Counting My Blessings

I had a conversation with Ally the other day about the importance of taking time to count our blessings.  The conversation stemmed from the song "My Favorite Things" from the musical The Sound of Music... There's a lyric that says, "I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad".  In my opinion, this is just another way to say, "When life gets you down, count your blessings".  When was the last time you thought about all the good things in your life?  Your family, your friends, your job, your faith?

Not long after that conversation, I got to spend time with some of the blessings in my life.  I traveled to Oklahoma to visit my dear friend Heather, her husband Mike, and daughter Bailee.  Simply being in their presence is a blessing.  I feel safe and loved and cared for.  Conversation is honest and candid; we encourage and challenge each other.  When the question "how are you?" is asked, it's a sincere invitation to share your feelings, your struggles, your victories, your questions, your thoughts... You're free to be you, no matter how messy that might be.

And then there's the joy of interacting with a 2-year-old!  Bailee excels at sharing her love uninhibited with those she has come to view as friends.  Over the course of 5 days, I received at least 50 hugs and lots of kisses from this kid.  I took every opportunity I could to tell her I loved her, and one day she responded by telling me I was her favorite.  Now... I don't presume to think I'm her only favorite, but it was still a blessing to hear those words.  And I loved watching her play, finding pleasure in the simplest of things.  A blanket could be a superhero cape or a princess skirt or a mountain to climb.  Jumping on the bed brings screams of laughter.  She teaches me to view the world with wonder and to be myself ("Here me am!  I'm Super Baybay!").  Love that kid!

This trip included the added blessing of watching my friend and former roommate Hilary get married.  Her bridesmaids allowed me the priviledge of joining them in blessing Hilary with prayer and words of encouragement.  The joy and beauty of God's presence was awesome (in the truest definition of the word).  Plus I got to spend time catching up with Josh and Shannon.

I'm so grateful for the financial blessings God has provided that allow me to travel halfway across the country to visit friends... for the wonder of air travel which makes a 19 hour trip happen in only 4 or 5.  And speaking of air travel... God chose to bless me further by painting gorgeous pictures in the sky for me.  Have you ever watched the sun set from a plane?  There's nothing quite like floating through a purple and orange haze and watching the sky turn from blue to black!

Thinking on all of these good things reminds me to be grateful even in the midst of the not-so-good things.  I don't deserve anything good, and yet God chooses to bless me with more good things than I could even think to ask for.  What lavish love and grace!