Counting my Blessings

My sister and My cousin both have blogs that I follow and recently they both have talked about counting their blessings. I too for some reason have been thinking this same thing. With all the bad that goes on in this world, such as people living in tents in Haiti because their homes have been destroyed or the family that has lost a loved one in a tragedy, or the husband that has lost his job and can no longer support his family, we are a very blessed family.

We have a wonderful home and I am very thankful for it everyday. It may not be the cleanest or the biggest home or even the best decorated home, but I love my home just as much and am very thankful that we can afford the home that we have.

My family is safe and healthy. Both of my parents are still alive and for the most part are still healthy. I have a brand new nephew whom I love very much, and have enjoyed seeing my little sister become a loving mother. I think my sister and I both have the same view on raising our children. She can now understand the sacrifices one makes for your children. yes, we could work a 40 hour job and put our children in daycare, but at the end of the day, who is going to see their first smile, hear their first laugh, see their first steps, hear their first words. I am now entering the phase of being able to see the moment when the light bulb appears over her head as she has that aha moment when she "gets it". I am currently teaching her to read and teaching her sign language and I can see the motors churning in her head when she is trying to understand and figure things out. Why delegate these moments out to someone who doesn't have the love and dedication that you have for your own child? What priceless memories I will have my whole lifetime of the precious time that I spent with my own children. I know you've heard the saying before, but I think it's worth repeating. When you are old and not long for this world and you look back on your life, will you wish that you had spent more time at work, or had kept the house cleaner, or drove the latest model car and had the latest fad in clothing? No, you will have wanted to spend more time with your loved ones. So, I can say that I am very thankful for my daughter. Don't get me wrong, we have our moments of frustration and my patience is definitely tested, but I am thankful for every minute that I have with my daughter. She is turning into such a sweet, caring, beautiful little girl. I often wonder if I am doing a good job raising her, and then she does or says something that makes me step back and say a silent prayer of thanks to God that what I am doing is worth it.

I am so thankful for my husband. He put me through college, then I decided to be a stay at home mom. My husband has allowed me to stay at home with our daughter because we feel this is the best thing we can do for her. I am always trying to find ways to make money that will not take me away from what I feel is my responsibility which is being Rebekah's mother. After our daughter was born, I attempted to help out with the family finances by working for a couple of home party companies such as Southern Living and Premier Designs. Then I went to driving school to get my CDL and became a bus driver for a year. I was able to keep my daughter with me on the bus so I didn't have to put her in daycare. Next, I purchased a Hot Dog cart and started my own business of selling hot dogs on the weekend until the economy took a dive. Now I am driving Limo's on the weekend for a local Limo company. Every time I try something new he says that he will support me in anything that I decide as long as our daughter doesn't suffer from my decision to work. He has provided for us without complaint. He travels out of town frequently and sometimes puts in very long hours at work. He does a great job of providing for our family and I love him very much.

I am also so thankful that we are healthy. It is so heartbreaking to hear stories of children that are ill and dying in the world. I don't know how parents cope with this kind of tragedy in their lives. My daughter is so energetic that I often get very weary and exhausted just from keeping up with her. However, looking back on the times that I get so frustrated with her because she won't sit still or is running around making a mess in the house or that she insists on going to the park yet another day in a row, I wouldn't change a thing. I am so thankful that she is able to run and play and make messes and climb on monkey bars day after day. God is so good!