Counting Blessings

When times are bleak it is often hard to believe that there is anything to be grateful for. It was pretty much like that when my 35-year marriage ended, my mother died, and I became estranged from my sisters. So I began a nightly ritual of counting my blessings, no matter how small. It had two benefits… like counting sheep, it helped me to fall asleep; more importantly I became a better observer of the good things that happen but are easily overlooked… like a friend’s phone call or the first hummingbird to arrive in the spring. Soon I found myself looking for things that I could add to my nightly count. When a clerk smiled and complimented me on my new earrings, I thought, “That’s a good thing for me to count tonight.”

So this morning when I heard Bob snoring softly by my side, I was reminded of those days and nights when I needed to be reassured that good things still happen all around me. In many ways, having Bob with me is a miracle. In 2001 he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. The tumor was removed and he received BCG treatments. The cancer has not returned. In 2005, he successfully underwent five-bypass open-heart surgery. And here he is - a real survivor - snoring by my side. When I count my blessings tonight, he will be first on my list. (photo: Bob and me when I had hair.)

Rainbow over Bellingham this morning.

... PLM