NOTES FROM THE AWARENESS: 861

Praise your minor miracles.

Today I was working on our budget. I track our monthly expenses in a series of spreadsheets. It helps us understand where and when we’re spending, so we use our financial resources consciously and effectively.

As I prepared to enter the data from last month’s charge card statement, I winced. September had many more charges than usual. It was going to take some time to enter them all into the spreadsheet and the likelihood of me making a mistake was high.

I put as many of our expenses as possible on the charge card so that we earn bonus cash. There were over 100 entries for September.

I took a breath and dove in, attempting to be as neutral about the process as possible. I was just going to type entries and pay close attention to what I was doing.

When I was finished, I entered the formulas to total each column and create a grand total. Much to my surprise and delight, all the numbers balanced exactly without any correction needed. Surely, a minor miracle!

I took a moment to be deeply grateful. This has never happened before in the last two years. And certainly, it seemed unlikely given the large number of transactions. I was so thankful I wouldn’t have to sort through all the entries looking for typos.

Life is full of minor miracles like this. Narrow escapes from traffic accidents or falls. Having just enough cash to pay for something. An overheard conversation that gives us precisely the information we need. Creation offers us grace in many everyday ways. And often we take it for granted.

Today’s message reminds me to celebrate my minor daily miracles. The more I’m grateful for something, the more Creation is likely to gift me with more of the same.

Please reflect and share. What minor miracle did you experience today?