As November comes to an end and spills into the Christmas season and 2012 is quickly coming to a close…I am so grateful to be able to count my blessings.
My kids, all four of them, down to the one that gives me that “special” attitude (that I loathe and love simultaneously, the attitude not the child), I live for them and would die for them. Their love knows no bounds, unconditional and unending –and mine for them. No matter how naughty they can be, in the evening while tucked into their beds, I kiss them on the forehead, breathe that sweet smell of kids shampoo, animal crackers and toothpaste, and thank God that they are mine.
My friends near and far, some have been with me since childhood some have just come into my life…all for one reason or another, all just as important as the other. It’s been a year of transition and it was my friends that held me up, got me moved (one even sent her husband all the way from Atlanta) and kept me sane when I thought I would go insane. They helped me cope, kept me laughing and they stand beside me when I’m missing my kids –and yes missing “the attitude” and “the kid.”
So while it’s been a bumpy year (one that I never would or could have predicted) and I can easily find myself sinking into that woe is me place, I need not think too terribly hard to remember that I am blessed. And before I can even start to feel sorry for myself, I remember a dear sweet mom friend of mine that is battling cancer, childhood friends that just lost their mom and many more stories that are way bigger than the life I live. So while I hate that twin B is sick with pneumonia AGAIN and most of Thanksgiving break was spent nursing the boys and their colds, I’m grateful for their health and that the boys wrestle nonstop and I’m even grateful for the legos left on the floor that I step on daily.
One of my dearest and oldest friends shared some wise words on Thanksgiving, I’ll end with what he said, because it sums up so well what’s been in my heart and on my mind and I have failed at trying to verbalize:
Relationships fail, family members get sick, jobs end, homes are lost, etc….all hard stuff. Once upon a time none of these things invaded my white picket fence. Today, this is something I reflect on quite a bit. Especially when it comes to my own personal mistakes. Not one of us can dance between the raindrops forever. And yes, brokenness usually comes at a great cost. But it can also lead to the most transforming time of your life. So while I don’t wish any of you misfortune, should it find its way to you, know that sometimes you can’t think your way into a new way of living….sometimes you simply have to live yourself into a new way of thinking. And that can change your life forever.
I told you good stuff, right?
Parting shot, from Charlotte, North Carolina weekend before Thanksgiving.
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