I do indeed feel very blessed. I have many things to be thankful for and I do not acknowledge or express gratitude as much as I should. It's easy to get caught up in the frantic pace of modern life and forget to count the many blessings that have been given to us. I have a wonderful, lovely and loving wife. I have three intelligent, talented children. I live in a fantastic neighborhood with wonderful neighbors. I have a good job. I am also grateful that I now have a cello and can take lessons from an excellent teacher. There are many other blessings that I have as well.
There is a is a song I know that says:
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Modern life can be stressful and it can be easy to forget just how much we have been blessed but if we "Count our many blessings" and are grateful for them, we will much happier.
Sometimes our trials are blessings in disguise. Since this is a blog about me taking up cello, I'll tell how a small trial has turned into a blessing. I decided I wanted to start learning cello last year about March. Due to finances I wasn't able to get a cello until last Christmas when my wife got me one for a present. She was a bit concerned since there have been times when I've started projects only to abandon them after awhile. She was concerned that my cello obsession was also only a passing fancy. However, the several months wait to get a cello only strengthened my resolve to get one and to learn play it and learn to play it well. So by the time I got one I was very determined to do what ever it takes to learn to play it. Learning to play the cello is not easy but I have really enjoyed it thus far. I've had my cello for eleven weeks so far and I am making steady progress. I have practiced every day since I got it. I typically practice forty-five minutes to an hour each day. Part of the reason for doing so well in learning the cello was the wait that strengthened my resolve.
Finally, have you ever noticed that blessings have a way of multiplying? As I have become more involved with the cello, I have become more conscious of the sound quality or timbre as well as vibrato in my singing and I have worked to improve these. As a result, my singing has noticeably improved--learning to play the cello has improved my singing.
I have been very blessed and I am grateful for my many blessings!