FICTION: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Cal got out of bed early one morning and decided that he would go fishing. Grumbling he looked in the garage for his fishing poles. "Somebody must have been messing with my stuff," he said to himself.

Finally locating everything he needed he took off for the river. "Sure a lot of people here," he muttered as he found a place to park quite a ways from where he planned on fishing. "It looks like everybody in town is fishing in my favorite place," he said to himself as he unloaded his gear and tried to find a place he could get to the water.

Going down the riverbank he stepped on a small rock. "Darn," he cried. "That hurt. I will probably have a really sore place on my foot tomorrow." Limping on down the bank he found a place where he could sit down.

After sitting there for about 15 minutes he said to himself, "This sun is so bright it is hurting my eyes. Where did I put my sunglasses? I can't even see my cork out there."

Once while he was casting out his line, he threw a little to hard and cried out that he had hurt his shoulder. "Man, I probably won't even be able to use my arm by tonight. Maybe I had better just go on home now."

Driving down the road on his way home he passed a man going down the side of the road. The man was in a wheel chair and didn't have any legs. "Poor old guy. I wonder if he don't have someone that could give him a ride?" (Cal didn't stop to ask if he could give him a lift to somewhere though.)

Stopping in a convenience store to get a cold soda he saw a woman with a small child. "Momma can you help me find the candy?" he heard the child ask. Leading her by the hand, the woman led her to the counter where the candy was. "Which one is the M & M's ?"

Looking over at the little girl Cal saw that she was blind. "How awful," Cal thought to himself.

Getting his soda he went back out to his truck. A man had parked beside him and Cal noticed that the man had only one arm.

"Hello," the man called to Cal, waving his one remaining hand. "It sure is a beautiful day today, isn't it."

Cal continued on down the road heading for home when he got to thinking about all that had happened to him and all that he had seen that day. Finding a place beside the road he pulled over.

Bowing his head he began to pray. "Lord forgive me for all the grumbling I have done today. I hollered about stepping on that rock and hurting my foot. Then I saw that man that didn't have any feet.

Then I complained about the sun hurting my eyes and I saw the little girl that was blind.

When I got mad about hurting my shoulder You showed me the man that didn't have an arm. My injuries are not serious and will heal in a couple of days. These people will live their whole lives with their disabilities.

Please forgive me for being so ungrateful for all that I have and thank You for my many blessings."

Carolyn Boston lives in Coldwater, Mo.