Do You Have A Blessing Box?

 

During these past ten+ months, it's been more difficult than usual to find the blessings in each day. Some days, we have to look high and low before we come upon one that we can slip into our Blessing Box. I borrowed the term, Blessing Box, from a program going on in our town to help provide food for those who are in need. There are several of these 'boxes' stationed around town. Those who wish to give, put their food donations (or toiletry articles) in the box. The people who are needing some bit of assistance right now can then take whatever they want to without having to face someone and ask for it, without filling out forms. It's theirs, no strings attached. These Blessing Boxes have been used over and over again. 

I would like to think we each have a Blessing Box in our home, not for food and toiletries but for slips of paper that note a blessing in our life that we want to remember and be thankful for. Your Blessing Box can be actual or something tucked away in your mind. It's not the box that is important. Instead, the blessings you uncover daily rate five stars each. 

Considering the problems we've all faced in this pandemic year, this year of civil unrest, and political upheaval, it might be difficult to unearth the blessings in our lives. You can find them if you try. I think listing one or more each day serves as a reminder that, even through adversity in our country and our personal lives, we also have things for which we can be thankful. We thought about a lot of them last month as we celebrated our Thanksgiving holiday, which is more than turkey and cranberry sauce. It's the gathering of families, which proved a difficult thing to do this year. Even so, we have the blessing of family. Whether your group is large or small, these people related to you are a blessing. Sometimes irritating but mostly a blessing. 

Of course, I would need to consider the blessings in my writing life, and if you are a writer, so should you. Only this morning, I learned of a new book on Amazon published by a longtime writer friend, who wrote the book many years ago. At the urging of several other writer friends (and me), she finally self-published. What a blessing for her, and what a blessing for those of us who believed in her book and continued to encourage her over the years. 

Every day, something new pops up in my writing life, something I can call my Blessing for the Day. One day last week, I received a thank you letter from a writer who had asked me for some feedback on his most recent book. He thanked me but also complimented me in regards to the writing world. That, to me, was my blessing for that day. 

Some of the blessings in my writing life are:

• many friends who are writers
• sources for help when I need it
• my online writing group
• the ability to help others with their own writing life
• the fact that my muse and I get along pretty well most of the time
• being published many times
• continue to find new ideas for stories and essays
• being able to accept criticism from those who critique my work
• having readers for the pieces I write

All of the above are blessings in my writing life. More show up on a regular basis. I have also been blessed in my other life, as well. I don't take everyday things for granted. I know that I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and family, a myriad number of friends, and so many more things. The list would be far too long to add here.

When things go wrong in your life, and you know that we all have days when they do, step back, take a deep breath, and look for a blessing. Write it down and pop it in your Blessing Box if you have one. Then find another and another. They may be small but pertinent things. 

If you decide to keep a Blessing Box, wait until the end of the current year, then sit down with your favorite beverage and go through the box. Read those slips of paper, one by one. I am sure many will bring a smile and warm your heart. You may want to date each one. Not necessary but might be of interest.

If you keep a daily, or weekly journal, why not add a blessing you've found at the end of each entry. Read that year's journal at the end of the year and note those small but often significant blessings.

Whether you have an actual Blessing Box or one in your head and heart, I think it helps us to look at the positives in our lives. Something to consider for this new year which will be here in two weeks.