Blessings in the form of pain....

Just when I think I have things figured out, the essence of humility is sure to surprise me with an unexpected blessing. Now blessings can be within most any circumstance it is just up to the owner of the life being touched to see the gift being given. My most recent blessing was in the form of a car accident... as ridiculous as that sounds my life has been made better by the fact that I was in one of the most ridiculous crashes I have ever seen... I hit a parked car for cring out loud! And it wasn't the accident that made for such a blessing it was the the things that unfolded after. Not only did I realize I no longer wanted to live in a neighborhood that I had to hunt and offer lamb sacrifices to the parking Gods to find a spot, I have also I learned a bit of humility in having to rely on others for transportation but most importantly it allowed me time to assess my life and the the people and places I hold dear to my heart because while I was so busy driving around and occupying myself with useless activities I was unable to see that some the most important ones were going unattended or deliberately ignored.
Another blessing came in the form of a hate letter. Now, I would like to say that I do wish that I might have had a friend rather than I hate letter about the things I was doing wrong.... but hey at least I was able to see that its true, who I am is ugly sometimes...but fortunately for me I have made strong bonds with other very special people who are willing to hold the mirror to my face and help me clean the spinach from my teeth. Also in the letter I was made aware of the complete lack of transparency that my so called "friend" was willing to offer me and this made me see why I appreciate those who are willing to be honest about my faults to me without being hateful...
And my final blessing in disguise was the illness of my Grandfather. Now unfortunately this particular illness ultimately lead to his death, and that by NO means was a blessing to any one other than him because he was released from pain; however, the last few months of his life were like pulling the shades from my eyes...family....friends....love....counting your blessings and of course fun were all things that my grandfather wanted to be sure to impart to his loved ones... while he never actually told me "These specific things are important" what he did tell me was "Stop wasting your time thinking about what you did have but don't any more, and start appreciating the things you do, like today.... all I have for sure is my family and today" That STUNG! My heart broke into a million pieces when I heard my Grandfather tell me that all he really had was us and today...but it was true.
All any of us truly possess is this moment... What are you going to do with it? Instigate a debate, get a ticket, make a call, write a letter, wreck your car, breathe, lie, make a movie, dream, embrace, explore, cry, make dinner, buy shoes, sell your soul, steal a heart, give someone hope, make love, make a baby, make a mess, take a picture, take their breaths away, or maybe take your last breath.... was it worth it?
xo Nichole West