All Things Work Together

I'd really like to take the credit for the amazing children in my life, but truth be told, I am likely more responsible for their flaws than anything.  Just like I do (quite often I might add), I know that God must shake His head at me and wonder how it is He created such a thick headed woman.  I am, however, so very grateful He chooses to take my mistakes, attitude, brokenness and pain and manages to use those things to mold some pretty incredible human beings who make me proud to be called "mom".   

I eagerly look forward to what He will do with them in the near future.  In the meantime, I will continue to muddle along as their mom, making mistakes, loving them and doing what I can; knowing that I am confident God will use it to work all things together for good.

Grateful

Ever have one of those days or weeks or months? You know the kind I’m talking about. A time period when a whole bunch of little things go wrong and you feel like you can’t catch a break. No one dies. A life altering accident doesn't occur. Nothing like that. But still, if you had to choose between living the day over again or a root canal, you’d consider the root canal for like, a millisecond. That’s the kind of month this has been for me.  No lie.

In an attempt to ease my ‘woe is me’ attitude, I decided it's better to count my blessings than it is to feel sorry for myself. Ultimately, we all deal with circumstances beyond our control so even though I feel alone right now I know there are others who have been through the same things or who have it a lot worse.

Sometimes it just takes hearing someone else's story, seeing a homeless person, a person with a serious illness, people that have been afflicted by natural disaster, children suffering abuse, hunger or all the bad things in the world to make a person appreciate the life that they have.  When I see all the things going on in the world today, I have to praise God for all the wonderful blessings that He has given me.  Sometimes I start feeling sorry for myself because of the struggles that I have had to face and am facing but I soon remember that I am here, alive and healthy.

Therefore big or small, we all need to remember to be grateful for the things that we're blessed with.  Whether it’s good health, an opportunity to have an education, our family, our friends, the roof over our head, or something as simple as an umbrella when it’s raining. Be grateful and thankful for the sounds of laughter coming from the people you love in your life. When you remind yourself what you’re blessed with (rather than what you wish you had), you end up living a more satisfying life.