12 Blessings

So we hear a lot about Christmas trees, drummer boys, angels, kings and of course the 12 days that pull it all together.”This” is the Holiday Season and the time of year when we give, share, create and decorate.

But what if we took just one moment and shifted the focus off doing and buying for others and shined a light on ourselves – specifically, our blessings, our fortune, our own JOY in the world.

I challenge the 12 drummers drumming, 7 swans swimming and even the lonely partridge in a Pear Tree to take stock for a moment in THESE 12 blessings of Life:

The ability to: see, hear, smell, taste, touch, laugh, think, hold memories and learn
The privilege of: Family, Friends and having opportunities to experience.

These are blessings that cover a wide spectrum from the physical to the intellectual and emotional. These are blessings many of us take for granted every day. Blessings we would be lost without. Blessings that many in the world don’t enjoy. Take THIS moment – RIGHT NOW – take a breath, don’t just count these blessings but honor them. Be thankful for them individually and the power of them collectively and how they impact every moment of your day, your life, your legacy.

Site – Just look around you. The fact that you CAN look around you is in itself a blessing. Now factor in all that you see when you look around you = POWERFUL!

Sound - Just close your eyes for a moment and listen. What do you hear? A symphony? A barking dog or perhaps an ambulance hurrying to save a life. What a spectacular blessing “hearing” is. Not everyone has been blessed with it – be thankful.

Smell – There is nothing more enticing this time of year than the smell of cookies baking, or the pine tree standing tall all decorated and proud. The smells of this season evoke memories which in turn lead us to feel so many things this time of year. Ahhhh, our sense of smell is perhaps, the strongest connection to the experiences in our lives.

Taste – What better time of year to be thankful for the blessing of taste than the Holiday’s? Savor the flavors, eat the cookies with joy, and drink the wine in style. Hmmm…now pinch your nose and stifle your taste - eat a piece of chocolate - without taste…..what’s the point!! Touch – Oh, Oh, I can feel it now……the sensual touch of a lover, the warmth and coziness of cashmere throw. I can also feel how the words from a Christmas card from a friend far away touch my heart and remind me of the times we once shared. Don’t forget to FEEL all that is around you as you reach out and touch the world.

Laughter – They (who ever “they “are ) say laughter is medicine. Well, I don’t much like to take medicine, but if it all tasted as good as the sweetness of laughter I would never miss a dose – and I don’t. Let’s laugh at ourselves, laugh out loud and laugh throughout our day, every day, just in case it IS medicine. And ya know, you can even get a great ab workout if the laughter is hard enough, loud enough – if it reaches deep enough inside.

Think – NO not in the intellectual sense but in the profound sense. Question, analyze, ponder, study all through your day. The more you do the more you learn and the more you learn the more you grow and the richer that growth becomes. Hold your memories dear – Don’t ever let them go for they make up the history of your life. Can you look back today and journal on the most memorable Christmas’s in your life? What about the most memorable people? Take your time feel the memories don’t just conger them up. Let them take you away for a time. Let them take you back in time so you can reflect and move forward.

Learn – Explore the lessons in each day you live. Apply today’s learning to tomorrow’s experience. See the messages in your life and use them to create an even better one. Every moment of every day is an opportunity TAKE IT!

Family and Friends – Many of us are blessed with large families, some with small. Remember, your family may not just be your blood relatives. Sometimes your family is no biological relation at all. Those closest to you and your heart are your family regardless of how near they may be or how far. The blessing of family is an important one. Even in the animal kingdom, many species live in family units. Friends too are like family and in many instances are one in the same. Take a moment and list just 10 of your closest family and friends. Now, list the 10 that are farthest either geographically or in terms of time you have been away from them. Call THOSE 10 today. Wish them well, tell them how much they mean to you, what they mean to you – don’t wait, often times we’re too late!

Experience – the 11 above come to THIS the 12 blessing – the ability to experience life and all it has to offer each and every one of us – the 6 Billion on this planet. I ask you to move through your life from this moment forward with a renewed sense of enlightenment, relish in all your blessings.

Life should be a celebration – and that celebration should be living - and living is much richer when you not only count your blessings but realize them in a real, tangible way. So sing about the 12 days of Christmas this season – and the rest of the year season your life by allowing these 12 blessings to pepper your days!