Count your blessings in life advises Offaly influencer

I have been reflecting quite a bit lately on God’s blessings to me and the things for which I am personally grateful. I have thought and prayed about this because, particularly now, in the midst of all of the painful strife within our country and our world. I am reminded of the great hope we have in Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life. Each and every moment, we can cultivate deeper awareness of the blessing of simply being alive, greater appreciation for all that works and is sufficient in our lives, and wonder and awe for the miracles that are within and around us at all times.

This thought for the week is an invitation to drop in to what is alive and life-giving and to know that the very fact of life is a blessing. Open your heart today and this week to the sacredness of every moment and to the great fullness of life. As Br. David Steindl-Rast says, “May this patchwork quilt of blessings help to sharpen your taste for the gift of life in its innumerable facets. May you grow ever more blessed, ever more able to bless."

So for me the best way for us to emulate Jesus is to become a blessing in other people's lives. Some of us have an abundance of blessings every day. Others have to dig deeper to find them.

Etty Hillesum, a Holocaust survivor wrote: "As life becomes harder and more threatening, it also becomes richer, because the fewer expectations we have, the more the good things of life become unexpected gifts that we accept with gratitude." If we can keep open to surprise, we might discover more and more to be grateful for. At heart, giving a blessing is really quite simple. We innately know how to do it, precisely because it comes from the heart, from a sense of caring, loving and helpfulness.

Every time you create safety and reassurance where before there was fear, you are giving a blessing. Every time you perform an act of kindness, providing support where there was poverty, shelter where there was vulnerability, food where there was hunger, love where there was loneliness, comfort and encouragement where there was despair and depression, you are being a blessing. There is no special technique other than having an open, prayerful, caring, generous, faithful heart and a loving, prayerful, aware mind.

Love Flow

Loving others is the greatest of all blessings that we can ever give them. Out of our hearts of love will then flow specific practical blessings. We must understand that this love flows from the love that God extends to us and is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). This kind of love is more than natural love, it is love that comes from God. Only the God kind of love can enable us to bear, believe, hope, and endure all things (1 Corinthians 13:7).

Even if we do great things for others, if the things we do are not anchored in love, we gain nothing. Discovering the blessings can go far beyond our homes and families and can be a framework to extend unconditional love and acceptance in our wider circles of influence. Whatever your vocation, as you bless others in words and actions, relationships are enriched and people's lives are changed.

Life passes quickly

As the author Annie Dillard once said, “How we spend our days is how we spend our lives,” so let each one of us spend wisely and be a blessing to ourselves and to others as much as we can and when we can. How will you treasure, cherish, and spend your time and make the most of your today? Make the best of your life while you still can, for life can be shorter than you think and passes quickly and can be gone in the blink of an eye. It has no second half or repeat performance and it is all too easy to become entangled in the things that are of no value to us as we journey through life.

That is why it is so important to make good use of this special time that God has given to us. Wouldn’t it be great at the end of life to look back on our days and be able to say: I lived by good Christian caring and loving values and was a blessing to many; I was a good child and young person for my parents and a good friend to all that knew me especially to those that loved me and cared for me. I was a good parent who reared my family as best I could. I got on well with the neighbours and offered help where it was needed in the local community. I always valued people not for what they earn or their social standing but for who they are in the sight of God.

So give yourself a break today. Instead of dwelling on the people who have let you down, refocus your energy on appreciating those who lift you up and who have been a blessing to you. Remember, you can’t control the impolite things some people say and do to you, but you can decide not to be distracted by them today. Sometimes your mind needs more time to accept what your heart already knows. Breathe. Be a witness, not a judge. Be a blessing. Give yourself the space to listen to your own voice, your own heart, your own mind, your own soul.

Too many people listen to the noise of the world and get lost in the crowd. Be kind, but learn to say no. You can’t always be agreeable. That’s how people take advantage of you. Sometimes you have to set boundaries. Sometimes saying no is vital self-care. When life feels like an emotional roller coaster, steady yourself with simple rituals. Get up and get dressed. Make the bed. Water the flowers and garden. Rinse off your own bowl and spoon. Simplicity attracts calmness and wisdom. Whatever you do, don’t get stuck on the one little thing that wrecks your mood today. Breathe and be grateful for what’s in front of you. Some of it is a blessing, and nothing lasts forever. Life is just too short to waste on daily negativity.

Thought for the Week

As your thought for the week, always remember that love is really all that matters because everyone comes into this world with nothing other than love and leaves with nothing other than love. Think about it. Profession, career, bank account, our goods are just tools, nothing more. Everything stays here. So just love and be a blessing. Love and bless, as if there was nothing more important in your life.

Let me leave you with this Prayer Blessing by Br. David Steindl-Rais called the Source of All Blessings so that we will bless what there is, for being. Whatever it be, bless it because it exists; you need no other reason. "Source of All Blessings, you bless us with breath — In and out, in and out, ever-renewing us, ever anew, making us one with all who breathe the same air. May this blessing overflow into a shared gratefulness, so that with one breath I may praise, bless and celebrate life. Source of All Blessings, you bless us with humility — That down-to-earth quality that has nothing in common with humiliation but makes us stand tall and acknowledge both the humus that feeds us and the stars to which we aspire.  May I learn to practice, and to honor in others, this sparkling humility which is the dignity that we, as human beings cannot afford to lose. Source of All Blessings, you bless us with imprecision — With all that is vague, close but not quite; all that leaves room for the more specific, the more precise, and room for the imagination. May I know when to be exact and when to move freely and blessed in the space so generously provided by all that is not perfectly defined, giving full scope to my dreams and my creativity. Source of All Blessings, you bless us with memory — That sacred ingathering of the past that allows us to recognize faces, learn poems by heart, find our way back when we are lost, and bring forth old and new from its nearly inexhaustible store. May I know what to forget and what to retain and treasure, keeping in mind the smallest kindness shown to me and spreading its ripples for a long time to come. Source of All Blessings, you bless us with change — In the seasons of the year, from snow to greening, flowering, fruiting and harvest, in the seasons of life, from childhood to youth, full ripeness, and saging. All living things keep changing. May I welcome change as a sacred opportunity to grow and savor in each unrepeatable moment’s fleetingness what is beyond change. Source of All Blessings, you bless us with departures — For they are a necessary part of our journey, necessary for the arriving. May I always be ready to take leave, always aware that every arrival is a prelude to departure, every birth a step towards dying, and may I thus taste the blessings of being fully present where I am. May blessings help to sharpen your taste for the gift of life in its immeasurable facets. May you grow ever more blessed, ever more able to bless. Go be a Blessing.

Amen"