Blessings

For those who are frequent readers of my blog (although considering I have not blogged lately I am not sure how many readers I still have) or personal friends, you know the month of August is a particularly hard one. Two years ago today, my mother died. Twelve years ago on August 13th, our 3.5 month old daughter, Allison Grace, died. My mother was buried on the day Allison died. Allison was buried on my parents' wedding anniversary. My mother's birthday was August 27. So yes, my family would perfectly be okay if the month of August did not exist. 

Last night I was laying in bed and thought about how my mom was a "glass full" type of person. She was a firm believer that when life handed you lemons, you make lemonade. When you get knocked down, you put one foot in front of the other and go on. She is the reason I am the person I am today. So today, to honor my mom, I am going to look at today as half-full. Rather than dwell on what I am missing, I am going to count my blessings and be thankful for what I do have, for who I have and what I have had. 

I am very blessed. Matt and I both managed to graduate college while raising a baby. Matt has a fantastic job and I am blessed to be able to be at home with my kids. I have a wonderful husband who I am blessed to wake up to every day. I have three healthy kids who love Jesus. We had 101 days with Allison, more than some parents are ever given. I had 37 years with my mother, and while not every moment was rosy, I am so thankful for every day. I have some fantastic friends, who I know are always when I need them. Our family has been given opportunities to see and understand parts of the world that most will never experience. Yes, there have been hard times and dark days that I would not wish on my worst enemy, but I am also a very blessed person. And today I am going to focus on these and so many more blessings that I have.

So today, my challenge is this: Look around you. No matter what you are going through or how dark your day may be, there is something blessing you today. Focus on this blessing today. Use it as a reminder that there are rainbows at the end of the storm.

My mom and I watching the Buckeye football bowl game right before I left for Japan. 

 “Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing” ― Camille Pissarro