My old accountant, the ‘nugget’ I wrote about last week stays with me. He asks me what sums do I count. I just paid my bills this morning, so it is easy to say I count what little is left in my bank account, and wonder whether what is left will stretch until the end of the month. I count my good fortune when I heard on the news last evening that the shelters are in desperate need of food and clothing for the holidays. The demand for basic necessities has overwhelmed our local charities and our community has seen a massive increase in the number of homeless and starving families. A daily reminder of our sums, and the fact that way too many have no sums to count.
But I realized this morning I count my sums every morning and evening in an unusual way. Each morning I count out three pills no bigger than baby aspirin, and before I go to bed I count out two more. These pills are my are my anti-rejection pills that remind my body twice a day to welcome my new organ in its new home. They tell it not to be anxious or afraid and to be comfortable and stay awhile. I seldom thought of medicine as a blessing before my transplant. I never swallowed my pills or a bad tasting liquid medicine and thought, “what a gift.” I do now.
Like God’s nuggets that are found in unlikely places, our blessings are found in unexpected locations as well. I realize when my old accountant asked, “What sums do you count,” he was inviting me to go an exploration.
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