When you are blessed its really divine

Blessed are those who are strong in the Spirit. Blessed are those who confide in the Truth. Blessed are those who seek righteousness. Blessed are those who feed the hungry. Blessed are those who comfort those who mourn. Blessed are those who bring joy to those in sorrow. Blessed are those who make peace. Blessed are those who are merciful. Blessed are those who have a forgiving heart. Blessed are those who hear and obey the Word of the Lord. Blessed are those who help the weak and needy. Blessed are those who are humble and upright. Blessed are those who are gracious and show compassion.

Blessed are those who rise above all impurities. Blessed are those who distinguish between right and wrong. For me blessing is a perfect family. This is the only thing you can't earn. You can earn money with the help of their support. But you can't earn a family or you can't replace them for money. I never got a perfect one. I know I can do anything in life but the only thing which I'm helpless about is family. I'm greedy for love. A grandma who loves you more than herself never even thought about me so neither did my grandpa. They loved my cousins but not me. They never came on my birthday.

Then coming my parents. I got a really good mom and dad. She always tried to make me feel better. She's all I'm thankful about.I got a dad who just tell how much he loves me but never did anything accordingly. After all he gave me life right! So basically we're incomplete without our family. So if someone gets a real good family, he can do anything . For me he is blessed. When I was a kid, we used to go to my Aunt’s (Mausi) house during vacation. My uncle had a government job, and like every govt job, it would pay peanuts. I still remember those dusty mornings in the railway quarters near railway station, every hour a train would pass and blow loud whistle which would break our sleep early morning. My Aunt would get up at 5 in the morning, ‘Fill water in the buckets. The water supply will stop at 6. That’s all we would have for the whole day.’ The railway quarters had a limited water supply every day.

Two beds, a black and white TV, an almirah, two chairs, and a piggy bank (gullak): that’s the image that comes into my mind when I think of her small two room house. Throughout the year she would save something from here and there in that piggy bank. And once we were there, it would be broken. For my marriage. ‘I don’t know how much I would be able to contribute to her marriage. There is a lot of time. It’s better to plan from now.’ And when there would be the time for us to return home, she would hand us (me and my younger brother), a note of 100 Rs, ‘This is for your expenses. Buy sweets and toffees.’

100 Rs!! Wow it was a big amount in the ’90s, and it required a big heart to do so in a handful of salary. We felt like a millionaire and would hug her multiple times. They say that good deeds, thoughtfulness, and blessings get transferred to your children. I can see that for her kids who are doing extremely well in their lives. I guess that's what blessed means. To have a Mother like that! To be blessed is to receive a good gift that one did not earn and/or ask for. Life is the greatest blessing. But in order for the blessing to be recognized for what it is, one must also have the ability of right perspective.

Many of us are 'gifted' with such wonderful things and yet are still disenchanted because we look around us and compare to something someone else has that we do not. In some real way our blessing then turns to a curse because we devalue it to the point of allowing it to become the bane of our existence. So, to be blessed is not only to be given a great gift but also have the grace to accept it with thankful heart, which is one of life's greatest blessings. Cheers!