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I've received too many blessing in my life to seriously doubt that God grants them.

Most people I've encountered who take issue with this position define "blessing" differently from the way I do. They tend to focus on the biggest dramas of life: reunions of twins separated at birth, winning millions in a lottery or awakening 15 years after falling into a coma. I, on the other hand, refer to these as miracles.

Naysayers grumble that nothing good every happens to them. They complain that God never blesses them with anything. If they were once happier, more prosperous or healthier, they now feel abandoned. They have forgotten how to identify a blessing.

Any list of blessings I might jot down includes both the dramatic and the little things I suppose others take for granted. When you experience one or more chronic illnesses, even the little stuff feels important. So here's the beginning of a list:

1. Leaving the Pentagon for a job in a nearby building shortly before the plane hit on 9/11.

2. Being hospitalized 100 times yet remaining able to earn a living.

3. Marrying the nicest guy in the world.

4. Rearing an intelligent, self-supporting daughter.

6. Rescuing and caring for 12 cats.

7. Being able to retire early to care for a terminally ill pet.

8. Writing, which is short for doing what I've always wanted to do.

9. Having doctors who employ real people, not recordings, to answer their office phones.

10. Being able to work just part-time.

If you accept the definition of a blessing as a special bestowing of grace, you will probably begin to recognize that you've received millions of them in your life, whether you're 16 or 65. I am grateful for the several times I've avoided backing into a car I didn't see, all the occasions when I located my lost office keys in time to avoid being late to work and all the opportunities I've had to vote and express my preferences.

I am blessed with a roof over my head, a well-stocked refrigerator, a car that takes me to and from work, half a dozen excellent doctors and above-average medical insurance. And I have the purring of four "inside" cats to reassure me that I did the right thing when I rescued them as feral kittens.

People who readily acknowledge their blessings are pretty easy to spot. They smile a lot. Zillions of their co-workers appear to know them by name and always have something good to say about them. They radiate calm and are thankful for even small favors that come their way. Everybody around them seems to know them well, yet during a conversation, they seem to do most of the listening.

When life throws a series of curve balls such as serious illness or loss of a job, it's easy to forget that you received any blessings from God. I have always found it helpful to begin each day by repeating at least five blessings I recognize in my life at that moment. This helps start my day on a calm, grateful note. And by the time I reach number five, I usually think of five more waiting to be acknowledged.

Learn more about this author, Vonda Sines.
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