“If material things are what you’re talking about when you say, “I’m blessed” – you have no idea what a blessing is.” – DailyKarmaQuotes.com
I came across this quote earlier in the week on Facebook – right around the time much of Colorado was blanketed with half a foot of snow and temperatures were hovering in the teens.
A rarity these days, I found myself driving to the post office to drop off a package for work – a strange feeling as much of my time is now spent isolated inside my home. Little did I know that day I’d discover that sometimes I have no idea what a blessing is.
It was late in the afternoon and the sun had already begun its decent behind the mountainous backdrop – sending temperatures into the single digits and freezing what little snow was able to melt during the day.
While crossing through a traffic signal, I noticed an old woman with a walker standing on the corner. She held a cardboard sign in her bare, surely freezing hands which read simply, “Anything you can spare”.
While she was wearing a coat, it was severely inadequate for the single digit temperatures outside, especially if she’d been standing there for any length of time.
As I passed by, I felt incredibly guilty – not only because I was wearing a pair of gloves and a warm coat, but because I had just turned up the heat in my car to ward off a chill I couldn’t get rid of.
At that very moment I was reminded of the quote I stated above.
“If material things are what you’re talking about when you say, “I’m blessed” – you have no idea what a blessing is.”
I myself have been blinded at times by the momentary allure of materials possession. But on this particular day, with that old woman’s presence swirling around inside my mind, I realized that one of the greatest blessings we can have is the ability to hope.
To go beyond our current and sometimes unexpected circumstances to see a future of possibilities and opportunities. What a real blessing to be able to practice such positivity.
No one’s life is void of struggle and loss – it’s an unavoidable part of humanity I suppose. The difference is that not everyone has the luxury of dreaming for a better tomorrow, of being privileged enough to know there’s an opportunity just around the corner.
While the basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter are no doubt blessings unto themselves, never overlook how different your life would be if all hopes for your family, your friends and yourself were gone. Never take that blessing for granted.
It’s just another reminder that for so many of us, myself included, we have no idea what a blessing is.
