Blessings

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I have been thinking a lot lately about all of the AMAZING blessings in my life including my family, friends, my dog, my home...the list is endless. Every morning, as soon as I roll out of bed, I give thanks for life, for Earth, for the amazing plants, animals, and humans that exist in harmony. For each breath I take and the multitude of opportunities that continue to surface.

Since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, the resounding message in our home was always count your blessings. Be thankful for what you have. Yet, it seems as we grow into adulthood, and become purportedly wiser, we tend to forget this simple precept. Somehow the day-to-day encounters of our lives engross and capture us so much, we have a tendency to postpone gratitude.

Why do we do that when it is so EASY to take a moment and REFLECT in the SILENCE? How often do we complain about the chaos in our lives and never take a moment to silence it? How often do we forget to hear and see God in this chaos and give thanks because it is the chaos that keeps our lives moving?

Blessings are abundant and they are powerful. They give us reason to pause and reflect on our true purpose in life. From each breath that we breathe to each color we see, from our feet that keep us moving on our different journeys to the laughter that brings us together, all of life's blessings provide balance and solidarity.

Nothing is accidental. It is all dependent upon what one asks for, how one asks for it, and, really, what one is open to receiving. We are all blessed, in so many unique and individual ways. It is up to each one of us to honor that, respect that, and remain open to the idea that our blessings are meant to touch others, as theirs are meant to impact us.

We are not a solitary species. We must work together to raise peaceful balance on individual, local and global levels. Start simple. Take a moment to breathe. Take a moment to truly reflect in the silence and offer thanks, to whatever higher power you believe in, for the breath that enters your body, the positive energy it produces, and the amazing contribution YOU can make to your life and the world at large.