Lots of Blessings in 58 Years
Today I’m ending my 57th year on earth and beginning my 58th. I thought it would be fun to see if I can
list 29 BLESSINGS…one for every other year of my life. I actually have so many more than that…but
this seemed like a challenging number…and I’m sharing my blessings with you as
a gift to say thank you for your friendships…you’ll see that FRIENDSHIPS are
high on my list of blessings! You’ll
also see that my 29 are not “single” blessings…so there’s way more than 58
blessings listed here!
#1 God…my Savior…my Lord…my
Everything
#2 My wonderful Dan…a
husband…a friend…a gift from God
#3 My beautiful children…Andy,
my hero…LeeAnne, my joy…Stephen, my blessing
#4 My grandchildren…Holden,
Orlando, Roman, Shannon, Devlyn and Erienelis…they make life better than I
deserve for it to be.
#5 My extended family: I’ve said goodbye on this side of heaven to
Dad and Mom and I look forward to seeing them again someday. I want to believe that my brother will have
made things right with God before they met and that I’ll see him again
too. My “baby” brother, David, is a
unique gift all on his own and I dearly love him. I’ve also been blessed with aunts and uncles
and cousins galore! Special blessings
Sharen and Robin because they are the kinds of cousin people write
about…loving, caring, staying in touch, funny, sharing…they just make my life
rich.
#6 Friends out the whazoo!!! If I tried to list all the friends I’ve been
blessed to know, there just wouldn’t be enough room. Some of you are closer than others…but all of
you have made my life better! Thank you
for that.
#7 My church family (families). I don’t like to
think I’m a “church-hopper” … but many moves (physically and spiritually) have
placed me in several churches where God has given me brothers and sisters that
I look forward to spending eternity with.
At times, these church family members have been closer than blood family
members…they’ve loved me unconditionally … they’ve held me accountable …
they’ve prayed for me … they’ve forgiven me … they’ve restored me and built me
up. Thank you for being who God intended
you to be in my life.
#8 Music…music has played a
special role in my life. For as far back
as I can remember, I’ve sung every day (I can remember as a 4- or 5-year-old
being told it’s time to stop singing and go to sleep). My piano has given me great comfort and joy.
#9 The Bible…I could not function
without my instruction manual…and I’m grateful to God every day that He chooses
to speak to me and help me live here on earth!
#10 Nature…every day I see God because
He has made His Presence known through all that He created. I’m always amazed when people say they can’t
“see” God…because I can’t “not see” God!!!
#11 Other children…they don’t
even have to be my own for me to love and appreciate their purity…their
innocence…their joy…their zest for life…their incredible curiosity…their
unquenchable thirst for knowledge (as in the 478 times a day my granddaughter
asks “Why?”)
#12 Words. Stop laughing! Words have been my friend since I could first
utter them. I love that I can
communicate…that I can put my thoughts and feelings into words. I know many who wish I used less of them (and
I do too) … but I just love the way the feel on my tongue and in my mind…and I
love sharing them. Sorry if you’re not
as blessed by them as I am (embarrassed grin).
#13 Books…along
with my love for words, I’ve long loved the many adventures I’ve enjoyed while
reading for pleasure. I’ve also been
thrilled with the knowledge I’ve gained.
I’m grateful for everything that’s come to me through books!
#14 School…I don’t remember much
about elementary school…but I do remember Jr. High, High School, 3 different
colleges … and work with special people on my Master’s degree! Each gave me experiences that increased my
knowledge AND wisdom! I’ll be forever
grateful.
#15 Food…I know; I know…everyone
can tell this is something I’m grateful for.
My favorite is chicken…I’m not really grateful for Brussel Sprouts or
really many green veges. But overall,
enjoying food has been a pleasurable experience and a blessing.
#16 My home…I’ve lived in a lot of
different houses in my lifetime, but no home has been filled with as much love
as my “Little House on the Mountain”! By
American standards, it’s nothing…but world standards, I’m rich and abundantly
blessed!
#17 My vehicle…we went a whole year
without a vehicle a few years ago…it can be done. What it taught me was that I should never
take transportation for granted!!!
