Blessings

Recently I saw a roadside pulpit that said, "Want to get rich fast? Count your blessings."  I'm usually not a fan of cheesy one liners attempting to proclaim the Gospel but this one resonated with me.  So often we are comparing what we don't have to what others do have. We may feel like God has given us the short end of the stick.  How often do we look at what others don't have that we are blessed with and give our gratitude to God?  We truly have been blessed with immeasurable riches that are untouchable by declines in the economy or Wall Street.  Each year we sit down and make a list of our blessings.  This is our third edition.  Some our repeats from previous years.  Some are odd.  All are expressions of Thanksgiving to our Lord and Savior.  

• Toilets that flush.  About a third of the world have these, and our experience hiking in New Hampshire definitely aroused our appreciation for some of the more basic amenities.  Along with this, you can easily add indoor lighting, hot water, and air conditioning.
• This is a repeat from last year, but that trip to New Hampshire was wonderful, and we were able to enjoy the amazing hiking because of national and state parks.  We saw pictures of the area we were hiking in from 100 years ago with unrestricted logging, and the appreciation for designated natural preserves flows naturally from the experience.  Additionally we are thankful for those who take the time to build and maintain trails.  This is usually done by volunteers and a well-maintained trail is much more enjoyable than one with debris or that is overgrown-- the amount of labor it takes to do this boggles the mind.  Thanks trail maintainers!
• NPR.  An eighty minute commute daily is made enjoyable by the programming of our local NPR station.  I like to think I'm staying up to speed with the day's major issues as well.
• Our dishwasher.  Out of commission for the past week and some change, the impact of actually hand washing our dishes have made modern conveniences all the more noticeable.
• A spouse who shares similar interests.  We get to enjoy doing things together, not just because we're doing it together, but because we enjoy what we're doing.
• Evening walks.  During the spring and fall, an anticipated daily event is our walk.  We share about our day and what we're thinking about. 
• The internet.  We love having such a wide variety of information for educational purposes at our finger tips in this digital age-- sermons, lectures, audiobooks, YouTube videos, blogs, Wikipedia-- these tools make continuing to learn easier and even fun.
• Books.  We also are "old souls" and love cracking open books to learn something new or even more for enjoyment.  Books were the first virtual reality taking us to new and different worlds.  Thank you Gutenberg.
• Dessert.  Ice cream, fudgesicles, and apple crisp
• Financial blessings.  We are thankful that the Lord has blessed us in this way and are striving to be good stewards to use it to bless others.  Every time we have an unexpected repair bill on our car we are grateful that we have the money to fix it and not have to worry about making ends meet.
• Jobs we like.  Sure our jobs have their moments but we are both thankful that we feel like we are contributing with our jobs.
• Trees.  Such a beautiful addition to any landscape.  
• After school activity coordinators for high school students.  It struck me the other day how much effort goes into making a child into a productive member of society, and the people who, often in a volunteering or poorly compensated capacity, help students appreciate the importance of fair play, the beauty of the arts, or develop public speaking abilities, have enhanced our lives by (1) doing these things for us (2) keeping the ruffians out of trouble, and (3) occasionally, those crazy kids will actually produce something we enjoy.
• Hymn singing.  A great way to start the day, and a nice reprieve from the 1980's praise and worship songs with repetitive choruses that compose such a high percentage of the traditional worship service at church.  
• So many of the activities we mention here would not be possible were it not for the relatively modern conception of vacation time.  
• Simulation software, which has done more to keep the price of goods down than any economist's conception of supply side economics.
• Bacon.  The original man candy.
• Granola.  The most efficient way for one to meet their fiber quota.
• Year round access to produce.  In the not too distance past, you ate what was grown within a small radius of where you lived, meaning no fresh apples in the dead of winter.
• Zoos and museums.  What a marvel that today's age has given people of all economic and social strata the ability to enjoy some of the earth's most diverse animals, art, and culture.
• More on computers.  We have a new one that replaced Alex's, which is closer in model to the height of floppy drives than the present day.  Microsoft excel continues to be the most powerful, customizable tool I know of, but in this past year I've had the fortune of learning a little Python coding.  I am so thankful for the limitless applications these programs hold for continued productivity and enhancement.
• People in the trades.  Our culture tends to belittle those whose skill is not learned at four year universities.  Deprecating a skillset you don't have is a way little people make themselves feel bigger; and having put those words to paper (or HTML, as the case may be) may I not be found hypocritical.
• Family.  We were both blessed with incredibly supportive families whose love and encouragement are integral to who we are.
• An aside on family.  Three year old nieces that uncles can share their excitement for zoos with are a true blessing.
• Most important of all, the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in His general grace has blessed us with all the thing mentioned above, and in His specialized grace laid down His glory to come to earth, teaching us how to live, and then dying for us.  Greater love does not exist.  Because of Him we can confidently write, Omnia Vincit Amor.