Four hundred years ago it was common for churches in England to inscibe on their walls the words ‘Think and Thank’. It was to remind worshipers that the greatest boost for faith is to make yourself count your blessings. There’s an old Italian poem that says:
Count your garden by the flowers
Never by the leaves that fall.
Count your days by golden hours,
Don’t remember clouds at all.
Count your nights by stars, not shadows,
Count your life with smiles, not tears.
And with joy on every birthday,
Count your age by friends, not years.’
Well, it’s true, and I like so many others, have discovered that the surest way to lift myself out of the blues is to discipline myself to count my blessings. Like exercise for the body, this is something we have to make ourselves do. But the blessings far outweigh the effort.