Count your blessings - 15 days that changed the way I looked at life

I happened to read a blog posting on Zen principles. The last few lines of the posting went like this – ‘Everything that moves around is a creation of the mind, and if we firmly have our feet on the ground, we will see that every moment we live life itself is a miracle of nature. The way our organs work, the way we breathe without any sound, the way the earth spins without we spinning - all are perfect examples of miracles at work’.

How very true! We often don’t count our blessings, but keep searching for new miracles. God makes us walk through difficult times so that we learn through adversaries - here is my personal experience.

One fine day a month ago, my mother was diagonised with a critical illness. It threw my family out of gear, and we could not believe it.  She has to be operated upon immediately, and the entire family was together to help her get through the various tests and examinations she had to undergo for the operation. My mom had not been in hospital since the last 35 yrs, and so you can imagine how we were taking it.

I was cursing God all the while – why my mother?....

All of us were there with my mom – praying and telling her everything will be alright, internally fearing what would happen to her. When my mother was first reluctant for the operation because of the huge cost involved, my brother  said, ‘I can work hard, and earn this money again, but I will not get you back Ma’. He was the one who insisted that we go ahead with the operation no matter what the cost. 

The operation was successful, and she is recovering and undergoing further treatment now. When I look back on those fifteen days which made me look at life with a totally different perspective, I somehow believe God had a reason for putting us through this.

-          I am grateful for having a dad who was with mom all the time, consoling her and assuring her that she would be fine. I have never seen my dad shed a tear in my entire life. He would just hold her hand and say a few soothing words which would be enough for my mother to smile and go to sleep. He was miserable the whole day when she was in the ICU post operation. He would recollect all the good old days he spent with mom and kept saying that she had the best of everything in her  life. Only then I realized how much he loved her.

-          I am grateful to have got an understanding husband who was there beside my mother, said the right words and did the right things. He wept with me when I could not bear my sorrow, and was constantly in touch with my mom reassuring her that everything will be alright.

-          I am grateful for a caring brother who broke down when my mother was upset saying that she was a burden to all of us. He put on a brave face throughout the ordeal, while I knew what he was going through within.

-          I am grateful to some of my relatives who rushed to the hospital to visit Mom. When one of her brothers stroked her head and consoled her that all would be fine, mom was visibly happy.

-          I am grateful to a friend who transferred a huge sum of money to my account overnight and insisted that I return the money only after my mom is back from the hospital

-          I am grateful to yet another friend with whom who I had lost touch for several months surprisingly called to say hello. He would call me or send me messages almost every day enquiring about my mother’s health. He was there to pray for my family, gave examples from his own personal life to say why God was doing this to us, and consoled me all through those difficult days.

-          I am grateful to my superiors at office who were understanding and gave me several days off from work to be with mom.

I realize I am blessed with wonderful parents, caring brother, loving husband, and such good friends who stood by me when I needed them most. What else can I ask for? I have now learnt to live life for today and be thankful for all that I have got.  I am grateful that amma is breathing today, and I am sure God will help her get through this difficult phase.

We never know when our last day on earth will be. So, face each day with a smile and thank God for  giving you yet another day to live, and love.

God bless!