Saturday, August 25, 2012

One of those gratitude posts

Today we had a third birthday party for my daughter. She'll be three this coming Wednesday and we spent the day immersed in pink princessness. Pink cake, lots of pink balloons, pink crowns to decorate and plenty of pink wrapping paper.

As I sat rocking with her and reading Curious George Goes to the Beach for about the 800th time, I had a rush of gratitude. I know the book by heart, and my mind was wandering as I recited it to her. I looked around her room and thought about how cute it is and how sweet it will look when we get her new big girl bed and fun new bedding in a few days. Then I thought about how lucky we are to have this great house with plenty of space for all of us, full of fun toys for my kids and everything we need (and more!) to live a cozy, comfortable life.

I thought about how lucky I am to have the kids I do. There was a time in my life when I feared I would never be where I am now; a time when having kids was not a certainty. We weathered that road and God blessed us with three wonderful children. It may not have happened according to my schedule, but it turns out, God's timing was perfect. I know, right? Imagine that.

I am in a season of life that is busy, sometimes difficult and oftentimes tiring. But each day is such a gift. My aunt's recent diagnosis with terminal brain cancer has really reminded me to enjoy each and every day, because we truly don't know what tomorrow holds. I am a hopeless optimist, so I don't usually spend too much time in worry or fear for what might happen. But I can also face reality, and the reality is, sometimes those bad things do happen. On the days that they don't, we have to remember to be grateful, to thank the Lord for the day we've enjoyed, and treasure the time we have on this earth with the people we love.

I'm listening to my boys play outside with their friend who is spending the night, even though it's past their bedtime, and their squeals and shrieks are music to my ears. My daughter was tuckered out from her big day and she's cozied up in her bed, all tucked in with her new mermaid dress laid out on her floor, ready for tomorrow. My husband is downstairs vegging out a little bit to an XBOX game and I'm enjoying a few blessed moments of solitude from an otherwise busy (but fun) day. My heart is so full. I am humbled and honored that my life is filled with such magnificent people and such peace and comfort. Things aren't always easy, but God has blessed me so much.

I need to remember to live up to these gifts He has given me.

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