Counting Blessings in the Rain

This evening is ushering in a rather melancholy mood for me.  Maybe it's the gallons of rain that continue to fall outside my window.  Maybe it's the end of the weekend.  Maybe its the distance from Florida to my hometown.

But regardless of the reasons, the fact remains that I feel a bit down.  I doubt I'm the only one to experience moments like this.  The question is, what do you do with them?

My husband provides a kind listening ear.  And watching some of the scenery and epic tales of Middle Earth bring diversion to my thoughts.

But unless I intend to spend all my remaining weekend time watching the extended version of Lord of the Rings or talking to my husband about my thoughts, I may need to add another option to my toolbox.

So I am counting my blessings.

There are a great many blessings in my life, too many to write down in this post, but here are a few of the things I appreciate and for which I am grateful.

1.  A garage and a house that shield us from the rain.
2.  New life.  I attended a baby shower today for a friend who is expecting a sweet baby boy.
3.  My thoughtful husband who made us a homemade blizzard treat.
4.  My pillow
5.  The library with its boundless supply of 'free' books.
6.  Good music like 1000 Reasons by Matt Redman.
7.  Game night with friends
8.  Our bird feeder that attracts many cardinals
9.  Family and friends both near and "far"
10.  At some point it will stop raining and the sun will shine again.

Flowers

I read a section of the poem Flowers by Longfellow in a little book shortly before my Grandpa died.   I think it is a very beautiful word picture and calls the mind to think on high things.

"In the cottage of the rudest peasant,
In ancestral homes, whose crumbling towers,
Speaking of the Past unto the Present,
Tell us of the ancient Games of Flowers;

In all places, then, and in all seasons,
Flowers expand their light and soul-like wings,
Teaching us, by most persuasive reasons,
How akin they are to human things.

And with childlike, credulous affection
We behold their tender buds expand;
Emblems of our own great resurrection,
Emblems of the bright and better land." 

-Excerpt from Flowers by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Photo by Kristen Harmon