Blessings and Miracles

"May the New Year be filled with blessings and miracles and may you always have the wisdom to recognize them". For the past several years, that has been my New Year’s wish and I don’t expect it to change any time soon.
 

One definition of a blessing is "something fortunate". I don't care what your religious beliefs are or if you have any, the fact is that life itself is a miracle and that every day we have blessings. Every breath, every meal, every time we go to sleep with a roof over our head, we are experiencing a blessing.

The great challenge for us is to be able to recognize how much our lives are filled with blessings. Now that I look back over this past year, I see that my life has been filled with blessings. Few people always have enough money in the bank. Many of us have health conditions that provide us with a bundle of daily challenges. Some people who live in the United States are surrounded by violence, drive-by shootings, rioting, tornadoes, hurricanes and less than perfect weather (I live in Southern California and will never complain about the weather!). And yet, we make it home, safe and sound every single day and that is a blessing.

 If we made it through this past year, then we are blessed. If we have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies then we are blessed. If we have people in our lives to care about and people that care about us, then we are blessed. And if we can sit down at the end of the day and begin to recognize how blessed or fortunate we are, then we are extremely blessed.

My hope is that I, and all of you will have the wisdom to recognize all of the blessings that fill our lives every single day. Happy New Year.