Well, it was one of those days for me. The details don’t matter; in fact, I’m trying to forget them. We’ve all had days like Alexander’s, and probably will again before our time on earth is over. The only thing I know to do on those icky days is to count my blessings. That doesn’t necessarily take care of the problem at hand, but it makes me feel better.

The suggestion to count our blessings can sound a little Pollyanna-ish. Too often people tell us to do it so we can realize how much better our life is than someone else’s. For me, however, counting blessings isn’t a contest. Knowing that someone else is suffering more than I am doesn’t actually cheer me up.

I make a list of the many blessings in my life not to convince myself that I’m more fortunate than someone else, or that life is actually all rosy, but to restore perspective on my life as a whole. Counting my blessings helps me remember that God is always present, in good times and in bad.

No matter how horrible our day is, it is just a bad day, or a week, or year, in a life that is otherwise richly blessed. After all, even God has bad times. (You can read about many of them in the Bible!) Each of us, like many people in Scripture, have probably managed to give God at least one headache. And yet, God persists in loving and blessing, no matter what.

The next time you’re having one of those lousy days, take a time out and make a list of your blessings. You can probably list a handful of them immediately; they might include enough food for today, a place to live, or other things that meet our most pressing survival needs. Stay with the practice, and dig a bit deeper. What about the chrysanthemums blooming in your yard? Or that great book you just read? The kind word a neighbor or friend gave to you today? Or the gift of assistance you provided for someone else? Remember that God is present and blessing us in all these gifts and many others.

At the end of Viorst’s book, Alexander’s mother reminds him that some days are just lousy, even in Australia. But the lousy parts of my life are only a part of the whole, not the whole itself. A quick count of the many blessings of your life can serve as a helpful reminder of all God’s gifts to you, even on the days when they seem most absent.

Debra Farrington is the author of eight books of Christian spirituality and an experienced  retreat leader and speaker. Contact her through her Web site at www.debrafarrington.com

This article is published in the September 2007 issue of Lutheran Woman Today.