#18 My travel experience…I’ve
visited 39 of the lower 48 states…lived in Canada for 3 years of my life…and
visited South Africa TWICE in my lifetime.
I know some people here who have never lived anywhere else. I can’t even imagine that. I’ve been blessed to see what I consider a
big portion of “my land”…and I’m so grateful for this beautiful country.
#19 America…yep…I’m a died-in-the-wool,
patriotic, country-loving kind of girl who knows that life could have had a
totally different outcome had I been born anywhere else in the world. I don’t think America is the best country in
the world…I don’t know what would make one country “greater” than another. But I know America has granted me the ability
to worship without fear…to vote in a democratic society…to be part of a
solution in a world full of problems…and I wouldn’t choose to live anywhere
else. She may have her flaws…but they’re
nothing compared to the blessing of being a part of this wonderful country!
#20 South Africa…while I love America,
a big chunk of my heart resides in Durban, South Africa…in the memories of
loving men and women of God who are changing the heart of a country in the only
way a heart can be changed…by the Word of God being shared. I love the diversity of the people and the
languages…the beauty of the India Ocean…the smiles…the incredible landscape…the
animals we saw at Kruger Park…the people…the people…the people. Will always consider my interactions in South
Africa a big blessing in my life!
#21 Community…living in a small
community can be trying sometimes (gossip, backbiting, too many people knowing
everyone else’s business) but this small community also gives a sense of
security…love…concern…and joy! Sometimes
the people of Salamanca are unaware of the true beauty of their community
because they’ve lived here too long and take so much for granted…but this town
is a wonderful town!
#22 Crafting…in my lifetime I’ve
enjoyed cross-stitching…scrapbooking…card-making…homemade gift making…coloring …music
making…book making…writing poetry…so many creative outlets!
#23 Teaching…teaching is a “gift”
and I was blessed with two wonderful teachers who raised me and gifted me with
a love for learning…and a love for sharing all that I’ve learned. I especially enjoy the “Ohhhhhh!!!” moments
of teaching… when they “get it” and learning has taken place. I hope to continue teaching in one form or
another till the day I die.
#24 Facebook … okay, you can stop
groaning. But for this stay-at-home
grandma, Facebook has allowed me to stay in touch with people from my past…with
friends all over the world … with family.
It’s given me new knowledge. It’s
provided laughs…and lots of animal videos (grin)
#25 Four seasons … yes, I realize this counts as part of nature, but
having lived in Louisiana for the greater portion of my life, where there are
only two seasons (hot and hotter), it’s been a joy to have four distinct
weather seasons in my life since moving to western New York.
#26 Talent – I’ve been blessed
to know and work with many talented people in my life. I could not write a list of blessings and not
especially include the friends of Enchante Cabaret who filled about a fourth of
my lifetime with incredible talent…lots of laughter…a few tears…and wonderful
memories.
#27 Speaking of memories
… I know that people lose the ability to remember, and I pray that never
happens to me because I so enjoy walking down memory lane and remembering all
the blessings of my life.
#28 Adversity … I know this seems
like a strange thing to be thankful for, but life has been full of
adversity. Failures…divorce…miscarriage…sins…troubles…heartbreak...cancer…death!!! You name it…I’ve experienced it! But through every adversity I’ve grown into a
stronger, more capable, more loving woman of God.
#29 GOD AGAIN … Everything in my life begins and ends with
God. I love that I can love Him (since
He loved me first)… I love that I can talk about Him. I love that I can testify to His goodness and
greatness. I love that everything about
Him is personal with me. I cannot thank
Him enough for being the blessing in my life that gives and gives and gives and
I can only pray that He knows how much I love Him!
So I’ll stop here with a half a lifetime of blessings because,
technically, if I listed all the parts of each of these, there’d be way more
than 58 blessings here. I just know that
my birthdays ARE happy because I know who I’ve believed in and have been
persuaded that He is able to take care of everything in my life. Thank You, Lord, for 58 years of Your
faithfulness and greatness in my life.
Amen!
I ever read a birth day blog like this. These words are so inspirative. I like the way you choose to write this here. Great and do more here.
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