It’s that time again. Time again for one of the certainties of life — change.

It’s time when we prepare for the changing of the seasons. In this part of the country we see the rich, warm colors of fall morph into a stark landscape that will outline the coming snowfalls.

All of our senses are touched by the change of the weather when warmth gives way to the brisk wet crack of winter’s snap.

Spiritually, in our parishes we prepare for a new year and the change of the liturgical season.

The green vestments of ordinary time are shed and our worship is adorned with penitential purple and the preparation of Advent.

Personally we prepare for the holiday trifecta we know as Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year.

At this time of year our minds tend to focus on our blessings which, by the way, should be a daily practice and not a seasonal one. It is a wonderful thing to step back each morning and realize that you have another day of life, another opportunity for accomplishment and another day to share it all.

Blessings are like a big old circle. You acknowledge your blessings, give thanks, share the joy of what you have received, go forth and be a blessing to someone else and then start all over again.

That all sounds pretty simple. But what if you struggle with finances? What if your physical or mental health is a constant battle? What if you are alone? What if you or someone in your family struggles with substance abuse, fertility, loss, personal identity, a crisis of faith, or alienation from others?

Our parents and grandparents always taught us to “count our blessings,” “look on the bright side,” “find the silver lining,” or the line my family used, “there’s always someone worse off than you.”

Finding the light of blessings among the darkness of pain and loneliness can be difficult, but it is there.

And for every single blessing there is a way to share it. And many times it is our struggle which gives birth to our blessings and becomes our biggest inspiration.

Think how many people with cancer go out to help find cures for others even when they can’t help themselves. This is an example of how to turn pains inside out and move them along that big circle.

We come into this life through the pains of our mothers. We go on to know great love, and many times that love gives us great pain. And whether we realize it or not, each and every human gets to experience love and pain during the journey of life and that, in and of itself, is a blessing.

As we approach the Thanksgiving season and we engage in all the busyness of preparing our homes for whatever celebration we intend, we should focus on those blessings.

However, our time shouldn’t just be spent in counting our blessings and giving thanks over them. Each and every blessing we know can be our personal call to action. Whenever we feel blessed we should retaliate by good deeds. And even if we struggle we can find ways to turn that hardship into a lesson and light for others.

This practice isn’t just for the young and able and well-to-do. Every single person can be a blessing to someone else — young or old, healthy or ill, happy or angry, rich or poor.

So just as we prepare for one season to become another, perhaps we too can change our attitudes and prepare for the holidays by changing the world one blessing at a time. We can all show each other that we really are, as the song says, “sent forth by God’s blessings.”

Thank you readers, for being among our blessings.