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A World Without Blessings

CLOUD031Can you imagine a world without blessings? I can’t.

In my latest book, From Winter to Spring, I wrote:

“Every day we are witness to many blessings that fall like a gentle rain or silent tumbling snowflakes.

Who hasn’t felt refreshed by a cooling summer shower  or been touched by the quiet serenity of an earth blanketed in mounds and mounds of downy snow that shimmer like diamonds in the winter sun?   

Who hasn’t experienced the deep, enduring and gentle peace that comes from looking over a countryside bathed in the light of a full moon?  And what person hasn’t marveled at stars so dazzling and vivid it seems we could reach up and touch them.  At such times, nature is silenced and time suspended.

Yet, the snow is only frozen water, and the sun, moon and stars are nothing more than hardened, desolate, uninhabitable rocks and dangerous gasses. What transforms these unattractive objects into things of beauty?  What happens to change the mundane of everyday events into things of beauty, miracles and blessings?”

Blessings are gifts that enable us to see beyond the pain and see hope in the worst of circumstances. Blessings ignite our energy; awaken our passions and resolve.   They give renewed focus to goals and endurance to work through the tangles of life. They give respite, a breathing space, relief from the troubles of the day.

To “count your blessings” is not some frivolous philosophy, ideology or precept.  It has the ability to transform the ordinary and commonplace, putting a different “spin” on what we are experiencing.  It can give a different perspective to an otherwise dark outcome, offering a way out or through. It becomes the paintbrush that paints rays from the sun shining through the dark clouds.  It captures that moment of hope and faith and perhaps, if only for a moment, transforms the world around you.

We are surrounded by blessings every day. Recognizing them, however, often requires purposeful looking. Blessings let us know we are not alone – that there is a God who has not only created this incredible world but continues to maintain it.  We are not alone in our tragedies, challenges or adversities – He is with us all the way.

May you be as blessed as I have been as you count the many blessings in your life.

Marlene Anderson

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