By JANET HART LEONARD
From the Heart
“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”
– Nightbirde, a.k.a. Jane Marczewski
Perhaps you saw her on America’s Got Talent. Perhaps you heard her sing. Perhaps you heard her story. If you did, perhaps your eyes leaked. Mine did.
She was authentic. Her song told her story of fighting terminal cancer and yet, she sang, “I’m okay. I’m okay, I’m okay.” She wrote the song. She is living the lyrics.
What do we do when we get gypped out of our happily ever after? What do we do when we get the test results that we prayed we would not? How do we handle the shrapnel of broken dreams?
Then someone like Nightbirde comes along and shakes us into seeing life differently.
Happiness does not always come gift-wrapped to those who deserve it.
Bad things happen to good people.
We can live under our circumstances or we can decide to rise above them. Sometimes we must make the decision over and over. Sometimes we prevail with positivity. Other times we find ourselves in the middle of a pity party. We are human after all.
I’ve always said that happiness is circumstantial but joy comes from within a life that is full of gratitude.
Gratitude is found when you live in the moment not the circumstance.
Nightbirde has learned that as she has been given a 2 percent chance of survival. With her diagnosis, she has learned well the importance of living in the moment.
Nightbirde got the Golden Buzzer from Simon Cowell.
She also said, “I’m so much more than the bad things that happen to me.” Sounds like some golden words to me.
Thank you, Nightbirde for reminding me I can find happiness in the hard moments.