Whew! It’s been quite a week. And it’s still two weeks until the inauguration of our new president. That’s two weeks too long for me. I am so tired of wondering what else can possibly happen before Mr. Trump (he does not deserve the title President) leaves the White House. The New York Times morning news summary titled their morning news today “Numb and nearly broken.” That pretty well describes it.
In the four months between Franklin Roosevelt’s election and his 1933 inauguration, much of the world descended into chaos.
Adolf Hitler took power in Germany, and the Reichstag — the Parliament building — burned. Japan quit the League of Nations. In the U.S., hundreds of banks shut down. Lynchings surged in the South. “The country, numb and nearly broken, anxiously awaited deliverance,” as David Kennedy wrote in his Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the era. …
The worst pandemic in a century is becoming more severe, with a contagious new coronavirus variant spreading and thousands of Americans dying every day. The mass vaccination program is behind schedule. Almost 10 million fewer Americans have jobs than did a year ago. The U.S. president, with the backing of dozens of members of Congress, has tried to overturn an election result and remain in power. Hundreds of his supporters overwhelmed police officers and stormed the Capitol, one of the few times in history that an U.S. government building has been violently attacked.
All the while, the country lacks a president who has both the power and willingness to reduce the death, illness and mayhem. — New York Times, The Morning, Jan. 8, 2021
I don’t know about you but my prescription for myself today is to indulge in
Counting My Blessings
Yup, I’m going to count my blessings and celebrate what’s right with the world. Lord knows there’s plenty wrong in the world. But I’m not waiting for deliverance. I can decide in this moment to focus on the good, the bright, and the beautiful.
So here goes…
I am grateful for…
- The beauty of frost covered trees across the pond this morning (see above). Though the fog that covers much of our state this week seems to be mostly missing our neighborhood, the trees across the pond were covered with frost this morning for the first time this week. Aren’t they beautiful?
- Incredibly mild weather for January in Minnesota. I am so enjoying the above average temperatures. This afternoon I plan to take a long walk at Carver Park west of here.
- Safe and comfortable family members. No one is sick. And no one has lost their job or is worrying about losing their job. Our grandchildren are doing well with their online school (though they miss being with their friends). They have been spending a lot of time sledding this winter (after their school work is done).
- Thriving in some ways more than ever with more at home time and less hustle and bustle.
- Feeling good moving my body this morning. And it’s felt good almost every day this week! That is truly a blessing that I never take for granted. I am hopeful that some eating changes that I am making along with my Soma yoga and mild strength training are making a positive difference.
- The fact that Joe Biden will be our next president of the United States and two democrats won their senate runoff races in Georgia this week. Perhaps we will soon see some positive leadership from our nation’s capital.
- Listening to YoYo Ma this week during all of the chaos that was happening in our capital. I’m feeling so blessed to be able to hear his heavenly music.
Here is a video of him playing one of my favorite pieces:
[kad_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1prweT95Mo0&feature=youtu.be” width=800 height=600 ]
And finally here is a lovely poem by Mary Oliver…
My work is loving the world
My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird –
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all ingredients are here,Which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.— Mary Oliver
Perhaps you may want to spend some time today counting your blessings also.
May you walk in beauty.
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