365 Days of Blessings

On January 1st of this year I set a goal to recognize a unique blessing every day for a year.  My plan was to document them in this blog. Now that it is New Year's Eve and a new year is about to begin, I can say that I have completed my goal. There is a separate blessing for each day. I made sure if I missed a night to make up for it the following entry and to make each entry different. So on this night, my entry is this blog, a very unique blessing.

It wasn't always easy. Some days I had to think hard about my day to find the blessings, but they were always there. I wanted to recognize that God gives us gifts everyday and to humble myself enough to appreciate them.  I know I still have lots to learn, but I feel like I am recognizing some of those gifts more clear now and appreciating some I didn't before. To complete the blog I had to have an entry even on bad days. Reflecting on those days and finding the good helped me deal with the not so good parts. I also find myself not letting things bother me quite so much. I still lose my temper on occasion but many things roll of my back that would have irritated me before. My assumption is that now I am letting the good outweigh the bad more often because I am opening my eyes to things more easily. Simply put, this experiment of mine has been good for me, better than I expected.

I challenge anyone to try this. You may be surprised at what you learn.  With the new year I won't be posting each day, but I intend to continue to write entries from time to time while working on the next step in this particular journey.  Thanks to all of you that have read and supported This Belle's Blessings, I hope at some point it helped you as much as it has helped me.  Stay tuned!

 

Gravitational constant? Not for us...

Today is another wonderful person's birthday!  I'm blessed to have a unique and interesting friend like Mary.  I can think of no other person I would rather defy the laws of gravity with and float against the current down (or should I say back up) a river!  She even toughed it out and attempted kickball with me. 

 

A little bit extra

Some clients were in the office a few weeks ago and said they had a new computer that had been sitting in the box since June. They didn't know how to switch out the old one and, not being comfortable around computers anyway, the change wasn't something they were looking forward to. My boss suggested that I would help them. I thought it may be a little uncomfortable at first but it actually turned out to be a nice little blessing. It wasn't a hard job at all, only took about two hours. We had nice conversations and even though I said it wasn't necessary, I made a little extra cash. That's going to look good towards paying off a bill I'm trying to make dissapear. There were some yummy baked goods involved too :). 

I really liked this today so I wanted to share. I was watching TV and all the fur babies decided to lay together. All of them resting at the same time together is rare and very sweet!

My coffee

This is my coffee and a large part of my happy place. 

It's a major first world treat but Vanilla Coke is totally a blessing for me. Every once in a while I go on a trip somewhere that doesn't sell it and I realize just how much I really like it. When they didn't make it for a few years it was not fun. Everyone needs a special little treat to enjoy and relax with anyway, and this is for sure mine. ;)

Bowlin'

It's Bowl Season!  As a football girl, I'm blessed to say that BOTH my teams won their bowl games today!!!!  Neither team had a fantastic season so kudos to both of them for pulling off a winning year.  Although it's not just about the winning or losing. The money and the recognition are good for the schools. The more programs and scholarships available, the more people that can get a good education. 

Special games like those usually mean special days at home too.  My mom is good about having special meals or treats for important games.  A good game with a nice win just adds to the experience.  If we're really lucky there will be one of those crazy, history making plays that people talk about for years.  Yup, saw one of those today :) 

Holiday time off

While many people headed back to work today I'm blessed to still have 10 days left of break. Lexi is feeling better, the girls were in great moods today, there are plenty of left overs, and I got to clean a bunch today. My mom only worked a half day and tonight we ate "mess," a fried potato concoction made with left overs. It's actually been a very relaxing day.  As much as I hope to accomplish during these days off, I also intend to enjoy them some too - hopefully this go round all teeth will stay put ;) 

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. -Luke 2:11

So many wonderful blessings today to be grateful for.  Of course, the most important of the blessings is the birth of Jesus.  The day God sent his Son to save us.  Let us not forget the true reason for the day.

I love all the calls, texts, posts, visits, and greetings on holidays.  Especially on Christmas.  I really enjoy seeing the pictures of all the fur babies and little ones with their gifts from Santa. The magic of Christmas is still very much alive.  I thought Molly's eyes were going to pop out of her head when she realized she had a squeaky toy in her stocking.  I'm sure all the kids that got new bicycles were happy after several days of rain that we were blessed with some sunshine today. 

Thankfully, Lexi is feeling better today too.  That's a huge blessing.  He has slept most of the day but since he didn't for roughly three days I'm sure he needs it.  Poor kitty cat had a rough week. 

As I type away on my new tablet with my stomach full of yummy food and pumpkin hot chocolate it is important to remember:
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. - Luke 2:14