten your heart, uplift your spirit, and calm your mind. All you have to do is choose them. May all of your days be full of natural highs then. And may all of your natural highs bring you nearer to Heaven and closer to God.