Blessings Defined

In the Christian circles I run in, I hear the word "blessing" a lot. I often sign my letters and emails "Blessings, Nikki". For the first time in a long time, I stopped today to consider the word "blessing". So often, we tie that word to things such as an unexpected check in the mail or being pulled over for speeding but getting off with just a warning. We rarely apply that word where it fits best - to our children.
The Bible is clear that a man who has a quiver full of children is BLESSED. What I love about that verse is that it does not quantify the type of children that make a man blessed. It does not say "blessed is the man who's quiver is full of healthy, able-bodied, quick witted children" or "blessed is the man who's children are outwardly beautiful and score 1600 on their SATs". Obviously, I'm being facetious here but I think you get the point. My oldest son, with his temptation to be lazy and his penchant for hiding his emotions . . . he is a BLESSING. Our only daughter, with her tendency to occasionally roll her eyes, who just ruined my decorative bathroom towel with bright orange nail polish . . . she is a BLESSING. Our 11 year old adopted son who is so very emotionally behind his peers and struggles to write a simple sentence that is coherent . . . he is a BLESSING. Our youngest son, with his limited vocabulary and speech that is at least two years delayed . . . he is a BLESSING. Ezequiel, with his Down Syndrome, heart defect and probable need for lifelong care . . . he, too, is a BLESSING.
Let me close this post with these two verses I love so much . . .
"Like mighty arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who's quiver is full of them."
Psalm 127:4-5