A new thread, an old perspective. We have heard this many times before. Look on the bright side. Be Positive. Do your best. Everything will turn out allright. Adages, certainly, cliche's, absolutely. Does this necessarily condemn the basic thought to the back room? Not at all.

Here, in this space, each of us must focus on what we have found and count as a blessing or blessings in our life. Why? Because in acknowledging we have blessings, we can get a leg up on pain. Emotional pain, physical pain, pain that binds.

My physiatrist, a man whom I have grown through his years of treating me to trust, value, and count as one of wisdom shared with me among the resources he counts beside medicinal relief, physical therapy, surgical intervention if absolutely necessary, the state of emotional wellbeing is important to the patient. This because emotional pain will reflect in the active pain centers of the one in treatment, exacerbating/worsening the pain we recognize and feel.

Acknowledge blessings. Take ownership of them in our life. Share where possible with others, and we lift our spirits, and those of the people most important to us. Can we manage a smile? Do it. Say thank you to the caregivers who treat us? Deliver it with meaning. Can we pay our blessings forward to another in need? BE a blessing. Oh, how it will do your heart good.

So, how about I start this ball to roll, and if each of us can return to this thread EVERY day to add a blessing we have known and passed on, then together we can lift spirits. Oh, we each will have and know and share our struggles on the other threads...... but here, we bring the best out of our hearts and share it.

Blessing 1. Spoke with our "little" girl, a young woman who now presses on toward her goals trhough college and those hard studies which may take her through medical school. She is so filled with excitement and joy, I am thrilled for her.

Blessing 2. Helped our second oldest son who now feels inspired to move toward medical school as well, FINALLY recognizing talents he has displayed since so young.

Blessing 3. Drove my blessing my wife of almost, just about, 38 years to a variety of stores to help her accomplish errands, some of which are leading to her arranging of flowers for her sister's upcoming wedding. She is such a gifted artist, and I feel blessed to be able to help her now, spending time with her when once upon a year not too long ago, I was "stuck" in bed with PAIN.

Blessing 4. Had this wonderful conversation with my Little Sister which brought still another inspiration into my life, and through whom alongside God things like this pour out of me.

Blessing 5. Enjoyed a conversation with our Daughter-in-Law knowing full well difficulties are mounting as our grandbaby will not make it in this life, but assuring her that she is so very loved and that we are going to be there to help. She is a blessing in our lives. One who brings to our son the completion he needs in his personality just shy of tthe faith piece he needs to work out.

Blessing 6. Enjoyed a great rehearsal with the worship team and close harmonies this evening after which Cleo and I sat with a friend who has fears of cancer while she fears for her niece who is a brand new Mom and has a large mass yet to be diagnosed. This brings out a new poem for me. Paying it forward. A lot of Love.

There we go, a start. Blessings. Enjoyed. Paid forward. Taking concentration and placing it into the recognition of Blessings. What do you think? Can you bring your Blessings to this thread?

Hope springs forever,
Mark56

Thank you mark for setting this up and sorry for not being around lately but i assure you i visit this page daily but have not wanted to sound like a moan when i know a lot of the main helpers on this forum are going through tough personal times at the moment. so firstly

I am blessed to have people like Mark, Rae and Jackiey in my life since last October to help me through my scs journey. I think without all your great advise and support and wisdom the journey so far would have been a lot harder so thank you all for being there and now that i face a second scs being installed i know i will need you guys more than ever.

I am blessed to have my hubby and girls in my life my kids make me want to get up every day and never ask to much of me but love when we can just hang out and do normal things like go to the beach/ playground etc. this last month with the aid of scs and marks cushion i managed a very long flight and had the best two weeks of my life in san diego with my sister and daughter. I also managed disney land and lego land with the aid of a little motorised scooter but a year ago i could not have done any of the above.

I am blessed to have my doctor also, he has not given up the fight yet and i appreciate how kind and supportive he has been lately but also how he tells me it straight!

Thank you mark for making me thing of the good things as i have spent too much time lately feeling sorry for myself and doing too much of the why me?
I may not be contributing much lately but i promise i think of you all everyday and hope and pray that things get better for us all.

xx J

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Mark! wow. JUST when we begin to think you can't possibly get any better! You come out with THIS!
You and Jenna have me all AFLAME....I feel kinda like that person who is chasing after the bus hollering ....."Waiiiittt!"
I don't want to miss THIS bus!
It doesn't take rocket science to immediately realize that this is a MUST!
Thank you both for getting this off the ground I believe this is very 'contagious'

It's a wonderful thing to put all the 'other stuff' aside and take a moment to look at what we DO have....

The smiling faces of those who are precious to us.

