On Gratitude for God's Blessings - By Bobby Sagra

"Another exercise that I practice is to try for a full inventory of my blessings and then for a right acceptance of the many gifts that are mine -- both temporal and spiritual. . . I try to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits. When brimming with gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know." The above lines were written by Bill W. in his letter dated March 1962 which was published in the book, The Language of the Heart p. 271 c.AAGrapevine
Today, I celebrate with my wife Marilene our 10th month anniversary of marriage. Since we are still physically apart at the moment we simply scheduled an internet chat to be able to spend time with each other. I sent her a loving greeting and a God Tube song by Steven Curtis Chapman, Cinderella and she is sent me a creative web card. I am very grateful for the gift of my wife in my life today and I am very happy to receive her as a beautiful gift from God. In the Rite of Marriage on Nuptial Blessing #3 the following are said, "Holy Father, creator of the universe, maker of man and woman in your own likeness, source of blessing for married life, we humbly pray to you for this woman who today is united with her husband in this sacrament of marriage. May your fullest blessing come upon her and her husband so that they may together rejoice in your gift of married love. Lord, may they both praise you when they are happy and turn to you in their sorrows. May they be glad that you help them in their work and know that you are with them in their need. May they pray to you in the community of the Church, and be your witnesses in the world. May they reach old age in the company of their friends, and come at last to the kingdom of heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen" At the moment it is a quiet Autumn morning here in McCloud, CA USA. I hear the sounds of cars passing by the highway next to the apartment where I am staying. The trees next to my window are starting to sway their branches as being tossed gently by the cold wind. Their leaves are getting yellowish and in time will fall. In my heart, I feel joy and I want to sing a song of thanks to God for creating me and my wife Marilene in His own likeness, now as man and woman in married love and life, according to His greater purpose, glory and honor. For me, this moment is a season of thanksgiving, of faith and of hope in the loving God who provides for our daily needs. What a great gift God has given me in the person of my wife. I respect and honor her as a complete and full transformation of being a woman, a wife, a mother and a soul mate. I thank God for the wonder of her beauty, for the joy of her songs, for the heroism of her sacrifices and for her loyalty and dedication to her work. I thank God for the gift of healing and spiritual progress through the years, for the gifts of good friends and for the gift of family. I thank God for the work I do and for being of maximum service to Him and my fellows. I thank God for the gift of silence in the morning hours, where I can sit, study, pray and meditate. And for many more wonderful blessings in my life today and in the life of my wife, I thank God from the very depths of my heart and soul. Times are tough and the road of life of difficult today with the world economic situation, but it is not a reason not to pause for a while and count our blessings. What is important is not to feel dissatisfied for what we cannot have, but simply be contented and be happy for what we have. After all, in life the best of things come in freely like the serenity of the quiet morning, the smile from a little child, the warmth from a loving dog and the assurance of a lifelong companion in a married life.