A Present Is Waiting For You!
Don't you just love opening presents? I do. I have received presents that met my expectations, that fell short of my expectations, that exceeded my expectations and that I wondered what the heck the giver was thinking. I have received presents that I blessed and passed on to others who had a stronger desire for the item than I did.
I once received the gift of a food product in a jar. Because I was busy and did not have time to use it, I set it aside in the kitchen cabinet. A couple of years later, when I was moving, I discovered the gift far in a back corner of the cabinet. The expiration date was long past, and I did not dare to touch it. Sadly, I threw it away.
We never know until the present has been opened, and used, what its' true value is. These same things apply to the days of our lives. A popular saying goes: "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present." One of my heroes, Cavett Robert said that each day we are given a check good for 24 hours. Cashing and spending the check is up to us.
Jesus taught eternal life as God's gift to us, yet each of us can only experience the gift in the now...the PRESENT moment. Even our memories of the past and visions for the future are our present interpretation of them.
It only makes sense that to live each day as if it were your last, concurrently as if you would live forever is the best use of the Present. For me, as a giver, seeing the present I gave used and enjoyed is a gift in return. I would not doubt that God; Spirit; the Universe does not hum with joy when the gift of time we are presented with each day is used wisely and fully as intended. It is important to note here that productivity may or may not be wise use of the day. Some days are just meant to be used for rest and renewal, or spiritual reflection and the like. In the 60's a popular saying was "Your life is a gift from God. What you do with it is your gift to God. In "The Power of Now," Eckhart Tolle says: "Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be"
And so today I invite you to open your present; the Present. Use it wisely and well. How sad would be an unopened gift? I have another present for you today. It has touched and inspired my life for decades and I pray it does yours also. A New Day by Samuel F. Pugh "This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it, or use it for good, but what I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have exchanged for it. I want it to be gain and not loss, good and not evil, success and not failure, in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for it."
Now, go and enjoy your Present! RevAli | 