A) It felt great today when I looked in the eyes of a handi'capable' person and we both smiled - we don't know each other for beans....but our smiles spelled out a whole different tune......we both 'know' where we're going

2) Earlier today I helped my son learn a few guitar chords so he can feel more confident as he and his friends form their garage band - it was SUCH a moment to cherish, in more ways than one. I was able to catch a glimpse of days gone past - me and my brother playing together....
and days to come - me and my 'udder brudder' playing our acoustics.....Truly a blessing to realize I 'still' have music in me. I thought I had lost it forever....

C) I got 2 invitations in the mail today - one for my beautiful niece's high school graduation...and the other for my best friend's son, who will be graduating the next week.

4) My horses are doing well, despite my not spending time with them like I want to. They still love me....and they know I love them.
The pasture is getting nice and green again

This is fun.... I could go on and on all night long, but I'll save room for the
next person

This is AWESOME! Even though many of you have not heard from me in awhile, I still pop in to "catch up" with how everyone is doing. This post couldn't have come at a better time. It has reminded me that even though my world may seem upside down right now, there are still many good things in my life. Sometimes I just need to take a closer look and not take things for granted. The positives could be as simple as appreciating the flowers that are blooming in my backyard. For so long I've lived in fast forward mode......always looking at tomorrow and not appreciating today. So here are a few of my blessings.....

1. An understanding husband that supports me in ways I never thought possible.
2. A son who loves me unconditionally and thinks I hung the moon.
3. All of you who support and accept people you've never even met before.
4. Parents who are always there for me no matter what.
5. An early Mother's Day gift from my son. (A flower that he brought home from school that was planted in a soup can.)

(This last blessing has been the hardest one for me to recognize.)
6. Finally being able to swallow my pride and ask for help......realizing that I can't do and take on everything myself and that it's okay to lean on others....that it's not a sign of weakness.

Thank you so much for starting this thread, Mark. It has helped and inspired me in more ways than you will ever know.

Kim

You All are CO COOL... and Proving the Concept!! Imagine a jump in the sky and YES!!

Blessings for today:

1. An early morning Blueberry Muffin and conversation for the sake of my 91 year old friend who can't get out anymore, but looks forward to hearing news of what is going on outside!

2. Finally, after, 18 years of friendship and always saying we were going to go to dinner with some friends, picking them up, helping them with a purchase they needed for their home, and taking them to dinner, COMPOUNDED by the arrival in the restaurant, No No's a Cajun wonderland of culinary delight, of our college age daughter and boy friend fresh from moving our youngster back to our home for the summer.

3. The joy of a late evening conversation with all three of our Denver based children in our room laughing and filling the night with God signs of "WoW, this is so good!"

4. Witnessing the beauty of the new moon holding hands with my best friend, my wife.

Kim, Rae, Jenna
Feeling Blessed,
Mark56

This is amazing Mark and thank you for it

Its taken me a while but I now can see that I am blessed even if I do have this constant pain going on in my life.

I too have an amazing husband, who not only is my best friend but also my carer and giver. He is just so good to me and so understanding. He makes me so proud of him.

I am lying here on my couch as I type looking at the mini blowup swimming pool on my sitting room floor, filled with coloured plastic balls and my little granddaughter sitting in the middle of them all , playing and giving me that GORGEOUS smile of hers ........WONDERFUL

I am also blessed to have such great children. They are there for me all the time and Im sure at times are sick and tired of listening to me moaning, but you know they are always there if I need them....no questions asked.

Walking with the buggy this morning in the park across the road from me with my granddaughter....in the SUN!! amazing......

Listening to my youngest daughter trying to recite the songs she has learned for her upcoming graduation, she has Special Needs and her memory isnt great, but you know she tries so hard. And she is going to be up in front of the choir showing them the hand movements......ah bless...cant wait!

Walking in my back garden late at night and smelling the blooms that are in flower. That smell is just amazing......

Meeting with some lovely people here on this forum....its an inspiration just reading some of the lovely posts......

Jackie

This is sooo true and helpful.

thanks again,
Michelle

I had not read my original words in some time. They hold SO TRUE in my life!!Even today, as I was called upon to provide a reference for a former colleague, I gushed with fact specific positive responses to the recruiter, telling her as she asked whether I had anything further to say "giving it full consideration, the only thing that occurs to me is that you and your client would make the greatest risk of your careers were you not to hire [him]." I was "paying it forward, working to be a blessing to my former colleague and friend.

Doing things for others is among the greatest means by which we may raise our emotional JOY. Today, I was blessed, indeed.

Thank you, Michelle, and welcome to our world wide FAMILY,
Mark56

Hi Michelle,

You're very welcome to our corner of cyberspace. We're a friendly bunch and we try to help each other with their pain and any queries, someone is always bound to know the answer.

Where are you from Michelle, you have a very Irish name?

Look forward to hearing from you again,


Sinéad

A little bit saddened that something has come between my mother in law (and who I call a friend) and myself .. long story, too long to bore you all with ..

but I am counting my blessings tonight for a lovely weekend with our youngest daughter who is over from Uni for the weekend.