14,000 Blessings and Counting
BY CAMERON PIEN
Atop my desk, a book titled 14,000 Things to be Happy About lounges beside a clay pumpkin named Earl, a jar of seashells, and a mug of lukewarm peppermint tea. The contents of this compendium are as eclectic as the assortment of trinkets that surround it. On page 77, Barbara Ann Kipfer writes, “Butterflies migrating, a big bag of Hershey’s Kisses, water’s capacity to take any shape, [and] harp seals.” [1] I’m amazed by the sheer number of objects she recounts, as I sometimes struggle to identify just ten things I’m grateful for on a given day, let alone 14,000. I often hear the exhortation “count your blessings,” yet my gratitude list is often all too short.
How did the author produce such an extensive collection? As I flip through the pages, I am struck by the specificity of her inclusions. For example, she writes, “aluminum pie weights and packing a frosted cake for a trip,” while I might have simply said “baking.” I realize that when prompted to share what I’m thankful for at the Thanksgiving table, I often respond with general terms like “family,” “friends,” or “a good semester.” However, perhaps these shouldn’t be standalone answers but comprehensive category labels:
What am I specifically grateful for about my family?
How my dad picks up my favorite pastries after his morning surf sessions
My brother hugging me goodbye on the sidewalk of the Honolulu airport when I left for college
My friends?
The Halloween night when Janice and I talked on a porch swing till 1 a.m., gazing at the lights glimmering on the hilltop
How the first snowflakes of the season nestled in Catherine’s hair, creating a delicate tiara of ice
This semester?
Two children giggling as their parents took photos of them underneath the Christmas lights on Ho Plaza
The signatures of three previous readers on the last page of the Joan Didion book I borrowed from Olin Library
As I realize that I could fill pages with these singular images, 14,000 doesn’t seem like such an insurmountable threshold anymore. After all, God did not paint the world with haphazard, broad brushstrokes but with intentional, precise detail. He selected the exact shade of brown of my brother’s hair, chose the second that the snow would begin to fall as Catherine and I stood outside of Okenshields, and tuned the timbre of the children’s laughter. When I practice gratitude without specificity, I focus on the outlines of His masterpiece and ignore its vibrant colors. My untrained eye glosses over the subtle shades interacting in every square inch. Yet as I recognize the overwhelming richness of the existence He’s blessed me with, a picture of His generosity, power, and love appears before me with stunning clarity and color.
In the book’s foreword, Kipfer reveals that she actually has a list of 145,000 things to be happy about, but she could only publish 14,000 of them for the sake of length. Because God’s grace is infinite, He constantly grants me a greater number of gifts than the spine of a book or the capacity of a mortal mind can support. When I attempt to count my blessings, I find that they’re “as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.” [2] It is impossible to calculate the total sum of God’s generosity and creativity, yet it is exceedingly worthwhile to record His blessings. Every precise, exquisite item added to my gratitude list is a testament to its Creator’s faithfulness and a reason to worship Him. As my list stretches into eternity and my cup overflows, He reminds me that His goodness knows no end, and that He is the greatest blessing of them all.
SOURCES
[1] Kipfer, Barbara Ann. 14,000 Things to Be Happy About. New York: Workman Publishing, 2014.
[2] Genesis 22:17 (NIV)