Blessings

Blessings come in different forms

They change in shape throughout life.

Just as seasons come and go

Blessings come amongst joy and strife.

As winter-snow falls

Upon the pastures and the plains.

Memories flood with friends

They fill our heart, mind and veins.

Friends come and friends go

Many with the passing of time.

But amongst the love and the loss

We are blessed that they fell in our line.

As spring ushers in life

We thank God for our health.

This blessing of wellness

Surpasses any of status or wealth.

With health we are able to live and to love

We use our blessing of health to bless others.

After all what is the point of good health

If we are not blessing our brothers?

Summer brings heat, sweat and work

Many are workaholics, even if they don’t like confessing.

But as some work solely for material objects

We count prosperity as a single blessing.

Financial gain has the ability to ease stress in life

However some lose sight of what and who they work for.

This is why we count prosperity as a single blessing

Nothing less, and nothing more.

As the leaves descend from their trees

And I consider blessings, and how they come and go.

I think of family

For they are with me amidst the high and low.

Blessings come in the form of friend’s, health, and wealth

And yes, blessings arrive in all seasons, winter thru fall.

But as I watch the snow fall this Christmas Eve, I think of family

Which is truly the greatest blessing of all!

Priorities

The other day I noticed a young mom in a store shopping with her son. The boy was performing the usual: singing to himself, asking questions and playing that classic game of hopping in the no-crack-areas-of-the-supermarket-tiles. While the mother was on her cell phone with one of her girlfriends discussing her latest outfit, the son was fishing for some attention. He was climbing on the cart, climbing on the counters and climbing on his mother. Mom would periodically take the phone away from her ear to voice empty threats, but the son kept on misbehaving. Once the mom dropped her phone call the boy was immediately content. He was with his mom again. Mom came back to reality, and that's what he wanted most. He was not asking for candy, petitioning for toys, or begging for a treat; he simply wanted mom.

Slow Down!

It's very typical in our culture to speed through life at an unhealthy pace. As more obligations enter the day, we move faster to cram more tasks in a twenty-four hour time slot. Many of us have forgotten how to slow down and "smell the roses." There are several consequences that arise from our fast-pace lifestyle, one of which is tunnel-vision. We are moving so quickly throughout our day that we do not notice people (including loved ones). For my part, I constantly remind myself to slow down as I am move from Point A to Point B. By literally slowing the pace of your walking speed is like an emotional-breath of fresh air. Don't run through life; you'll miss it.

Resources

It's election day. During the course of the general election there has been an unprecedented amount of money raised and spent by both campaigns. The Associated Press estimates that the total amount spent between the two presidential candidates is near 1 billion dollars. And that's just for the presidency. There are also senators running for election and re-election that are spending gross amounts of time and money on their campaigns.

I can't help but think that this is a misallocation of resources. Isn't there a better use for our time and money? Don't politics fade when global issues of basic human need are put into the equation? Some of us get so enveloped in the polls, headlines, and "breaking news" (which is daily echoing in our living rooms) that we can lose touch with issues that really matter.

Here we go

This blog is an experimental exercise. It is not being written to anyone, for anyone, or about anyone. I will not bore you with frivolities of my day; however, it will be a type of observational reflection. Enjoy.