Last weekend my husband and I were driving home from yet another circle of friends that had gathered. We were full of good food and remained quiet as we rode along. I had a sense that we might be thinking similar thoughts. When we finally spoke, I was right. We were both reflecting on the various circles in which we had found ourselves over the previous days. We were counting our blessings.

It began Friday with a dinner gathering with people we had always enjoyed but didn’t know that well. We had decided it was time to ‘branch out’ and spend time with new people. The evening unfolded with good food and lively discussion. Laughter and direct questions helped keep it all honest. When the evening was over, we knew it was something we would do again. Our circle had just gotten wider.

The following day we spent time with old friends, the kind of friends who have known you at your best…and at your worst…and love you anyway. More good food, more laughter, more important questions. We left that circle to go directly to another gathering that included church friends, some who knew one another, others who were meeting for the first time. Poems and music flowed through this crowd tinged with some laughter and some very serious conversation. Oh, and of course, there was the food…..more abundance.

It was important not to let the moment go unmarked, without honor. Those times when you recognize the fullness of your life, the blessings of simple things like friends and food. Nothing we did cost us a dime except for the dish we added to the potluck. And yet we both ended the day feeling like we were the richest people on earth…….because in all the ways that matter, we are. And so we offered smiles and nods of gratitude while stamping the memory of that day into our brains to save for a time when we might need to draw on that savings account.

Rabbi Abraham Heschel wrote: "Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy." On Sunday night, we both knew it to be true.