Counting My Blessings

The old folk used to say that when the devil gets busy, it's because he knows that you are being set up for a blessing and is doing all he can to block it. If there is even a grain of truth in this adage, then my cup will soon be overflowing. Over the past week and a half, I have had several lessons in patience, self-restraint, and discernment. At times, I promise, it seemed that the harderI try, the more that monkey was riding shotgun all over me!

I'm learning though, and this is significant, to not let Satan find any purchase in my life. If I let him have an inch, I might as well make room for him to stay awhile. A friend of mine who briefly stopped by my blog a few weeks ago said that I'm using this space as a public journal; she remarked about how clearly this was at times, a cathartic exercise.

She's right, but I'm learning that even in this forum, I need to be mindful of what I speak and what messages I send.

So, rather than give in to the temptation of reporting on all that has gone wrong recently, I'm going to focus on detailing a few of my hundreds of thousands of blessings instead. So, in no particular order,

1. God woke up each member of my family this morning and we were clothed in our right minds (well, most of us anyway).

2. I have a career that I love and a job that covers my bills.

3. I have the gift of the most sweetest adorable little boy God ever created. In the past, when I've thought about the type of child I wanted, God was obviously taking notes. Example: while driving through the drive-through at McDonald's this evening, I was multi-tasking as usual: yakking on the cell phone, placing my order and repairing my lipstick. My son interrupted and told the attendant to add a cup of coffee to my order. I looked at him, distracted of course, and was just about to reprimand him, until I realized what he was doing. He rememberted the coupon for free coffee that I'd been complaining about NOT using for the past couple weeks. My thoughtful child was watching his mommie's back!

4. I recently received a promotion that I did not apply for or expect to receive.

5. $800 recently found it's way into my wallet without any real work on my part.

6. It's the weekend, baby!!!

7. We have a comfortable home to live in and a car that moves us from point A to point B without problem.

8. I have a church, spiritual leadership and spiritual brothers and sisters that practice love and outreach daily.

9. I have an active and agile mind that leads me to all sorts of situations, solutions and people.

10. I still have hope.