Counting My Blessings

It is early Thanksgiving Morn and all is peaceful and quiet. I am the only one stirring at the homeplace at this hour..simply because I am the one roasting the turkey. Rising at 4AM gave me plenty of time to pump a few mugs of coffee in me and journey to my favorite place, the pier, for a simple morning meditation. As Ezzy, the dog, and I sat staring out over the water, I tried counting a few of my many Blessings. It did not take me long to realize that even though like most people I have a few areas in my life that could have vast improvements, overall my Blessings far outweigh any gripes I may have. There were too many to count..I have a Good Lord that watches over me, a very loving family, a comfortable, snug home, more than enough food to satiate my hunger and even a old dog that would follow me to the ends of the Earth. The Blessings did not end there although that should be enough to please any soul. I could have effortlessly blurted out an few thousand more in the moments that I sat there. Instead, I pondered an idea.."What if I think long and hard and acknowledge some obscure blessing every day instead of one day a year?" Not the usual things that folks (like me) ramble off when asked at the dinner table to list a few blessings. Name a Blessing that is not of the obvious sort..name a Blessing every day and truly be thankful for the way this gift has affected my life. To be truly thankful for something surely must involve more than spieling off a dozen or so items that are so cliche that it sounds rote. This is not to say that we should not be thankful that we were given each of these gifts, but rather to learn to appreciate more unnoticed bounty that has been bestowed upon us. As I sat there, I pondered..thinking of the seemingly unending list..then it hit me..the first thing on my list should be just the ability to think. What a blessing it is to even be able to think! How many thoughts are processed through even my poor, feeble brain each and every day! Yes..to begin my list of daily thanksgiving I am unconditionally thankful that I have been granted the gift of thought.

I hope all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and can find something to be thankful for everyday even if it is totally obscure thing. May the Good Lord smile down upon you in the coming year and grant you all that you need to make you realize you have been blessed.