Saturday, December 5, 2009

Count Your Blessings

I recently had a conversation with my best friend about something I heard on Oprah years ago that has stuck with me. She stated that those people who reported the highest degree of happiness attributed their happiness to being thankful. This assessment has rarely failed to be true. While we all know someone who has it "better" than we do, we also don't have to think too hard to think of someone or many someones who are less fortunate.

As many of you who are most likely to read my blog know, my Grandad recently had a laryngectomy (removal of his voicebox). It was an eleven-hour procedure, and I still choke up sometimes to think that I'll never hear his voice again. However, I feel so fortunate to still have him alive and regaining strength and health. I have some things that I feel like I could wallow in pity about - and sometimes I do. However, keeping Oprah's statistic in mind, I continue to be thankful for the fact that Grandad will be here to dance with me at my wedding; my mom is the most real person I know, and I love that about her; Steven lights up my life and still takes my breath away; and I have three very best girlfriends (I mean, the kind of friends most people never have, and I have three!).

So while I might have bad days, exhausting weeks, and trying situations, if I begin to count my blessings one by one, I would be occupied indefinitely!