Blessings to be counted...

                                                               

A steady rainfall continues throughout this morning carried over from last evening.  Jeff & I hunkered down to watch a Santorum southern sweep. Note to Mitt: Stop helping. No more cheesy grit references, say zao ching to Y'all and for Godsake stop lunging off into whatever pops into your head like a spontaneous Davy Crockett recital. Stop. Just Stop. Stick to script and say as little as possible.  Better yet, just shake your head whenever possible. Just sayin'...
Afterwards, Jeff went online in the writing room while I hunkered down in the master bedroom to read the first chapters of 11/22/63. Stephen King has outdone himself. Such a great read and at 849 pages- I can get lost in the story.
Fell asleep about 10 pm and probally slept until 11:30 pm until I had to get up. Stormy weather = chronic pain squared. That being said, I was able to count my blessings (as I do everyday) while spending the majority of the night/early morning hours in the living room with the indoor gang, before falling into a restless sleep around 4 am. Up at 7:15 am... HELLO coffee!
Back to blessings, which is what today's blog is about, I have SO many things that I continually give thanks for: a terrific husband, wonderful family & friends... I think sometimes when we are going through, whatever it is, we're going through, our peripheral vision turns to tunnel vision and we can only seem to see/focus what is directly in front of us. Instead, look around... there are others who make what you're going through seem like a walk in the park... be grateful for what you don't have...
Two cases in point involve two longtime family friends. One of these friends is the careprovider for her husband who has been ill for the past couple of years. Her husband has 2 weeks to live. If this were not enough to go through their son is dying of cancer. Within this coming year, if not weeks, she will lose both her husband of 40+ years and her adult son. I cannot even imagine the courage required to meet each day.  Another family friend who is 20+ years older than Jeff and I has a husband who has alheimers (sic) and was just diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. She also needs to have surgery but has put it aside to run the family business and take care of her husband, who is on new meds that are helping with his memory. She told me that he is remembering who she is now.  So, while we pray for our friends and family who need prayers, I always stop and say thank you and mentally go through my blessings.
You start with one blessing and that leads you to another blessing and they don't have to be ginormous you can't miss these blessings with a bright red arrow pointing at it... Simple things. Like this morning my blessings have been that Jeff made coffee for me. I have a warm home to spend my day in. The indoor gang was waiting outside the bedroom door to say good morning to me and hung out with me while I said good morning and we walked to the fridge as I pulled out the creamer for my coffee (a morning routine).
So wherever you are and whatever you are going through give thanks and focus of the good things. Be a blessing to someone else today and make their day better. On that note, I am going to put on some rain gear and go out and feed the outdoor gang-- I know they'll be grateful. And, maybe pour myself a second cup of coffee...