deeper things- counting (little?) blessings

I am blessed.

The other day I drove through KFC and ordered a side of cole slaw. It was a spur of the moment decision to get something to go along with some homemade soup (thank you Kathy) I brought with me to the office for lunch. I have had to throw out so much food that I thought I could eat... after one bite...either the taste or texture was so unpleasant I couldn't get it down...last weekend it was an order of Hunan Chicken, printed in red on the take-out Chinese menu, indicating "spicy"...one bite and my entire being lit up like Times Square on New Year's Eve. Kathy took a bite and said it was about a "4" on a 10 point scale...I used to order that entree often, and never thought of it as particularly spicy. So when I took a bite of cole slaw I was prepared to toss it and add it to the list of "no can do" foods. To my surprise, it tasted like....almost exactly like....cole slaw. There was a slight burning sensation on my tongue, but with sips of water, I was able to eat and actually experience some enjoyment in the taste. Pleasant surprise. A blessing (oh, and the soup tasted good as well!) Blessings that I would have so taken for granted six months ago that I would have forgotten all about it in about 3 minutes...along with about ten thousand other daily blessings. Cole slaw tasting like cole slaw should taste. A blessing.

Another blessing. I have gone three days without having to resort to drinking Ensure to get sufficient calories. I consider that a MAJOR blessing. The taste of water, though still a bit distorted, is not aversive, so I drank a 24 ounce cup while seeing clients yesterday. A blessing.

The streets are relatively free of snow and ice. My Suburu Forester has been reliable and effective in getting me to and fro this winter. A blessing.

I have been sleeping well. A blessing.

I have been able to walk a (indoor) mile. A blessing. I am waiting for the weather to warm sufficiently that I can again start walking outdoors.

I am feeling less of a need to take a nap from fatigue...many days none at all. A blessing.

I have learned to tolerate my impaired salivary glands much, much better...while I patiently (OK, OK, sometimes impatiently) await their partial or full return. A blessing of patience.

Are these things really blessings? They were just a part of my every day life this past summer. Let me tell you...when you lose something that is just a little part of your every day life, and/or regain it...you can begin to understand how truly blessed you are by these "little" blessings. Oh, and how many blessings am I still taking for granted?...my eyesight, my legs, a warm home. Just like fish in the ocean take the ocean itself for granted...I am so blessed I take blessings to be like the air that surrounds me or my next breath...I rarely, if ever, stop to contemplate the fullness and abundance of these extraordinary blessings or give thanks.

And then, of course, there are the BIG blessings...the warmth of a hug, the sound of the voice (or reading an e-mail) from a friend, the people I love and the love I receive, and of course, the LORD's love...the source of my next breath.

How blessed, how blessed our lives really are.


Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits -
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

PSALM 103:2-5