Wildly Blessed
The comments my readers leave here at The House of Edward are always a treat for me and I read each one with relish. They are thought-provoking, unusually kind and much appreciated. One such comment recently gave me pause and I have thought of it often during this past week. The commenter said I was “wildly blessed”. How I loved that. So often when we think of “blessings” we see softness, quietness, bowed heads and piety. But to be wildly blessed feels different to me, calling up images of laughter, crashing waves and barking dogs - wind in my hair, walks through the forest, runs on the beach. And yes, that is indeed what my life so often feels like, Wildly Blessed.
I have always backed off a wee bit from calling myself “blessed”, for if God blesses me, are those undergoing the trials and tribulations of life to assume he has turned his back on them? I cannot accept that image of God as someone who picks and chooses whom to bless, willy-nilly. Rather than pray for God’s blessings on me, I pray I can help to bless others. That seems to make much more sense and it certainly serves to take my mind of myself, which is always beneficial. If I have been blessed with anything, it is the valuable gift of recognition. Given the fact that we all seem to find what we look for, I always choose to see the beautiful whenever I possibly can. I notice the little things, for that’s where the truest, and wildest, blessings can be found.
Today The Songwriter is out of town for a concert in Virginia and I am home alone with Edward and Apple. The windows are open and sunlight is pouring in, riding on a breeze that lifts the fragrance of the gardenias sitting on my bedside table and carries it gently through the house. I have fresh strawberries and melon in the refrigerator for lunch. New yarn arrived in the mail all the way from Colorado - a delicious chartreuse colour from an English longwool sheep that will soon be turned into mittens for Christmas presents. Lazy Hawaiian music is floating through the rooms. I plan to write during the afternoon and later, when the sun starts to dip into evening, I’ll walk out into the garden and pick armfuls of blue and white hydrangeas. A jasmine scented bath will follow a dinner of fresh vegetables and I’ll read a bit before bed. Now some would look upon this day as boring beyond belief. It feels like twelve hours of wild blessings to me.
There are those today who say that God wants everyone to be successful and wealthy. Sermons are preached on it, books written about it. Personally I have a difficult time being told what "God wants" by anyone, but that’s another issue I suppose. I will say that the most unhappy people I’ve encountered in my life are those who want more or, even worse, those who think they are entitled to more - always grasping, rarely satisfied. Not rich enough, not pretty enough, not there yet. I have no doubt there are wild blessings all around them yet they cannot seem to notice.
I love to watch Apple hang her head out the car window as we zip along down the road. Her tail wags with enthusiasm as her big ears fly out behind her like furry banners. She is the personification of glee. If Apple could speak, I have no doubt she’d call herself wildly blessed. And the look on Edward’s face at the end of the day when he jumps up on the bed to lay his big head on my tummy while I read. He gives a big sigh and I swear he goes to sleep with a smile on his face. Wildly blessed? He’d say so.
Take a look around you and count the wild blessings you see right in front of your nose.
I’ll give you a hint.... they’re found in the little things.
I’ll give you a hint.... they’re found in the little things.
“May your prayer of listening deepen enough
to hear in the depths the laughter of God.”
From the marvelous book,
To Bless the Space Between Us
by John O’Donohue
Find it HERE
