Some people claim there is no such thing as a miracle.

Others say miracles are all around us.

Ultimately we each decide what is a miracle for us.

For many, any unexplainable event that piques our curiosity and inspires our awe is regarded as at least a minor miracle.

One modern-day philosopher says if you don’t believe in miracles, you’ll never see one. If you do believe in miracles, you will definitely see them.

I take it one step further. I think life itself is a miracle. When I go for what I call my morning gratitude walk, I say thank you for my life … thank you for the gift of a new day, thank you for so many abundant blessings.

When I think of surviving through all that happened to me over the years I see it all as a miracle. I honestly don’t know how I survived to get to this age. That definitely is my personal miracle for which I am eternally grateful.

It isn’t just surviving the big, dramatic moments that makes me call life a miracle. When I can feel a gentle breeze on my face as I see the wonder of another glorious sunset, I call it “the miracle of being.”

And the closer I look, the more I see what I regard as everyday miracles all around me.

Here’s one example. When I was feeling a bit down over physical limitations, out of the blue I had a late night phone call from a wheelchair bound woman I hadn’t heard from in many years.

As she went into details describing her embarrassing ordeal when she needed assistance while using the ladies’ room, her awe-inspiring pluck was just what I needed to hear at the time.

I told her God must have told her I needed to hear her perspective on dealing with physical setbacks.

She said for reasons she couldn’t understand she felt compelled to call me, even though we had not talked for years.

I called it another one of life’s little miracles, getting the boost I needed from someone who understood physical limitations firsthand.

My friends call that out-of-the-blue phone call a “God wink,” something that shows He cares and He’s in charge.

We all get those God winks if we pay attention.

The closer we pay attention to our everyday life the more we see how ordinary things become extraordinary.

Take bumblebees, for example.

I never had an appreciation for bees until I read a little book called “The Education and Adventures of Glory, A Honeybee.”

My friend Linda DiGloria wrote an amazing little book that combines creative storytelling with scientific facts.

During the pandemic, Linda’s mother bought her a new computer to encourage her to get back to writing.

The next day she sat down at the computer and wrote the most creative story about honeybees. As a third generation bee keeper, Linda knew the subject well.

Before I read her book I never appreciated honeybees. If one came near me I would swat it away.

When I was a youngster I enjoyed lying in the grass watching bumblebees. Unfortunately for the bees, l sometimes caught a bee in a jar, putting holes in the lid so it could breathe. I thought that was taking care of the bee. I liked to hear it buzzing. As a 6-year-old kid, I had no idea how much harm I was doing.

In later years, I regarded bumblebees as threats after a few stings while gardening.

After reading the book I could never kill another bee. I am awed by these tiny creations. I now see them as tiny miracles.

Linda makes the point that worker bees have much to teach us about family values and a strong work ethic.

The more I learn about bees from Linda’s book the more I appreciate them.

This morning on my early morning gratitude walk I stopped near a field of clover to watch all the bees flitting from one flower to another. I couldn’t help but smile at nature’s tiny miracle.

People of prayer are often rewarded when prayer seems to bring about a healing that didn’t seem likely.

We recently learned a little 3-year-old child we were praying for received a much-needed donor kidney that could extend his life.

While there is a long road ahead of the little one, he’s already had unexpected healing. He’s been unable see and the family was told there wasn’t much that could be done for him because of his fragile health. As people of faith they asked prayer circles from several states to pray for their son.

While he was trying to recover from the kidney surgery, we were all thrilled when something unexpected happened to the little one. He began to regain his vision. It’s cloudy but it’s growing clearer.

When the family was asked if they regarded that as a miracle, they had an interesting answer.

“Every day we still have him with us is a miracle,” said the grandmother.

She believes every day of life is a miracle for each of us. So do I. The older I grow, the more I believe this.

Want to be uplifted?

Look for the “miracle of being.”

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.