Meeting Blessings Halfway | Fort Bend Focus Magazine

Blessings Westward Bound: Patti Parish-Kaminski, Claire Brandani, Shelly Ives and Lisa Fredrickson at The Springs in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

By Patti Parish-Kaminski, Publisher

I often hear so many friends remark how blessed they are, and I, too, have often used those words. It’s that moment of gratitude of being present in the moment of thankfulness and recognizing the gifts that are bestowed upon us. We feel compelled to share those heartfelt words and the associated emotion. We truly appreciate the blessings that have been bestowed upon us, and as God’s children, we want to share our gratitude and joy with others.

Me, I’ve always been a half-full kind of girl. Half-empty just isn’t in my vocabulary. And yes, I’m sure it drives my people crazy at times, but that’s just how I roll. I just believe that if you’re empty, well for goodness sakes, fill up!

I do believe, however, that blessings are not just manna from heaven. I personally feel that you’ve got to meet your blessings halfway. You can’t just sit idly by with a catcher’s mitt on and expect a blessing to fall squarely in said mitt; you have to work for it, and at a minimum, meet it halfway. Well, if you’re me, you have to work really hard because athletic would never be a word to describe me. I likely couldn’t catch a ball in both hands, and if you ever see me running, please know that I’m not trying to get in shape. Indeed, some terrible, awful thing is chasing me, and I have misplaced my handgun.

I tell my babies often “carpe diem” – seize the day. I think that’s a similar concept for meeting your blessings halfway. You’ve got to go after those blessings – be open to receiving them – and do your part. Paying it forward, good deeds, doing the right thing no matter the circumstances – they are all a part of meeting your blessings halfway. Now I didn’t say that it’s always easy, but I sincerely believe in the outcome. Getting into Spanx isn’t always easy either, but by the time you get that dress on over them, you do appreciate the outcome. You’ve met that situation at least halfway, and it worked out.

That’s certainly how I felt this week when three wonderful women used planes, trains and automobiles and devoted their valuable time to travel cross country to come see me in parts unknown out west. It takes a minute to get to the great American West where I have holed up for the month of July, so you bet I made every effort to meet my blessings halfway with champagne, gifts and a grand time in tow. And the outcome? Lots of porch time, laughter, love and joy – that’s what I call a blessing.

Did we solve the world’s problems for the foreseeable future? Probably not, but we sure had a grand time trying. See y’all next week – on the porch!

Patti Parish-Kaminski