Blessings. 

We become more mindful of them during this time of year.    

Some blessing are big and obvious and almost impossible to overlook.  They are the ones in the forefront of our minds and likely the first to fall from our lips when we're asked what makes us most thankful.  These are seen in the faces of our parents and they flicker in the eyes of our children.  They're heard in the voice of a spouse or in a young child's song.  These kinds of blessings are in a friend's laugh and the warmth of their embrace.  They're felt at the sight of our flag or in the presence of a scarred soldier.  They're there in a church pew, on the pages of God's promises, and in the comfort of a prayer.  These blessings are the ones which cannot be ignored.  Their very presence shape and define our lives and affect us so profoundly that we can't even comprehend their impact.  They come through the people we love, the freedoms we enjoy, and the salvation we've been given.  They're the foundation on which God has built us.  They steady us, support us, help us bear the weight of this life, and give us hope for the next one to come.         

Other blessings are more subtly woven into our everyday living and are sometimes overlooked.  They're often seen as a given.  Commonplace.  Basic necessities.  Sometimes, we fail to really give them much thought until we see someone who's living without their comforts.  These blessings are felt in the warmth of our homes on a cold, rainy night.  They're tasted in the bounty of foods on our table and in the purity of our water.  They're heard in the hum of our air conditioning or the engine of our car.  They're lined up in our closets....shoes, coats, and jackets.  They are felt in the safety and security we feel in the places we live.  Sometimes, we may be tempted to write these blessings off as just our standard of living.  Maybe we feel entitled to them, somehow.  Maybe they're such a part of our way of life that we feel they're some kind of basic package that we all have coming to us.  But, they are so much more than that.  I see them as God's way of zipping our jackets and kissing our foreheads each morning.  And in the evening, through His mercy, He tucks us in and pulls the covers up under our chins.  He is caring for us like a Father. 

Still, there are other blessings which are almost like garnish.  They're the little things that make life incredibly rich and unnecessarily sweet.  They're the extra trimmings on this already beautiful journey.  These are seen in the colors of a sunset splashed across the sky and reflected in the mirror of a lake. These are heard in the morning birds' song or in the crash of the waves.  They can surface in a happy memory of a time long passed.  They're felt on the fur of our pets and in the warmth of a cozy fire.  These blessings envelope us in the cool breezes of autumn and in the flurry of a gentle snowfall.  These kinds of blessings can be heard in the harmony of beautiful music or seen in the smile of a baby.  They are felt in the quake of a belly laugh.  These are the blessings with which God has iced our cake..... just because He wanted to.  Our days are sprinkled with these kinds of blessings.  Sometimes, we're just too busy to notice all the embellishments that God has heaped upon our lives.  They're the little extras He does for us each day.  His finishing touches.                      
       
I think we all realize that, whether we have an impressive investment portfolio or just enough to get by, we, most likely, have over and above what many in our world could ever even dream of.  While many are in a struggle to find clean water and basic shelter, we're grappling with big problems like dark granite or light granite......cable, satellite, or Apple TV.......SUV or crossover......iPhone or Samsung Galaxy......tablet or laptop. 

A visual came to my mind.  Have you ever watched a spoiled child open presents?  One who has everything?  There's not much joy in that.  Rip the paper, throw it aside. Grab another.  Rip the paper, throw it aside.  There's little time spent on appreciating the gift or expressing gratitude to the giver.  I think we become like that, sometimes.  We have everything we really need and when we get more, sometimes, I think it doesn't even phase us that much.  "Yeah, thanks....just put it over in the pile with the others." 

God help us when we do find ourselves becoming desensitized to the abundance of our blessings that we not stay in that place for long.  God has most generously poured out His provisions over us......and then some.  In turn, He wants us to acknowledge Him, live in a spirit of thankfulness, and share what we have with someone who needs it whenever we can.    

I want to remain constantly aware that, without Him, I would have nothing.