Count Your Blessings

A couple of nights ago my computer crashed. Kaput. Dead. This was after a very hard couple of days. Problem after problem arose on the remodel of our house. More money is needed, more work is needed. It just kept getting worse. Then late at night I get on my lap top to check email and it dies. At that point I lost it. All day I had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Having trouble breathing, wanting to vomit, just a wreck. Well this put me over the edge. That night I freaked out, thought it was the end of the world. Josh comforted me and got me through it and let me sleep in the next morning. Things looked better in the morning. Like they always do. Then last night Josh's friend Andre called us and asked us to join in a fast for their baby Gavin.
Gavin is in the PICU and struggling. Check out his blog, but be prepared to cry. Anyways, it helped to put things in perspective for me. I am not grateful enough for the things I do have. Sure I lost all my adorable pictures of Aiden, but I have the opportunity to take a million more. This house might break us financially and mentally, but at least we had the opportunity. Even if we end up having to move into a half finished house and spend the rest of our lives paying off credit cards, at least we will have a roof over our heads.

This is what I am thankful for...

Last night I went to get Aiden ready for bed. After another night of working at the house. He managed to find some paint to get on his forehead and my outfit. Which bummed me out because it wasn't one I wanted paint on. But as I sponge bathed him with wipes I realized, my little boy has not smiled in a couple of weeks. He has been sick and teething. I was so happy he had paint on his face and dirt and ice cream all over himself. That meant to me that he was getting better. I wasn't frustrated I had to clean him up. I was glad. He was his old self. Saying "hi" to people at Home Depot. Everyone he saw. Even the men who tried to ignore him. He was persistent until he got a "hi" back.
Today when I had to change 3 poopy diapers in 3 hours. I wasn't upset, I was glad. He hasn't been pooping because he hasn't been eating. So I was grateful for all of it.
And then this afternoon as I was backing out of Wal-Mart and backed into another car. My initial reaction was "why me." Why can't I have one day without something bad happening. But I am grateful that I have a car that I can smash into people with. Not everybody is that lucky.

So count your blessings. It is a real eye opener for me.
Also backup your computers. You don't want to lose all those precious pictures. My laptop is less than 2 years old. You never know.

Andre, Beth and Gavin, Our prayers and thoughts are with you...