 Happy Monday, friends. This is a good week for me to count my blessings. That word’s meaning has evolved for me over time. I used to think blessings meant good luck. God’s favor meant I’d be happy all the time, right? Well, we know that’s not the case. About two years ago I discovered a lump behind my left ear, which turned out harmless and was removed. Even before my first doctor’s visit, a friend told me: “It’s a blessing.”
I asked, “How do you figure?” She answered: “You didn’t do that on your own, which means God brought it to you. It’s a blessing.” That simple. My blessings start in the morning. The 12-steppers like to say we wake up with untreated alcoholism. I make it a little personal: I awake with untreated Mike. My morning prayer looks something like this:
Blessing is huge. This will be a shock, but some people bug me. I ask God to bless those folks. For the ones who REALLY do me wrong, I ask God to bless in such abundance it’ll make them stop on the street corner and wonder just what the heck is happening in their lives. As for me, three blessings come to mind: — I was born the middle child of six kids in a loving family. My brother and two older sisters are adopted; I was the original Wright. My two younger sisters followed. Every large family has that kid who moves thousands of miles away, and I’m that kid. My siblings all live within an hour of one another. We get together about once a year at someone’s house (such as Thanksgiving at my sister Eileen's in today's photo), though I’ve missed more of these family events than attended them. There are days it hurts my soul deeply that my family’s physical touch is so out of reach. Guess what? This is a good problem to have. I’m blessed to have siblings I miss that much. — My daughter Erin turns 30 next month, and she’s a double blessing. I learned in my late 20s I can’t father children in the Biblical sense. I could be a dad, but my glorious genes will never pass to another. I know…sigh of relief. During my first marriage, Jean and I decided on artificial insemination. Let me tell you something…THAT’s a trip. We had to go to one place to get the test tube, and then drive it to another place for the procedure. In downtown Tampa. No stress. Third time's the charm. Nine months later, we rushed to Munroe Regional Medical Center at 2 in the morning where our little miracle of science child was born. That wasn’t the end of it. Erin was only a few days old when, while we were literally in the pediatrician's waiting room, the health department called the doctor to say birth tests showed Erin was born without a thyroid. She would take medication every day her entire life, but the fact that it was caught so quickly prevented brain damage. Erin exists because of the marvels of mankind. She’s healthy because God wanted it that way. Erin’s a blessing, which makes my grandson Vito a blessing as well. — And of course, Just Wright Citrus. If I didn’t consider the blog a blessing, I wouldn’t write it. The blog has opened up so many spiritual doors. It doesn’t happen every visit, or even most times, but some Cattle Dog chats veer into something deep and troubling from the person I’m with. Those chats end in one-on-one prayer (this goes both ways; I’ve initiated Cattle Dog chats and ended being the recipient of prayer over frozen hot chocolate). The blog has definitely enlarged my spiritual wherewithal. Deb and I attended the Passover Seder on Saturday night at the Congregation Beth Shalom in Beverly Hills. The rabbi led us in Hebrew songs and prayer, with a booklet to follow along in English. Though I’m not Jewish, I was fascinated and mesmerized most of the night. I left stuffed in the belly and soul. Our community, and its people, is a blessing. Good days, bad days, in between days. We get along or we don’t. Shop at Target or Heritage Village. We love, we bicker. We hug and we sneer. Something very deep connects us. Just like family. I’m blessed to be a part of this one. Have a great Monday, friends. Join the discussion on our Facebook page. Enjoying the blog? Please consider supporting it at Venmo, PayPal, or Patreon. Comments are closed.
|
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 36 years. 
Archives
April 2025
|
