Something to give pause and think about…

Death, illness, pain — these are the extreme human conditions that really dare us to count our blessings:  death in the family, a prognosis of a dreaded disease, pain from rejection, misfortune or some irreparable damage. With such intolerable distress, how can you even start to count your blessings?

Let me share my little secret. When I feel that the world is caving in and my tears of hopelessness are just about to fall, I look down at my hands. I stretch my fingers and I start to count ... my blessings. I say to myself, “I have 10 fingers ... 1-2-3-4-5 ... I can move all of them. My skin is clear. I can see. I can hear. I can talk. I can walk. I have a family. I have a home. I have friends. I have a job. Not everyone has these. I am a very lucky person. I am whole and I can cope with this minor setback.”

Try it. In your darkest hour, at the height of a most unfortunate situation, count your blessings by starting with your fingers.
—Ruby Bayan-Gagelonia, “Count your blessings,” October 15, 1999, Suite101.com.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving and count your many blessings naming them one by one.