Counting Blessings

In the movie "White Christmas", Bing Crosby sings a song about counting your blessings instead of sheep when you have trouble sleeping. Today I'm thinking it's a good idea to count our blessings any time, but especially during the Christmas season and as the new year approaches.

I am blessed to be part of a wonderful, loving, and supportive family. My mother turns 87 today, is in good health, lives on her own still, and is as fiesty as ever. My siblings are "good people", the kind everyone wants to have as friends. This year we've rejoiced at successful surgeries, recovering from heart attacks, the birth of a new grandchild, and the wedding of another son. The family is getting larger and happier every day.

I am blessed to have had the love of a good man for over 30 years, a man who was by nature a "caretaker" who, 'though he's been gone nearly 9 years, still seems to be watching over me. Through his planning and stewardship, along with my own investments, I have been blessed with the gift of retirement and the joy of being able to enjoy my life without having to go to work every day. His greatest gift to me was our son, who continues to be a blessing every day. He has blessed me with a beautiful and intelligent daughter-in-law and, so far, two wonderful granddaughters with number three due in January.

I am blessed to have increasingly good health, due in part to the decision to get control of my weight and my life. The highly capable surgeon who did my gastric bypass, as well as the friends and family who helped and supported me during the initial recovery, are also counted among my blessings.

It was a blessing this week to learn that a friend of my husband's, fighting a rare form of cancer that is probably the result of exposure to Agent Orange in Viet Nam, is in remission. So far his surgeries and the chemo and radiation have worked...praise God! It is always a blessing to hear when someone actually wins over the "Big C"!

I am blessed to be a Christian, and to know that God is always there for me. I am blessed to be a part of a loving, caring church, which, even when I haven't been attending regularly, has been shepherding and supporting me. Their prayers and visits during my recovery from surgery, their constant inquiries about my son and his family, and their genuine friendship have been invaluable to me.

I am blessed to live in a country where I can worship and move about freely. Even when conditions and politics are troubled, it is a place where people can question and discuss and brainstorm solutions without fear of recrimination.

Most recently, I am blessed to have a second chance at love. I am very aware that we are lucky to have found true, honest love even once in our lives, and I am sometimes a little overwhelmed to be given another chance. While he has been and still is my best friend, he has become so much more, and I cannot imagine my life without him in it.

While I am sure there are many more blessings I could count, I'll stop there. As the season for rejoicing over the birth of Christ approaches, I hope everyone stops to count their blessings. As the old year rings out, I hope everyone receives even more blessings for the new year!