There are many keys in our lives that open a myriad doors onto easy paths and hard roads. Some deliver instant gratification, and others prove to be difficult challenges. A key of blessing is one we can count on daily, although it may not be a permanent key. It opens our hearts to redemptive possibilities, to revitalized energy, and restorative hope. Just as Harry Potter’s “port-key” could transport him to another place instantly, a key of blessing can suddenly put the world into a new and proper perspective. It does not have to be a material key or a living key to possess this power. But it is important to see this key as a gift and not a possession.

 

We need energy to live and thrive. We take in both substance and spirit to sustain and nourish our bodies and souls. Each day this is required. And if we elect, or if we are denied this opportunity, both corps and mind are forced to rely upon our reserves that are quickly depleted. True, most of us no longer forage for nutritional sustenance while grocery store shelves are spilling over with farmed and packaged goods. (We now have the luxury of hunting those things which will bring greatest satisfaction, be it taste, bargain, or calorie count.) But even those who have had their ample diet of daily bread can waste away. Our souls can and do starve. When we are denied that which feeds the inner self, then it, like the body, cannot defend itself from attack. When inspiration, creativity, and love are not in ample supply, one succumbs to despair, doubt, and shame.

 

But I have found a key in my life — one that opens the vault to daily restoration. It provides the assurance, hope, and passion that gives each day a glorious victory over the assault of day-to-day pressures, conflicts, and trials. It is my gift. And it convinces me that we each have one or more of these gifts in our lives — and I bet many of us are not even aware they exist. It is time we learn to forage for this spiritual “manna” on a daily basis and learn to live days filled with blessed moments.