Blessings by Nicholas Gonzalez, MD
To me, the greatest blessing is, of course, life itself, the great gift God has given to us all. In the day to day happenstance of our lives, we take the fact of our life so often for granted, understandably, with the ebb and flow of each day’s events. But I myself never take my life, or those I know and love for granted, I thank God for this blessing every day.
Though I take full credit, and full responsibilities, for my conscious and free will mistakes, I give God credit for salvaging me repeatedly from the errors of my ways, and bestowing on me gifts and benefits and yes, blessings, I hardly deserve or have earned out of my own independent action and thought. God gave me my abilities, however expansive or limited they might be, he blessed me with an inquisitive mind, the capacity for determination to see difficult projects through to the end, the capability to overcome seemingly impenetrable and insurmountable obstacles that have come my way over the years. In a very practical sense, I have chosen, with God’s guidance, a difficult career path for sure, taking on it seems at times the entire conventional medical world. Though I am a very small David in comparison to the Medical Pharmaceutical alliance, I and my treatment still survive, I still have many patients told they were going to die turn around and live and achieve excellent good health,. It is indeed a great blessing, to witness these patients survive and succeed, over and over again, during the nearly 30 years of my medical practice. And with God’s help and blessing, my work continues to grown in prominence, silencing or at least minimizing the complaints of the critics.
I feel so blessed that Mary Beth came into my life, to bring a personal security and fulfillment previously lacking. Her belief in my work, her steadfastness besides me as I take on the world, means more than I can see, and is a blessing I never would have expected. Her deep Christian faith is also a blessing, cementing our marriage, our friendship, and our love, with the acknowledgement that God rules and oversees all, including our marriage.
I feel blessed by wonderful friends, who when I least expect it, appear in my life, bringing joy and assistance into our lives.
These blessings, and there are many more, have been given me freely, out of God’s grace, through no effort or achievement on my part. They always come, it seems, always at the most important time in my life, when the gifts given fulfill an immediate need. I know such workings in my life are not the result of chance, but only the graciousness of God, his blessing, given me for whatever reason he chooses to do so.,
All of you, no matter how difficult life might seem at the present, how frustrating the world now or the future may seem, should remember the gifts we do have, the blessings we have been allotted, these gifts from God, which should give us strength for today’s tasks and battles, for those we face tomorrow. For in my experience, when least expected another blessing, perhaps small, perhaps large, will suddenly make itself evident in my life, bringing with it joy, and fulfillment, and always greater hope. - Nicholas Gonzalez, MD May 2015
