Birthday Blessings

September is here folks, the ninth month of the year and it's also the month I celebrate my yearly trip around the sun. Last month, we embarked on a 26-month alphabetical study on our journey to begin again.  This month, I'd like to explore blessings, the blessings we can find in our lives, and all those blessings we sometimes ignore or take for granted.  To do this, I'll open my heart and life to share the blessings I found that have become important and enriching.  Hopefully, mine will be an example for you, dear reader, to explore in your own life.  So, let's get started, jump in and enjoy the journey!  

The blessing of my Boise life is better than I would have ever dreamed.  The heat of the summer is finally behind us, but I am one who enjoys the sizzling summer days.  I will admit however, fall is starting to sound like a great idea.  Boise is hot, much hotter than I would have imagined but I've got a great tan and my garden thrived for another season.  My little boys are growing up.  The chewed molding has been repaired and there are no more wet spots on my floors or area rugs.  Their crate is dry in the morning and the frantic play times have decreased.  Puppyhood is becoming a thing of the past and honestly, I'm ready for some adult time.  The blessing these guys have given me is that they healed my heart after Bonnie's death and have allowed me to love again.  I miss her but the dudes are a huge source of pure enjoyment and pleasure.  I love them to death and I'm looking forward to a long life spent with them.  Doggie kisses and hugs are simply the best!

The blessing of getting old is profound and it is not for sissies, as my dad used to say.  I'll admit that he was correct.  Those little aches and pains that used to pass for a too hard of a workout are now regular occurrences.  The eye wrinkles are getting a bit more pronounced and that stubborn ten pounds does not want to go away.  I'm not one to complain and plastic surgery is not an option, so I'm embracing these changes as I move forward to the next stage of life.  These wrinkles are now my blessings as they show a life that was well lived but the journey is far from being over.

The blessing of good friends is one of which I'm fortunate to have.  I have a large circle of wonderful, like-minded people I seem to constantly interact with.  We can all laugh, tell a war story or two and we have all blended together well.  My social life is like a teenager's again, and I must keep my calendar up to date or I'll mix up my various activities.  My golf game has improved as I play every week.  Someday my handicap will be one of which I'm proud of but for right now, let's just say I'm improving.

My creative life has become a blessing and I have started allowing myself quality time to write and put together ideas to help other women walking my same path.  The blessing here is that I've found a wonderful new friend with whom I can share ideas and positive energy.  I look forward to many long years of friendship and support with my friend Colleen.

So, in a nutshell, just waking up every morning, looking at the yellow roses peeking in my bedroom window and thanking God for another day, is a blessing in itself.  The adage of stopping to smell the roses is profoundly true in my garden and my life.  We should all keep a gratitude journal and write down something we are grateful for daily.  Once we identify these things that we are grateful for, they become blessings and enrich our lives in so many ways. Therefore, my friends, count your blessings and enjoy life.  Make September your blessing month.  I'll be interested in what kind of blessings you all identify and please leave comments on this venue or Facebook.  I also post a link to this blog on Instagram, so blessing comments are welcome there as well. I'm excited to read what people share, there's a blessing in every situation. God's blessing to each and every one of my readers.  XXOO

May you be blessed with warmth in your home, love in your heart, peace in your soul and joy in your life. 

~ Irish Blessing