Blessing ALL you have.

Not just the stuff you LIKE.

Not just the stuff you WANTED.

Not just the “pretty” stuff, the “sweet” stuff, the “easy” stuff, the “good” stuff, the “presentable” stuff…

BLESS IT ALL.

While we tend to get caught up in the “wrapper”, in the grand scheme of things…it ALL serves a purpose.

In the midst of the mind-muddle that’s going on in my life, my soul cries. It cries because of stories like Jena 6, The Cradle-to-the-Prison Pipeline, a news report on Friday saying that in three days the country of Zimbabwe would have absolutely no wheat (but they do have 80% unemployment & 7000% inflation), the “war” in Iraq, the fact that there is still so much work to be done, so much turmoil on the Gulf Coast, etc.

To be clear, saying my soul cries does not mean that I’m depressed. It’s not me hiding behind the problems of the world instead of dealing with my own. Simply put, saying my soul cries is me…being beautifully human. Life is filled with so many “ordinary” beautiful moments that we tend to take for granted. We are so used to hearing the negative, of seeing what’s ugly that we sometimes miss the beauty of a child’s laughter, the subtle glance between two people who genuinely care for each other, flowers that spring up in the strangest of places blooming wild and free.

I slow myself down long enough to catch my breath. To tune out stories about Sh.aq & his wife divorcing, Ha.lle Ber.ry’s pregnancy, Brit.tany Spe.ar’s “comeback”, Mich.ael Vi.ck, “yo-yo of the year” Ki.m Por.ter and her ‘relationship’ with Puffy/Diddy/Daddy/Dummy. In the grand scheme of things, what do any of these things - though sufficiently “bright and shiny” - add to the quality of my life? Get the message and the lesson and keep it moving.

I sit in my house, A/C blowing, lights/water/telephone/gas all working; car note paid; food in the fridge; clothes tossed carelessly across my bed; stepping over more pairs of shoes than I can count; thumbing through piles and piles of books, magazines, CDs; gas in the car. Yes, there are some bumps…the letter from the lawyer, a small stack of bills to be paid, miscellaneous squabbles with family/friends, etc. But in the grand scheme of things, you can combine all those “bumps”, multiply and square them and they cannot even come close to how ridiculously blessed I am. Even in the midst of “mess”, much of my own making.

For ALL of this, every soul-shaping moment of it, I say boldly THANK YOU.

May your day be filled with so many beautiful blessings that you can’t name or number them. From my heart…to yours….Be Well!

Live Deliciously!