The blessings are there, if you look for them

Over time, regular readers of this blog will discover that my faith is important to me. Part of the reason I didn’t have much trouble deciding to accept a newspaper buyout was my trust that God has something planned for me. Jeremiah 29:11 says:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for well-being and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

At Thanksgiving, I urge you to find the blessing in any situation. I’m into the 11th week of my post-newspaper life, and there are many blessings surrounding this life change. The first involved timing. I learned about the impending changes at the newspaper through a voice mail on the last day of our California vacation this summer. If I’d heard that news sooner, it might not have ruined our family vacation, but certainly would have lessened our enjoyment. Other blessings: In concrete terms, I’ve saved a lot of money on gas by eliminating my commute (this saving was really noticeable when gas topped $4 a gallon). I’ve been able to spend more time with my wife and two teenage sons. I’ve also been able to reconnect with old friends and made a few trips while attempting to help a friend’s business venture. On the last trip, I was able to visit family in New Jersey as well. I’ve been able to exercise more, which would help me shed some excess pounds if only the refrigerator weren’t so accessible.

There’s a hymn that goes

Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done

Try that and it will open your eyes. Happy Thanksgiving!