This month our regular eat-and-share-a-lesson group focused on Italian food, and after that we spent a few minutes talking about gratitude. Doug and Marcia, the hosts of this month's activity, organized things in a different way by having the discussion go around the room. (That wasn't the different part.)

They went first, and Marcia said she was grateful for home and family. Then she and Doug said that as we went around the circle, there were not going to be any reruns. "Home and family" was taken, so anyone who was thinking about talking about that that now had to come up with something else.

Bummer.

The first few people had it easy, because they picked the rest of the obvious answers. One was thankful for her spouse. One was grateful for good health. One was thankful to live in a free country. Also, because this was a church-sponsored group, some mentioned gratitude for spiritual blessings such as the love of God or the atonement of Jesus Christ.

But as we went around the circle, it became more difficult not to duplicate an answer, and we had to really dig deep and put some thought into those blessings that we might not recognize on a regular basis.

One person mentioned the beauty of the Earth, the great variety of plants and animals, and the changes that occurred during the various seasons. One person mentioned the invention of the printing press, and how that made books available to all, and not to just the rich.

When it was my turn, the thing I was thankful for was priesthood blessings. Priesthood blessings are unique to our church, and when I found out about them, I was so anxious to get one that I just couldn't stand it. After all, if you learned for the first time that you could find out exactly what God wanted to tell you about your own specific life, wouldn't you jump at the chance?

I received my first priesthood blessing — my patriarchal blessing, the one that provides my life's guidance — two days after I was baptized a member of the Church. Like most Mormons, I have mine just about memorized because I have read it so many times.

I have received about a dozen more priesthood blessings over the years. They are scripture to me, and I have them memorized, too. "Lifers" in the LDS Church tend to take them for granted. I don't. I realize what a rarity they are. Bill Gates, with all his millions of dollars, could not purchase what we get for free.

My sister Susie was visiting last December when I got sick and was hospitalized. When she went to see me in the hospital, one of the nurses told her that she needed to say goodbye to me, because this was the last time she would see me alive.

I don't remember that visit because I was already comatose. That was how sick I was. Nobody looking at me would have expected me to come out of that. As far as the world was concerned, I was toes up and headed toward the morgue.

Later that evening, Fluffy and a friend were allowed into the hospital room to give me a priesthood blessing. I did not hear the words of the blessing, but I was promised that my health would be restored and my life would be extended, because God still had things for me that I needed to do.

During the past year I have seen the fulfillment of that blessing. My recovery has not always been easy, but we have seen slow and steady progress. A cynic may look at me and say I obviously haven't been cured because I can't walk, but I had far more serious medical problems before I went into the hospital. Those problems have been cured, and I've been told that eventually I'll get my legs back too.

I have also been blessed in other ways, such as being more patient and empathetic with others. Spending three months in a hospital tends to make you focus things that are a little more important, and I'm glad to have learned that lesson. This has been a great year of joy and learning for Fluffy and for me, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I debated about whether to even share as much as I have of this story, because it is so sacred to me. But during this time of year when we reflect upon our blessings, the power of priesthood blessings is among the things for which I am the most grateful. (Fluffy is right up there too, of course.)

As you gather with other loved ones to celebrate the holidays, you may want to try counting your blessings and thanking God for all of them — not just the obvious ones. With a little contemplation, you should be able to count hundreds of them, and not just the few that immediately come to mind.

Even light switches and flush toilets are miracles beyond most people's comprehension, so have a field day when you do your thanking this year.