Blessings!

Can you believe it’s September already?  School is back in session, colleges and universities too. This is the time of year that I start to watch for the beautiful colors of the trees, as God changes the leaves on the trees to gorgeous shades of red, orange and yellow.  This reminds us that winter is coming, followed by spring and new life growing on the trees!

Autumn is my favorite time of year because of the colors, the cooler temperatures and, of course, Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather together and remember all of the blessings in their lives and be thankful for everything God has given them.

I have so many blessings in my life, some of which have come in the form of a challenge.  Except for my multiple sclerosis and the money problems I always seem to have, I don’t have many challenges in my life right now.  I seem to have gotten through the many challenges thrown my way, although of course, that doesn’t guarantee that I won’t have more down the road!

That is why we must all remember our blessings.  I don’t really like to count them, because putting a number on blessings isn’t helpful.  When I say my prayers, and list many of my blessings, I know that I forget so many things that I am thankful for day to day that go relatively unnoticed and I am especially thankful for the blessings that I overlook because they are just things that get me through each day.

I have been introduced to this ‘mindfulness’ thing recently.  This is where we take the time to live in the moment.  It’s very difficult to do, but it allows you to take the time to smell the roses, actually taste what you are eating and focus on prayer.  So many times, I begin my prayers and my mind wanders to something else.  I have a ways to go to get this right!

I was sent some information on mindfulness and the very first tip is:  smile the second you wake up!  It sets the tone for your day.  So, let’s all try to do that.  Seeing your blessings will surely follow!