Nearing "Normalcy"...

It has been said by the sage that we often appreciate what it is that we "have" only after we discover that, for whatever reasons that be, we no longer have it/them! Another way of phrasing this is that we take whatever it is we have so much "for granted" that the only way we "notice" them, is usually only after we've lost what it is we've been taking for granted!

Once, several years ago, after having my back "go out" and experiencing difficulty in the simple act of tying my shoelaces, was I able to note and then articulate what a blessing it was to be able to simply lean over and tie my shoes! It's so intrinsically ingrained, that we do (shame on us) take these so called "givens" entirely for granted, almost as if we're "entitled" to these powers and abilities.

Well, once you've fallen through the mirror, as have I, and come out on the other side, believe me, I now appreciate with a renewed sense of gratitude, actually each and every second of my life and certainly all that comes along with it in a host of powers and abilities--i.e., what it is I can and cannot "do"...

How about the simple act of Breathing, for example: I now, almost consciously, appreciate each unlabored breath that comes and goes of its own accord...

Today, Monday, February4, I stand before my wall calendar in the kitchen, the one I use to reflect all my various and sundry Doctor's appointments, hopital and lab procedures, scans, and medical followups, etc. For the past several --i.e., 5 months or so--my calendars have been nearly filled with multiple appointments, often 2 to 3 per day in some cases. Now, something quite unusual looms ahead of me. I note, with a growing smile on my "soul", that I have no Dr's appointments, until one week from this coming Wednesday! That's about 10 days of "freedom" or not "having' to be somewhere for something medically related. Wow! What a miracle! I smile as the thought begins to crystalize within, "Hey! I'm approaching "Normalcy"!" My! But Oh My, My!!!

Another example: Yesterday was Superbowl Sunday and, in an effort to be somewhat prepared for a small amount of company coming by to watch the game with me, I had my daugher drive me to Costco's on the Saturday prior to the game. Guess what! I actually sampled everything in sight!!! That's right! Pizza! Wings! Ham! Whatever it was they were dishing out, I was inputting left and right! Another demonstrative example of approaching "Normalcy"... Bigtime! I mean, not bad for a guy who, until this past Monday, January 14 had been on a clear liquid diet only! I LOVE It!!!

And it's not so much what it is that I "notice" so much as what it is that I realize I "have".... Literally, each and every blessed second of my life is yet one more measure of Grace... a tiny and precious grain of sand in the hourglass of God's Pure Love and Gifts! All this has created within me, a pronounced attitudinal change to one of almost "active" gratitude! Instead of realizing I'm grateful for thus and such, after seeing or experiencing an example, I now proactively like to reflect on everything I have and all that I am. This is a wonderful way to begin the day or to complete it! Either way it's all the same coin, whichever side you happen to be on.

So then, Thank You My Lord and God, Provider of all abundance, Love and Blessings...Thank You for all Your exquisite Protection and Guidance. Thank You for Your gifts, including the "unanswered" ones; Thank You for my growing Wisdom, thankYou for my dawning Appreciation and Gratitude. And today, espcially, I pause, reflect, and then offer You my praise for simply showing me signs of my approaching Normalcy!!!...

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You Soooooooooooooo Much For Everything!

I am reminded of the following quote from a little book called "Gentle Rain" I used to read to my children:

"Every Good Gift, and Every Pefect Gift is from Above and Cometh Down from the Father of Lights! Behold! There shall be Showers of Blessings!"