Saturday, August 30, 2008

Gratitude

I usually just post pictures and exciting things on my blog. Today, I feel really grateful for many things. I thought I'd list some...I may add more later. Who knows? But, I have to preface with a disclaimer: I don't allow myself to feel grateful like this every day...dang it! If I did, I wouldn't be writing about it. I feel different today. My gratitude list today is:

  • My children: I have felt that each moment counts with them. The adorable family in Saratoga Springs, who lost their little boy when he was run over, has given me new perspective. Like most of you who heard about it, I was devastated and saddened by this tragedy. My cousins are close friends with them, and wrote about it on the Graham Clan's blog. When I read about it, I cried. So, I began to think about my own kids. They are 90% fabulous. I am trying to not let the 10% get in the way of enjoying them every minute I have them. I learned a couple of weeks ago at a choir practice led by Sister Webb that every time you enter a room, you either add to it, or take from it. Especially when entering my own home, I'm trying to remember this important lesson. I want to generate good and great things to my children. Believe me, I have a long way to go.
  • Health: our little family has not faced a serious illness yet. How can we possibly know how hard it would be to not have our health, unless we loose it? Even with this stupid viral cold thing our family had a couple of weeks ago, now Jonathan has it...that thing threw us for a loop. No energy, nothing is getting done around the house...etc. I feel very blessed right now for our family's health.
  • Safety: we pray for it every day, don't we? Do you? I truly feel that Heavenly Father has blessed our family with this simple blessing. Both of our kids have had head injuries in the last few weeks. They are both OKAY! How can I dismiss this as just "luck"? I can't! I am overwhelmed that they are both healing fine and doing great.
  • The Resurrection: today in the car, we saw a dead deer on the side of the road. Briggs was so sad. But he told me that he thought its spirit was with Jesus. I agreed with him, then watched him in the rear-view mirror, as he was quietly thinking. Then Briggs said, "Mom, I don't want my spirit to leave my body when I die". We talked about Jesus Christ, and how his spirit left his body, then came back to it when he came back to life. In testifying of this beautiful gift we have, I gained further strength and testimony of it. Brigham was clinging to ever word I said. I felt a HUGE responsibility to get it right as I was telling him about it. He got it. I think he already knew it, but it comforted him when he was thinking about how scary death seems. Whoa, I'm teary right now. I feel like a rock is in my neck!
  • Jonathan: nothing in my life would be the same without him. He is my best friend. He is an amazing dad. He misses his kids so much right now, because he's not home much. He is in the Fire Academy, and really is only home 3 evenings a week and Sunday...the rest of the time he's working or in his classes. He has so many idiosyncrasies that used to drive me BONKERS!!!...such as... (I know your spouse has some of these things, too): carrying his toothbrush with him around the house while he brushes, then leaves it somewhere new each day...forgetting where exactly it is the next day...; he takes off his shoes and socks wherever he wants to...and I have the privelege of detecting the smell in order to find them a day or two later, shoved between the cushions of the couch; he never know where his wallet is, or his keys...it's the biggest mystery to him how they end up where they do once he finds where that is; he schedules dinners/parties at our home with friends, and fails to mention it to me until the day of the dinner...they usually fall on the day when my house looks like a bombed-out bunker with toy/clothes/papers/garbage-shrapnel everywhere; he buys motorcycles and sells them months later, only to buy another; he always asks me, "where's that one belt of mine?"...I have no clue, where did YOU put it, Jonathan?; he double-books things A LOT!...and I'm usually the lucky one to call to flake on one person or the other...the list goes on and on! HOWEVER, these little quirks and pet-peeves have become more than endearing to me. I wouldn't like him if he didn't do these things. It's who he IS. I wouldn't have him any other way. Because, these things are only 1% of what he does. Jonathan is amazing. I don't care who is reading this, going: oh, come off of the CHEESE, Heather!...truly, I just don't care about you right now people! I just love my husband. I love that he's not perfect, because I sure as heck am far from it. We sort of weave on and off of our paths, but we always, always, always, can find each other in the middle of the path again. No matter what. He hasn't failed me yet. I always can depend upon him: not necessarily to find his keys, but in all of the important stuff. That's why I am grateful for Jonathan. I love him! (okay, cheese session is over)...
  • Time: because I'm out of it right now, but I'll possibly add more to this list soon. Thanks for reading!

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