A Million Little miracles

​I was driving home last night. I was reflecting on the news I had heard earlier at work - that another local college student had taken their life.

It's heartbreaking to say 'another' with such regularity these days.

I was also reflecting on my own birthday - and how much life must truly hurt to get to a place of choosing to no longer have birthdays in your life.

My friend and colleague Marrin tried to stop her birthdays when she was just 13 years old. I'm grateful her attempt wasn't successful. I asked her once, what does it feel like when you get to that place? That place of no longer wanting birthdays.

She said, there is a pain that comes with such a sense of urgency that you no longer feel like there are options.

As I was driving along I heard a song for the first time. It was called a million little miracles. Some of the words went like this:

***
All my life I've been carried by grace
Don't ask me how 'cause I can't explain
It's nothing short of a miracle I'm here

I've got some blessings that I don't deserve
I've got some scars but that's how you learn
It's nothing short of a miracle I'm here

I think it over and it doesn't add up
I know it comes from above

I've got miracles on miracles
A million little miracles
Yeah, miracles on miracles
Count your miracles, 1-2-3-4
I Can't even count 'em all

***

I think birthdays are a good time for miracle counting. All million of them. I think the more we count them the more we can see and feel that a birthday is truly a miracle.

I think the more we see and feel that - the more we can trust there are more miracles ahead. Because there are.

On all but a few mornings since my last birthday, I've been here writing about miracles. And in return, you all have been miracles in my life. I Thank you. Thank you for helping me count out loud.

I encourage you to go through life counting miracles. Count them as loudly as you can. Count them so the people around you hear it in your voice and in your faith - a million little miracles.

Too many people are living in the kind of hurt that makes one blind to miracles. Because you can indeed become blind to them.

They deserve to have us be their sight.

We somehow have to become their miracles.

I've said it a lot lately. Life is not a you thing, or a me thing. Life is a we thing.

The miracle is in the we.

A million little miracles.