Count 'Em

At She Speaks I bought this awesome silver, bangle bracelet from the super-cool Vern. In the morning when the cool metal slips over my wrist, I think about what it says. During the day when it jangles against my other bangles, it reminds me of what it says. I love it, and here's what it says:

Count your blessings instead of your crosses.
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your smiles instead of your tears.
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your health instead of your wealth.
Love your neighbor as much as yourself.

My sweet Daddy always says that he doesn't mind his birthdays rolling around as long as each year is better than the last. Despite the fact that there have been some hard years, he says that each year HAS been better than the last. That's because my dad lives by the verse on my bracelet. He counts his blessings and gives the rest to God.

I want to live on that path, too. This year has been better than the last, so I'm counting my blessings.

• 41 years of grace and mercy from the Lord
• A husband who still adores this ever-more-wrinkly face
• A boy who loves music and his mama
• Another boy who pretends to do homework while he makes his mama a birthday Power Point
• A little red weiner dog who does the full-body-wiggle for me every morning
• Friends who lift my days with their love, support and laughter
• A mom and dad who call early on vacation to wish me a happy day
• A mother and father who gained me through marriage and have loved me enough to make a German chocolate cake from scratch
• The Dohm choir--my brother, sissy and kids who sing like angels
• The P31 team who inspires me, prayer for me and makes me laugh until I fall out of my chair
• A job that lets me meet tons of wonderful people and the world's best boss
• Another job that lets me declare the glory of the Lord!

Life is good and today I celebrate it!