I Fall Asleep Counting My Blessings…

I really do. Not only is counting your blessing a great way to calm your mind, but also it's nice to fall asleep feeling lucky and treasured.

 

Thanksgiving isn't just for Thanksgiving. :)

 

A few years ago, I was bummed about something and an ad came on the television for a relief agency.  As is standard operating procedure, they showed the conditions in a rural village, hoping to entice TV watchers to contribute money.

Eager to get a shower, I turned off the TV and headed upstairs. I undressed and stepped under the spray, and it suddenly hit me how lucky I was to have hot water. And my health. And three great kids…And a loving husband. A warm bed. Enough food. (More than enough food if my weight is anything to go by.) A sweet cat. My mom. Brothers and sisters. Nieces and nephews. Clothes. Boots. (It’s hard not to be grateful for great boots.) Friends.

When you begin to realize your blessings, to think of them with more than a cursory nod, your thoughts can snowball. Not because we’re rich in material things, though in the US most of us are, but because we have so many other things. Like freedom.

The ability to read. J

The ability to pursue our dreams.

The right to have an opinion.

Blessings don’t just come in physical form. Even the fact that you are breathing is a blessing. Learning that beauty really is more than skin deep is a blessing. That knowledge opens you up to discovering who you are and why you are valued. Because you are. And really pondering that can open up a whole new world of possibilities and gratitude.

I love silence. I love to meditate on the splendor that is my backyard. Especially in spring and fall when green slowly blossoms, and, months later, when those same green leaves become a fire of red, yellow and orange. I like to think about the genius of dirt.  The glory of color.

I like to think.

The blessings of life aren’t always possessions. And when you realize that, ponder that, you see that those boots (though wonderful) are just a teeny tiny drop in a very big ocean of wonder all around you.

So, love your boots, your cookies, your family, but this Thanksgiving  take a breath, look around. You are surrounded by reasons to be grateful.

You are blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

susan meier