Happy “Count Your Blessings Day!”

You’ve heard the admonition to “count your blessings,” but do you have a day of the year when you REALLY take this to heart? I do.  On January 24, 1984, my sister and I were involved in a near fatal car accident on an icy road about a mile from home on our way to school.  One of my lungs was punctured, my pelvis was shattered, and there was a lovely long gash above my right eyebrow.  It took the “jaws of life” to get me out of the smashed vehicle.  My sister sustained a serious head injury. Recovery for me meant several weeks in the hospital, and then being home in a body cast, before progressing to a wheelchair, walker and then crutches. This life event is one my family simply refers to as “the accident,” and we are beyond grateful that my sister and I both fully recovered.The blessings of love and caring bestowed upon us by our family, friends and community during this trying time were literally too many to count.   Every year on this date, I wake up with a grateful heart for being on this planet with the ability to count my many blessings and recommit to how I can continue to pay forward the love I was shown by my village.   It shouldn’t take getting hit by a truck to remind us that even when things look tough, there are blessings to tally.  Simply the gift of being able to open our eyes, get out of bed and have another chance to give a hug to a loved one, help a friend or perform a random act of kindness for a stranger is amazing.  I hope you are making the most of January 24 – I know I will!(Yes, this is my senior picture from two years after the accident - I didn't take for granted I could walk across the stage at graduation!)