It would have been enough . . . just to have a deep appreciation for ART and be able to feel the beauty of other artists’ work. That really would have been enough to enjoy for a lifetime, but He didn’t stop there with me. He knew I would ♥love♥ ART, and so I am allowed to participate in it.

I remember the feeling of the squish and the smell of the paint and the slickiness of the paper the first time I ever fingerpainted. I remember those big fat kindergarten brushes and the syrupy tempera paint that some kid named Timmy always spilled all over the table and floor. I remember yarn crafts and macaroni masterpieces and pottery and making a mural for my 7th grade teacher that I had all the kids sign before she left on maternity leave. I remember scoring the biggest project in my textiles class in college because the department head said I had “a good eye.” I’ve always had it. It is dayenu.

There is no medium that I do not love working in, and that too, would have been enough.

But there’s more. When in a teaching or peer situation, my Good Eye can help others. They come to me when they are not quite satisfied with what they are working on, and I can help them see their own work with new eyes. Then they fix it, or leave it, or change what it says to people and come back to me with gratitude for my Good Eye.

And I turn that gratitude to where it belongs. Dayenu! Dayenu! 15 months ago

It would have been enough . . . to simply have a love of music to fill my life and my heart with happiness. I would have been overjoyed to have a radio to sing along with and a church choir to join, and I do, but He didn’t stop there. Even though I yearned for piano lessons as a child, my mother could only afford them for my brother. That’s OK, because now I have the wonderful opportunity to take lessons for myself and have been blessed not only with a radio, but a piano. Learning to play the piano is HARD for me as an adult, but I keep at it because I know it will be a blessing to myself and to those around me when I finally master it. And, dayenu, THAT would have been enough, but I also have been blessed with a good ear for notes and a 2½-octave vocal range, so the church choir can actually be happy to have me!

Music lives in me and I am grateful to have it here. Dayenu, Dayenu! 19 months ago

It would have been enough . . . to have the ability to draw and paint for fun. I would have done a good job with that. My friends and family still would have considered me creative and artistic. I love art, so I probably would have been good enough to make a little profit, too, but that is not where He stopped when He blessed me with a talent for creativity. He gave me a steady hand. I can paint ambidextrously on paper, wood, or human skin. I can turn a line around a cylindrical object and have the ends meet on the first try. When I wrap a worry doll, the threads overlap perfectly. 12-loop bows, no problem. Pleasing handwriting, sure. Even left-handed it’s legible. Need some labels, signs, or cards hand-drawn? I’m your girl. Sew straight seams, cut intricate snowflakes, small parts assembly, trim my own hair—all things my steady hands are called upon to do.

It is not a life-changing attribute except for surgeons or manicurists, but I sure am grateful that it is one of my blessings. Dayenu, Dayenu! 19 months ago

It would have been enough . . . just to know that there was a God somewhere in Heaven who might be persuaded to help me with my life if only I would come to Him in prayer when I needed help.

But no. He did not stop at giving me HOPE that something good might happen if I knelt down and asked for it. He allows me to have a close, personal relationship with Him. I am on speaking terms with Deity. The King of the Universe grants me audience whenever I request it.

And THAT would have been enough. Just to know that He’s really there and that He cares what happens to me. But He didn’t stop there. He answers me when I speak to Him. Every day, I receive guidance and direction from a loving Heavenly Father who wants me and my family to be happy.

I am grateful for the difference Prayer makes in my life. Dayenu, Dayenu! 19 months ago

It would have been enough . . . to have been blessed with enough intelligence to get through school and raise a family. I would have done a good job with that, but He didn’t stop there. He gave me an active imagination and a gifted intellect, and because I am smart, I can help those around me when they need to figure things out—whether it’s math equations, research papers, or life’s everyday problems.

I am grateful for my intelligence. Dayenu, Dayenu! 19 months ago

Any of the many blessings, bounties, talents, skills, intuitions, guidance, abilities, understandings, strengths, opportunities, or relationships we have been given would have been enough to make us happy, but look . . . LOOK what He’s given us. I am looking, and I am grateful.

The Dayenu song is supposed to bring to mind specific blessings – specific things to be grateful for. It doesn’t pretend everything is rosy all the time and that there is no heartache in the world; it’s more about seeing past that to what’s important in life. Look past the crap and focus on the good stuff. The great stuff!

I have spent ^{(well, more than 40)} years in this desert, so to me Dayenu becomes a gratitude journal, but with a cool name. :) 19 months ago