Irving Berlin and his Rx to Stop Stress

 Irving Berlin is considered one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, with at least 1,500 songs to his credit.

Composer, Irving Berlin
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He had a flair for a tune and penned lyrics which hit the heart’s bullseye, again and again. In the early 1950’s, he wrote "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" and, enclosing it in a letter to a studio executive, Berlin confessed: 

‘As I say in the lyrics, sometime ago, after the worst kind of a sleepless night, my doctor came to see me and after a lot of self-pity, belly-aching and complaining about my insomnia, he looked at me and said "speaking of doing something about your insomnia, did you ever try counting your blessings?"’

The song debuted in the now-classic holiday film, White Christmas

What a simple-and timely-idea. Counting troubles is an easy reaction in times of uncertainty, isolation, and loss. Yes, even as your heart aches after the death of a loved one, you can turn to this prescription for relief:  choose to count blessings! 

First, let's define blessing

Websters begins with the concept of an invocation-- a statement of approval or encouragement. The definition evolves to be something which contributes to a positive occurrence, outcome, or opportunity. Many consider a blessing to be a verbal prayer of thanks to God. Therefore, any and every aspect of your loved one which has made you happy, secure, and thankful counts when you're counting blessings!

How to start counting

Your method could be a relaxed mental wander through wonderful memories, or try some of these:

• Take out your journal or notepad and write a list of the helps, traits, and admirable qualities of your loved one. Fill pages, if you want to!

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  Pull out photo albums or boxes and count the blessings of vacation fun, love-filled occasions, camaradie, proud moments, and those adoring expressions meant just for you.
  
• Pull up iTunes or YouTube recordings of a few special songs that take you back to important times shared with your loved one. As you listen, re-live the blessings.
• Find your box of momentos or file of important papers and count your blessings. Old documents such as a marriage license, a paycheck stub, a birthday or anniversary card, and even a handwritten grocery list can flood your heart with gratitude.

I know a man who counts joyful blessings by paging through his late wife's cookbooks. Think of the counting possibilities that await in your garage, basement, or clothes closet! Others might walk in their yard and count the blessings of things planted by a loved one. What other counting ideas can you think of?

Feeling better? Keep digging and keep counting. And there's a good chance that others who mourn this person would love to hear what you've counted. Bless them by sharing your lists and encourage them to begin counting, too.

Thank you for caring!