Blessings

"Don't block your blessings" a wise friend and colleague mentioned to me this week. What an interesting concept; the idea of somehow blocking the good things that come my way or perhaps even the things that I desire to come into my life. Maybe that is because blessings are sometimes hidden behind tough times, change or even disappointment.

Or perhaps, it stems from not having enough patience to wait for the blessings to blossom, appear or come out of hiding. This is certainly true of writing..ideas trickle in and germinate- the trick is knowing when they have fermented long enough and need to be put on paper. And of course, not allowing the "germination period" to become an excuse or a case of writer's block.

I had a great meeting this week with Avery's teachers and speech therapist. She has come so far with speech therapy and the special help she has received for language arts and reading and it has made all the difference in the world. Speech therapy will be cut back down to three days a week and next year, in second grade, she will only need extra resource help for reading. Her language arts skills have grown so much that she will be back in the regular classroom for that subject. I was blown away by an amazing story that she had written about a talking cat - such imagination and talent for storytelling. She is confident, smart, happy, social and full of joy. One of her teachers described her as full of smiles and a child who loves life. They delight in working with her every day.

What does this have to do with hidden blessings? When I first realized that Avery needed extra help with a language processing disorder and speech - I did not exactly rejoice in the challenge she was facing. Now I realize that this experience has been a blessing. She has grown, had one to one attention, built confidence and has relationships with several additional adults who now care for her and have her best interests at heart. And they see her as a blessing in their work.

Relationships can sometimes require patience and an ability to recognize a blessing in development. Things need time to grow, develop (or not) at the right pace. The best relationships are when this progression feels natural, easy and without a lot of self doubt, insecurity or drama. Of course, that takes patience, knowledge of your self worth and a sometimes a little faith. I talked to a good friend of mine today, also dating post-divorce, and he said "at least you know you are the total package and what you want and deserve." Dang, he is right! Reminding myself of that is a good exercise. Part of reinventing myself has been the wonderful experience in presenting myself in a completely authentic way....being myself without games. The right man will realize that I am the "total package" and things will blossom as they should.

Patience is not my strongest virtue...surely a life lesson for me. I have had and continue to have experiences that seemed to be designed to help me deepen my levels of patience (hint to God and the Universe -I get it now..LOL) Blessings are welcome to come my way, I am ready..