Editor's Note   Signs of the times   By Darcy L. Fargo

October 15, 2025

I don’t normally drive by this church. I detoured off my normal route so I could pick up items at a local business that were ordered by a friend I’d be seeing later in the day.

It was 7:20 in the morning, and I hate mornings. I was running late, and I had an extra stop to make. I was anxious about a medical appointment later in the day. It’s fair to say I wasn’t in the best mood.

The church had one of those signs with permanent text at the top and bottom and a large blank spot in the middle where letters could be changed to modify the sign’s message. I couldn’t tell you what the permanent text said, though I assume it was the name of the church and its denomination, but the simple sentence in the section that could be modified hit me like a ton of bricks: “Take a second to think about how blessed you are.”
I was not feeling blessed.

While I’m not usually one to follow instructions, I took a second to think about how blessed I am.

Was I having a bad morning? Yup. I sure was. But a bad morning doesn’t mean a bad life. It doesn’t even mean a bad day.

It was a bad morning that’s part of a good life full of blessings from an awesome God.

I was on my way to a job God led me to, a job I love more than any I’ve ever had, a true blessing. God has blessed me with wonderful friends and has put me in a position to occasionally make their lives easier because of my travels all over the North Country. God has blessed me with access to medical care I need.

And that was just considering the blessings that were related to my bad morning.

Suddenly, my morning didn’t seem so bad.

I’m really good at focusing on the negatives in the world and in myself. When I’m focusing on those negatives, I let negativity consume me, and it blinds me to the many blessings evident in my life and in the world around me. So, sometimes God blesses me with a little reminder to sit with those blessings.

That’s a good detour off my normal route.