Blessings

               Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (I Chronicles 16:34)

 

            With as much whining and kvetching as I’ve been doing over the past week to ten days because of my illness, I’m feeling the need to spend a little time taking a wider view. Some may think I’m bragging, and they have the right to make that judgment. To me, this is a practice of “I can’t____, but I can ____” or perhaps “I don’t have ______but I do have ____.” And part of the purpose is to perhaps encourage someone else to take a wider view. It’s time to count some blessings.

                While I’ve been whining about being sick, I’ve been taking care of – at current count – eight monarch caterpillars and Grace. Grace is higher maintenance, but both the butterflies and the dog are blessings in my life. I can’t imagine life without a dog, and while the butterflies are … well… butterflies, as I added another today, I am glad I can do this small thing to help the world.

            I decided to skip choir this morning, to spare the rest of them the sound of my hacking and throat clearing. But the fact that one of the things that’s so hard about this Christmas is not being able to sing points out the fact that I can sing, and I enjoy singing. And the thought that has come to mind this year is that I get to listen to the angel chorus(es), and even if I don’t sing – that’s a blessing.

            And since I’m talking about music as a blessing, I have to mention light, which includes color. I love my white lights both inside and out. How many sunrises and sunsets have caught my attention – or someone else’s and they shared them with me? Then, of course, there is the moon, and the galaxies, nebulae, stars, and planets – especially when photographed by the experts. Add to those the colors and shapes provided by makers of paint, cloth, and yarn. Even in my deepest dungeon, I delighted in being able to help people find the look they wanted by playing with color.

            As I walked Grace a little later, I worked on yet another in the long line of boxes I’m making to organize my place. You’d think I’d have boxes for my boxes by now, but not yet. It brought to mind the crafting I’ve done, some of which I really love, some of which is just plain useful, and some of which was amusing to make. It does matter a lot that I made them, but it matters at least as much that they are made, and that I either get to use them or to enjoy them (or both.)

            Then, in a foolish decision to act on an idea, I was out and about and stopped at McDonalds for some “real” coffee. I got a blessing of the invisible sort as I watched an employee who is clearly special needs going about his tasks, and enjoying himself. I asked another employee, who had the gift of a voice that carries if she sang, because she projects so well. OK, that might be a polite way to tell someone she has a big mouth, but I was impressed.  I watched employees at another shop deal with someone who clumsily knocked a big glass container to the floor.

            I got a bill that was a LOT lower than I thought it would be.

                And then there are the friends who have offered advice (wanted, unwanted, useful, useless, appreciated, not appreciated…) and help; who have listened to me rant, whine, rage, whimper, kvetch, try to help where help wasn’t needed or wanted; helped me learn, try, and create; put up with my obsessions, my arrogance, my foolishness, and my attitude. And there are friends who lit up my life once-upon-a-time who no longer do, but I wouldn’t be who I am without their presence in my life for however long it was there.

            Then, of course, there are words. According to Goodreads, I read 107 books in the past year, and I’d like to finish 2 more before New Year’s Day. Some of those books were more than a little lame, but some have added something significant to my life. And there are the words I’ve written, not just this year, but in the past decade. I got to share a piece of poetry with one group, and a silly short story with another. I finished Word Fire, and I have enjoyed finding in my stories ideas and quotes I think are valuable. I’ve told others that I like to listen to myself talk because sometimes I come up with good ideas. I like to read what I’ve written to discover the gems therein. They bless me.

            While I think I have made far too little progress in any of my endeavors, I’ve also been blessed by the decision I made when COVID hit to learn what I can to be more resourceful, more capable, and more self-reliant. It’s silly, perhaps, but that isn’t really about being arrogant. It’s about being free.

            And, tonight as I finish this, it’s raining. Tomorrow night and the next several night are supposed to be cold. And so today, God is giving me the blessing of soaking down the plants to help protect them from the cold. I’m not sure how that works, but the blessing is there even if I don’t understand it.