Simply Blessed

Today I'm sitting here thinking of our blessings. I try and do that daily, especially when the "going gets tough". It's in those times when I need to remember all the good going on that is often overshadowed. In the good times it's easy to get content and forget how blessed we truly are in that moment. That is why I started this blog, to have a written account of and share all the blessings that we, as a family of three, have.


When I do prayers with Lauren at night and sometimes when I say grace at meal times I find myself out of time to list the blessing I have, and then in my own prayer time I noticed I'm more focused on the needs of those around me and what is happening that day to have time to list the many blessing God has given regularly. 


I'm so grateful for the house that keeps us sheltered and safe, the job Matt has that allows us to pay our bills so we can have things like heat, air, water, phone, and electricity. I'm thankful for two running cars and the gas in their tanks. The food in my pantry and on my table each day are both blessings. Healthy bodies and minds is another wonderful blessing that we sometimes take for granted. The family and friends that support us in so many different ways- this is one I can go on and on about. My wonderful, supportive, and loving husband, along with my sweet, smart, and beautiful baby girl are my most cherished blessings. When I look at them, hug them, or think about them I know that all the craziness of the day or the season of life we are in doesn't matter as much as they do. Most of all the love, grace, hope, and joy our Lord gives me- without him none of this other stuff would be possible. 


So on days when I'm feeling stressed. On days when life seems too complicated. When the weight of the world is pushing down so hard and I feel like I can't take any more- God shows me I can. God provides me the strength. God supplies me with my needs. I can always count on that.


I'm by no means saying that life is always good and you can't be sad, annoyed, cranky, or just plain tired. I'm saying that the rainy days help me to appreciate the sunny ones and the cold days help me appreciate the hot ones. Life is balancing the good with the bad and the nice with the yucky. I don't like that I've lost three babies but if I hadn't have lost the first two I won't know my little Lauren Shea. Without having dated three guys that I didn't fit perfectly with I won't have grown to fit perfectly with Matt. It's all about outlook.


Things have been in such flux around here. I needed to remind myself of the simple, basic blessings that surround me daily. I'm not sure of a time, now that I think about it, when life was without change and adjustments. I guess sometimes there seems to be more dramatic change than others. I look back to the beginning of the year and things seem more stable then. We've had two big house projects with the heating/air system and the door. (I have trouble sometimes dealing with my house being "out of sorts" and it making me out of sorts.) We were pregnant and now we're not. All yuck that came with both being pregnant (aka being so sick for five weeks straight) and then losing the baby (aka the emotional anguish). 


Matt's work has been a source of major adjustment too. He loves his "job" but the company isn't doing as good as they once were and so the stability of his job is a source of stress for him. Well God's blessings struck again. He received wind of a job opportunity and went for it. He has since accepted the job offer and in June will be starting a new job.  This is awesome for him and I'm so proud of him for being the man he is. But it's more change. More nerves and unknown in our near future. 


For someone who strives off structure and stability God is sure rocking my world these days, but if I keep my eyes on my blessings and keep my relationship with God strong I know that in time the rocking will slow and life will feel less chaotic and crazy. I know that sometimes although change is hard it's for the better. There are countless examples of that throughout my life. I just pray I stay strong and relax a little.


"Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. It is not enough that a thing be possible for it to be believed." ~Voltaire