Day 4: Count your blessings in this moment, now.
I pray that we all have the awareness to be grateful for what is; that we can stay in the present moment with pure hope for future blessings as we count the blessings we currently enjoy.
(If you don’t have time for prayer AND reading this post, please choose prayer. Novena rituals and prayer)
Life is fragile
This was brought home this morning when I read a Facebook post by a friend who was recounting her experience taking her son back to college last week. She was caught for hours in a terrible traffic jam. Eventually rerouted off the now-closed highway, the trip from Seattle to Pullman, Washington, took over thirteen hours. But she and her son arrived safe. Subsequently she learned a fatal accident had occurred only moments before they arrived on the scene.
On her return the following day, the weather turned treacherous. She, along with dozens of others, lost control on ice and spun cars across highways and into ditches. Helped on her way by some good Samaritans, her trip again took over ten hours but she eventually made it home in one piece without damage to her car or herself.
The Randomness of Tragedy
Others weren’t so lucky. The accident that delayed them on the trip over to Pullman took the life of a young Washington State University student. The treacherous weather on the trip back to Seattle also resulted in crashes causing the deaths of two more Washington State University students. Dozens more had injuries.
My friend was acquainted with the family of one of the students who died. Her thoughts were with the families of those who had been injured and killed. The randomness of the other families’ tragedies had her confused and upset. It has momentarily rocked her world. She remains so grateful for her son’s safety and for her own. Yet she is so pained by the tragedy of the others. She ended her post with:
I would like to ask each of you when you wake up in the morning to be grateful for the day, live your life with purpose and intent, reach out to someone you don know — help, smile, or maybe even give a hug. Know that each day is a gift and each of us have a reason to be here and have an impact on others. When you feel like you HAVE to do something, rethink it, [and recognize] you GET to do it. You get to be here! So be present and love large because life is so precious, and I think sometime we forget that.
The political stuff we’ve had to put up with for far too long is just so much noise. That we can be so vocal is one of our blessings. Life’s fragility deeply touched Christine this week. In her experience, we are reminded again to be compassionate. We never know the measure of our days. Life is such a precious gift. So take Christine’s advice.
Be grateful.
Be present.
Love large.