Counting my blessings

Today, Steve and I spent some time with an old friend. He and Steve knew each other for years before we met, and since the time Steve and I started dating, he has become my friend as well. He's a very intelligent and interesting guy with a professional career. He's kind, funny, witty, and just a very special man.

He also has cancer.

He's been fighting it now for some time, and his attitude remains really, really good. His faith is strong and he's not discouraged. At least, not that I can tell. One thing that struck me is how many times he talked about being thankful for this or that. Thankful...

There's an old song I remember singing at church when I was growing up, called "Count Your Blessings." Part of it says,

Count your blessings, name them one by one
Count your many blessings, see what God has done

I have to confess, too many times I don't count my blessings. Too many times I find myself worrying over one thing or another. I hear my voice complaining about something (many times it's something I have no control over and can't change anyway...like the hot weather!) I find myself looking at what we don't have instead of all we do have.

Gratitude is a funny thing. It is contagious. I like being around positive, grateful people because it rubs off on me. I want to be a positive, grateful person that "rubs off" on others.

So tonight I'm counting my blessings. And there's a whole lot to count.