This year for Christmas, I made each of my kids a blessing jar. It wasn’t an original idea, I have seen them in catalogs, but mine was homemade. I got a jar from the Dollar store along with some notepads and pens that fit inside the jar. I got some letter stickers and put the words Count Your Blessings on the front of each jar. The idea is to write down each blessing as you receive it through the coming year. At the end of the year we will read some of them and see how many blessings the Lord has bestowed.
Prov. 10:22 The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Mal. 3: 10 …prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Numbers 6:24 The Lord bless thee and keep thee.
Matt. 5:3 blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
As I look back on the many blessings God has given to me I count the people in my life above all material things. My family I grew up with: A mom and dad who loved and cared for us nine kids, always sacrificing to make sure we had the necessities …and were loved beyond measure. The six brothers who loved to tease and make me cry at times, but whom I knew always had my back. Two sisters to share everything from clothes to recipes with. My uncle Arthur who was my hero in every way. My grandparents whom I didn’t see often due to the distance in miles between us; the cousins we were blessed to grow up with and others along with aunts and uncles whom we didn’t see often but were important members of our family.
Other important people have been school teachers, church family, Pastors, Sunday School teachers and friends who have helped me in so many ways. My boss, Baker Duggins, who created a job for me as his secretary at the High School, Brother Hester, who was huge on visiting, Ruth Parsons, who allowed me to work with the nursery age kids, Harold Taylor, who always blessed us when he sang. So many who set good, Christian examples and never disappointed.
Today I am most thankful for my husband, kids and grand kids who often make me feel needed, useful and appreciated. Hopefully they never get too old to need a hug or some of Grandma’s cookies. They remind me of the reason we celebrate and the blessings too often taken for granted.
We should all have a blessing jar to remind us of God’s goodness, so I made myself one too. While I was making it, my youngest grand daughter, who is seven years old, was there, “Can I write a blessing for your jar? she asked, after I had explained what the jar was for. I gave her a paper and she began to write.
“Want to see what I wrote, Grandma?” she asked. “I think this is a good blessing word.”
I looked at her paper. She had written, “I love you so much.” It was followed by a few hearts and the word, ‘blessing.’ Over in the corner she had written: “I want a dog. The end.”
I handed the paper back to her and smiled. “I love you too,” I told her. “And that’s the best ‘blessing word’ there is.” Then she folded it up and dropped it into the jar.
Blessings to you all in 2020!