Blessed are they.....

I was looking around for a blog to "spiffy-up" for another short challenge that I'm in, when I came across a phrase that I wrote when hurricane Sandy blew out our lights. - "Blessed are they that Bar-B-Q for they shall always have matches." We might not always have propane, or charcoal and on the flip side, we might not always have candles, but matches, if you buy them in bulk, come in large boxes of several hundred, so you hardly ever run out.

It's one of the ironies of life. We often remember to stock the big things - the fuel, the stove, as it were, but forget the little things - that spark of ignition which makes it all happen - the match!!

I decided to look at a few more "blessed's."

"Blessed are they that shiver and moan for Winter's sake, for they shall know the true meaning of Spring." I can imagine living in a climate that is warm all year round. I would relish it. I dream about it, when March is still miserable and we haven't seen the sun in days. But I have to admit, for all that I hate about winter, it makes Spring that much more precious. It's a little like good health, you rarely appreciate it, until you are ill. Or life for that matter, few really acknowledge the gift, until they have had some near-death experience and survived. Then everyday is a treasure!

Forsythia in "forced" bloom.

"Blessed are they that stumble and fail, for they shall succeed." Winston Churchill once said that the reason he was so successful was because he had failed so miserably. He went on to say that since he did poorly in school, he was not allowed to go on to study Latin or Greek and had to endure years of studying just English. His English is legendary! There are times when we have to embrace failure and allow it to lead us to a place where we will succeed. Whether it's working to overcome what has failed or abandoning it and moving on. We fail for a reason and I like to believe that reason is success!

"Blessed are they that create, for they shall have eternal life." If you write, your words will endure. If you paint, your art will remain. If you have children or close friends, you will be cherished. If you create joy and happiness in others, your legacy will be their joy. If you educate, your enthusiasm will inspire others to create... and educate.... and so the cycle continues.

Time to count our blessings and pass them on!