Thankful for Life's Many Blessings

I try to be grateful for all life's blessings, and have written many times about gratitude. I am grateful for food and shelter; for love, family, and friendship; for beauty and nature; and for life itself. I am conscious that I have no "right" to life or health or happiness. I began life with a caesarian section in 1945. A very few years earlier, either I or my mother would not have survived childbirth. All my life has been filled with great blessings.

The past ten days, I have been reminded how many blessings I have of which I am completely unaware, and thus not consciously appreciative. Ten days ago I developed a horrendous bitter-metallic taste in my mouth that eliminated all pleasure of eating. While I have been conscious of the blessings of food, and have always enjoyed food, it never occurred to me to give thanks for my taste receptors. Like a million other blessings, being equipped with the sensory apparatus to enjoy food just never registered on my radar screen of gratitude. Now that I have recovered from the condition (Pine Nut Syndrome - read here, and here), I am aware of another great blessing in a very personal and up-close way.

More than ever, I am committed to give daily thanks for all life's blessing that I am not specifically aware of - as well as for the more visible blessings, and for life itself.