Count Your Blessings...

...instead of sheep!

The kids and I made it to Mass at the little hospital where my husband works on Wednesdays. It's not so close to home, so this is the first Mass we have been to there. They meet in the extended care unit with about 8 patients and 4 volunteers participating. These patients are all parapalegic or quadrapalegic with aids for breathing. Some are mentally strong and some aren't. Most of them could not participate at Mass at all- in the expected ways. One patient would use his mouth-controller to tip his chair/bed up when one would normally stand during the Liturgy. I thought of the 'widow's mite' and that his raising his chair a bit gives more glory to God than all of our perfect prayers. 

Let's remember to count our blessings. Really, really count them. Thank God for your heart beat, your breath, the food you have in the pantry, any gifts that are under the tree, anything your family and friends have done recently that has been a blessing. Thank God for your ability to walk and offer up a stubbed toe for those that cannot. Thank God for your kids- on earth and in heaven. 

I thank God for my boy who innocently says that Jesus wants a "huge truck" for His birthday and who stayed in the room with these patients and behaved so we could sing. I thank God for my baby girl who is completely healthy and normal after being born early with me being quite sick. I thank God for my two big girls who sang at Mass today even though the oldest had tears in her eyes. I thank God for my husband who took the time to walk "Christmas Tree Lane" with us after the Moloben and Bible study and before he went back to the hospital to work some more.There is so much for which to be grateful. For most of us, we should be mindful of the blessings of being physically and mentally 'normal.' It is such a blessing to be able to breathe independently and walk independently. Let's not take these blessings for granted.