We Should Count Our Blessings

I was watching the television tonight and came across a story I had seen before, but it still made me cry.

It showed a little boy, maybe a year old, sitting at the piano playing his nursery rhymes and the reporter talking of him being a musical prodigy. Well, he didn’t have sheet music in front of him, and he was playing well. The videos showed him grow older. Each video, his piano playing got better. It was amazing in itself, but what made it even more amazing - he was born with no eyes, and his limbs could not straighten - so he could not walk either.

Present day, he is in college (University of Louisville) and plays the trumpet in the marching band. Yes, marching band. How does he do it? His father are his legs, he pushes his wheelchair everywhere, even on the field at half time, to his college classes and in parades. In the half time shows, his father is dressed in the school colors, and learns the choreography, so his son can move along with the rest of his band mates.

The story is so touching and it really puts things into perspective. So often, we feel discouraged because our hair cut didn’t turn out right, the outfit we wanted to wear is too tight, and so on.

Here is a young man, born with no eyes to see, his arms do not stretch completely out, he cannot walk - but he loves music, is able to play the music he loves, and sing, yet he still does not see himself as a hero. He says his blindness is a blessing and a gift.

"I mean, God made me blind and didn't give me the ability to walk. I mean, big deal." Patrick said, smiling. "He gave me the talent to play piano and trumpet and all that good stuff."

Wow is right! He is a hero, and an inspiration because he has made the best out of what God gave him. He has written a book, and continues the best he can do each day.

If we could all be that way, give our best and appreciate what we have. Wouldn’t the world be a better place?

Here is the story that ABC news did on him, his name is Patrick Henry Hughes. A remarkable young man!

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2643340&page=1