Gratitude.

Our daffodils have bloomed!

I recently got to celebrate that I have been given 20+ years on this earth.  I got to laugh and smile with friends and family, recall embarrassingly hilarious stories, and eat sugary, creamy desserts that leave you wishing every day were your birthday (until bikini season rolls around, of course).  But mostly I got to thank God for my health.  There are so many things we tend to take for granted on a daily basis until our lives are turned upside down by something and we are forced to reckon with the daunting fact that things are not as we’d like them to be and we never thought we would be the ones going through this particular struggle.  Being new to the blog world, I have read some wonderful, encouraging blogs lately.  I have laughed til I cried and literally wept over some stories I have read.  Real, beautiful, kind, courageous people everywhere are fighting the scariest battles of their lives – of their worst nightmares and fears, yet they are encouraging others.  They bravely share the ghastly details and their private thoughts and feelings.  And from this comes so many blessings.  Others are encouraged, hope spreads, spirits are lifted, prayers are lifted up, stories are shared, kindness surfaces, hearts grow just a bit bigger as we feel for our fellow human beings and reach out to them; they are not alone.  Then suddenly we realize just how blessed we really are.  This, of course, does not mean we are not blessed when God takes us through a valley in life.  It does, however, help us to appreciate the many blessings staring us in the face that we were too caught up in ourselves and our own lives to see.  Suddenly it doesn’t matter so much any more that someone cut you off in traffic, that your cell phone is on the fritz, that the cable’s out, or that the laundry is piling up.  Suddenly you feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the healthy life you lead.  For the health of your spouse, children, parents, friends.  For a God who loves you and wants to bless you with good things!  Suddenly you start to think of how you can reach out to someone, encourage them, pray for them, give a piece of yourself to them.  There is so much beauty and selflessness in serving others.  Jesus is our perfect example and without Him we’d be lost.  He brings joy, healing, and salvation to so many.  

So today I’m grateful for my healthy, earthly life and my eventual eternal life in heaven…whenever that may begin.   I’m grateful for my healthy husband, family, and friends.  I hope to show God my gratitude by allowing Him to use me for His purpose, His plan. 

Take care,

Robyn