Finding Your Blessings

FINDING YOUR BLESSINGS

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT ACTIVELY SEEKING YOUR BLESSINGS?

AS A CHILD IN SUNDAY SCHOOL, YOU MIGHT HAVE SANG THIS SONG:

"COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, NAME THEM ONE BY ONE..."

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT BLESSINGS LATELY.

THANKSGIVING IS USUALLY WHEN WE DO THIS 

BUT I AM TALKING ABOUT DAILY REMEMBERING 

WHAT YOU ARE BLESSED WITH.....

BEING GRATEFUL FOR EVERY MOMENT.

THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAVEN'T BEEN EXACTLY THE EASIEST.

SITUATIONS THAT I NEVER EXPECTED CAME AT ME HARD.

LOSING THOSE WHO I NEVER KNEW WERE GOING TO BE GONE 

BEFORE I WAS READY TO SAY GOODBYE.

LIFE CHANGING WHEN I REALLY JUST WANTED TIME TO STAND STILL.

ALSO KNOWING THAT GOING BACKWARDS WAS NOT AN OPTION!

SADLY, OUR HOME OF 15 YEARS HAS HAD IT'S OWN SHARE OF TRIALS AS WELL.

HAVING DISCUSSIONS AND HAVING TO MAKE DECISIONS TO REPAIR OR MOVE ON.

I REALIZED THAT IT WAS WHEN I HAD STARTED TO FEEL THE DISCONTENT CREEP IN.

ALLOWING THAT DISCONTENTMENT TO GROW WAS NOT A GOOD THING!

DISCONTENTMENT WILL DEFINITELY MOVE OUT ALL THOUGHTS OF THE BLESSINGS!

WHEN WE MOVED BACK TO COLORADO IN 2002,

WE SEARCHED AND SEARCHED FOR THE 'PERFECT' HOUSE.

EVENTUALLY THOUGH, YOU HAVE TO BE CONTENT WITH 'ALMOST PERFECT'

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE A QUICK DECISION.

EVERYTHING ON YOUR 'WANT' LIST WILL NOT ALWAYS BE MET.

IN THE THE LAST 15 YEARS THOUGH, OUR HOME HAS CHANGED - 

EITHER FROM OUR WORK APPLIED OR FROM JUST AGE IN GENERAL.

THE MANY TREES WE LOVED CAME TO THE END OF THEIR CYCLES AND HAD TO BE REMOVED.  IT CHANGED THE DYNAMICS OF WHY OUR YARD WAS LIKE A BEAUTIFUL PARK.  WE HAVE MANY MEMORIES OF TIMES WHEN OTHERS ENJOYED OUR HOME AS WELL.

I THINK THAT IS WHEN IT ALL STARTED TO CHANGE FOR ME.

FINDING YOUR BLESSINGS ISN'T ALWAYS EASY AND SOMETIMES THAT DISCONTENT SNEAKS UP ON YOU.

SOMETIMES YOU NO LONGER SEE THE BEAUTY IN THE CLOUDS

SOMETIMES THE TRIALS SEEM TO OUTWEIGH THE JEWELS.

THE OTHER NIGHT I REALIZED THAT NOW I CAN SEE THE STARS - THERE ARE SO MANY! ITS QUIET, CALM AND SO VERY BEAUTIFUL

BUT I HAD TO LOOK UP TO FIND THEM!

I HAD TO STOP LOOKING AT WHAT ALL WAS WRONG AND START SEEKING MY BLESSINGS! 

THINKING ABOUT BLESSINGS - SOMETIMES THOSE COME AFTER HARD WORK

WHAT ABOUT THE DIAMOND? WITHOUT HEAT AND PRESSURE -A DIAMOND 

WOULDN'T FORM. 

IN LIFE - WITHOUT HEAT AND A WHOLE LOT OF PRESSURE - 

WOULD WE REALLY GROW? WOULD WE REALLY REMEMBER ALL OUR BLESSINGS?

TODAY I WAS REMINDED THAT THE BLESSINGS MIGHT BE DIFFERENT BUT BLESSINGS THEY ARE ALL THE SAME!

SO, AS BID YOU ADIEU 

I HOPE YOU WILL ACTIVELY SEEK YOUR OWN BLESSINGS

THEY REALLY WILL CHANGE YOUR HEART! THEY MIGHT EVEN CHANGE A DARK CLOUD INTO A BRILLIANTLY FILLED STARLIT NIGHT!!