Blessings abound if we choose to see them. . .

In my last post I said my family was coming and I was thrilled.  I want to offer an update. Their visit exceeded my wildest hopes.  We talked, laughed, ate lots of great food, and went sight-seeing to the max.  Seeing all of it through their eyes, particularly the eyes of Cooper, my 12 year old grand nephew, was the real treat.  What a delightful young boy.  Clever, bright, funny and eager for his future to unfold.  When I think of leaving our world to youngsters like him I am relieved.  We are in good hands, indeed.

But the real point of this post is to reiterate how truly blessed I feel that my family and I are “one.”  For so many years I rejected our “oneness.”  I boldly injured them by my behavior, and for that, I feel remorse.  I do know I have been forgiven and that relieves my mind.  Simply being able to sit for hours, with them in my home, laughing over the past and talking seriously about the present and the future, is miraculous.  Truly miraculous.

Spirituality was a theme we discussed at length.  Even though we don’t share all the same views, we did all recognize that something wonderful had transpired or we would not have been able to sit and talk so openly and lovingly, expressing  acceptance for all opinions.  From my perspective, that wonderful thing was God’s presence.  I can feel Him constantly if I allow my mind to be open to Him.

That blessings abound in the lives of all of us is a truth that can’t be denied.  We may not choose to recognize them but they are present, regardless.  Naming them on a daily basis is what opens us to receiving even more, I think.  Naming mine today I would begin with the relationships that are “holding me up.”  My spouse, for one; my friends both inside and outside of the program, for another; my family tenfold; and the experiences, both good and bad that I have had throughout my life, and those yet to come.  I believe we must be grateful for all of them.  All of them.

I suggest that a great assignment for every one of us today is to pay really close attention to every experience, every incident that draws us in.  Not one of them is superfluous to our growth. Every one of them “wore our name.”  That idea emboldens me in a profound way. How does it strike you?