Blessings

Recently I was telling the story of Abraham at a local school and one of the children asked what blessings were. The teacher and I explained how different talents, like a singing voice or the ability to work with materials could be called a blessing. We might be blessed with good health or good fortune in some way, but we concluded that really a blessing is a gift to us from God.

That evening I was watching Natural World on television about bears in the Cascade Mountains of Canada. As the winter became spring the whole area came to life and I thought how wonderful to be there and see it all.  Stunning.  Now that would be a blessing!  But then I realised that I have my own by just looking around the garden and surroundings where I live.  I can watch the squirrels running along the fence and chasing each other up and down the trees.  There are the birds that visit the garden, the snowdrops are out (although not as many as at St. Oswald's), and the daffodils are pushing their shoots up through the earth.  Then I see and hear the children at the Nursery next door running about, playing, and shouting and laughing and squealing.

Now I am reminded of the pleasure gained by simply looking at the flowers, the trees, and how striking an aged Oak can look when seen against a blue sky in winter.  And have you ever noticed how beautiful clouds can be when seen in the right light?  I am in reasonably good health and, although there's not a lot to spare, I seem to have enough for what I need.  I have a loving family and good friends.  I've seen whales off the coast of California, wild tigers in India and I get to make a fuss of the family's cats.  And I had a dog who would sit with me when I was down and just needed someone to listen.

Does any of this ring a bell?  I bet it does.  You know that you are blessed every bit as much as I am.  God has blessed us with a world full of beauty and wonder for our enjoyment. Look around today, see that early Bee buzzing about, a crocus, a couple of blackbirds, the people you see every day – give them a smile.

Count your blessings one by one.

The world is full of such wonderful things, we all should be as happy as kings.

Lord, thankyou for this world full of wonder and beauty that you created for us. Help us to appreciate each small part of it so that we enjoy each day that you give us.  Amen.

Jim Finch