I know this sounds a little trite, but I am truly blessed…
Not because I am working more than full time, but because I have the work.
Not because I have two jobs, but because I love both jobs. Plants and words have been a huge part of my sanity my entire life.
Not because my body argues with me on a regular basis, but because I have a functional body to argue with.
Not because I have nine grandchildren, but because I am building relationships with them and feel loved by them.
Not because I have been married to my husband for 31 years, but because we like each other after all this time.
Not because I own a house, but because I have a home.
Even though I feel overwhelmed at times, and it seems like there is never enough time (or money) to do what I want, my life has so many blessings.
As I write this, I am sitting at my desk looking over my laptop out a northwest window at a gorgeous maple clinging to its few remaining yellow leaves, attempting to prolong the summer. A dry crinkled leaf drifts past my window, and then another, and another. Farther out is a tall pinwheel weather vane calmly spinning its red-tipped white blades in the cool fall breeze. All of this with a backdrop of neighbor’s houses and a blue sky splashed with fluffy white clouds.What could be better?
I have family who loves me, a home to live in and enough money to eat and pay my bills. What more do I need?
It’s so easy to get caught up in the vacuum of life that we walk right past the blessings in front of us. When I am feeling overwhelmed, I try to take a deep breath and look around for something beautiful, something that feeds my soul. Often it is as simple as the bird flying out of the pallet in the overhead at work, or a new leaf slowly uncurling on a bird of paradise plant.
I realize I don’t want to miss a thing. Stopping for those few seconds can change a bad day into something wonderful.