Counting My Blessings

I have been reminded a number of times the past few weeks that I have a lot to be thankful for in my life and that what I think are difficulties in my life are really very insignificant!

I have a family that I am close to because I worked with the Father for 10 years in my previous job. I continue to see them often and the entire family will always have a special place in my heart. His oldest daughter is a few years younger than I am. A few years ago she found a lump in her side and it turned out to be cancer. After surgery to remove the tumor everyone thought some radiation and she would be fine. After finding more tumors and then chemo, good news, no cancer left! I recently heard she did find another lump but they were not going to do surgery or chemo at this time. She would try a new drug and hope and pray for good news! I found out last week that she has since found two new tumors! So bad news!!! The drug is obviously not working and now she faces possible surgeries and chemo again! My heart just breaks for her and her entire family. She is married but does not have children. I know this is hard for her parents, siblings, husband and most of all her! Just when she thinks there is a light at the end of the tunnel and she can resume her life, she gets another blow! She has handled everything with amazing strength and resilience! I continue to pray for them all!

My dear friend lost her father suddenly a month ago. It was a very sudden heart attack and he was not even 60! I have watched my friend handle losing her father with amazing stength and Grace. I could not imagine losing my father and it breaks my heart to think of what she is going through. I continue to pray for her and her entire family as well!

For those of you that live in AZ, you probably saw on the news in the last few weeks, a woman who lost her way while driving. Turns out she had dementia and did not know where she was while driving home one night. She ended up near Bartlett Lake and her body was found days later. That was my 1st grade teacher. At the age of 33 I still say she was the best teacher I ever had. She was patient, kind, fun, inspiring and much more. Everything you would ever want in a teacher and more.

Weekly Jesse and I visit a memory care facility called Encore Senior Living and Ryan House which is a facility for families caring for children with life‐threatening conditions. I was at Encore on Sunday and one of my favorite patients is definitely declining. She LOVES Jesse and smiles and says "I love this dog" every time we are there! It will be difficult when she passes but I try to find peace with the fact that we have brought her some much needed joy in her final days. The children we see at Ryan house make me so thankful that my sister was blessed with two healthy thriving kids and that my friends have been too. It is truly a blessing, the gift of a healthy child!

I have just had on my heart the last few weeks a sense of thankfulness. I am thankful for my health and the health of my family and friends! I am thankful for my faith in God and the strength he gives me for even the little things in life! I am thankful for parents that I am close with and I consider friends. I am thankful for a sister that is a great friend, wife and mother. I am thankful for a nephew and niece that I love with all my heart! I am thankful for my dogs who bring a smile to my face everytime I come home.

I may not be married or have children which seems to weigh on my heart heavily, I may not be the size I wish I was and I may not have the career and income I would hope to have at 33 but I do have a lot and I am a lucky girl with lots to be thankful for and lots of blessings in my life!! I think I need to stop and realize that a little more than I do!