compilation of about 270 blessings and/or inspirational quotes that were sent to me by family and friends over a period of eleven years. I would write each blessing/quote on bright-colored squares of paper, fold them up, and put them in a big glass olive jar I have.

For this book, I have taken each blessing and/or quote and written my thoughts about them. Some of the blessings/quotes are deeply personal while others are quite funny. This book reminds us that God sends us blessings and inspiration on a regular basis, whether it be a simple blessing such as a small act of kindness or a huge blessing such as sparing a life after what could have been a fatal accident. All too often, we are so busy that we don't take the time to focus on the blessings all around us.

Some of the blessings in this book were sent to me by adults, and others were sent by kids. For some reason, kids have an easier time recognizing blessings. One boy sent in the following blessing: "I am thankful a boy in my class spoke up and stopped someone from bullying me." I was so blessed to know that there were students at the school who were willing to stand up for others. Bullying is such a problem in our schools, and it is so important that children and adults stand up against it.

The blessings/quotes in this book deal with topics such as Alzheimer's disease, caregiving, lack of finances, cancer, and many more. Hopefully, the blessings and/or quotes in this book will cause you to look at day-to-day life from a different perspective.