Things I'm thinking about this morning....

My heart is heavy this morning. Perhaps it's the rain. Perhaps it's the stress of end of year activities for me. There's a lot going on in my life, my friend's and families lives, and the world around us. All the disasters, earthquakes, cyclones, etc. have shown how fleeting life is. The other day, my all-time favorite Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman lost his five year old daughter in a driveway car accident. I'm not sure why, but it has really hit me hard. I think because I have gone about life for so long just "winging it", scampering around, getting the kids here or there, trying to get some time with my husband, going to work and church, and trying to squeeze in extra activities when I can. It's very hard to do all that and still find time to enjoy life and all the blessings that God has for me! So, here's what I'm thinking about today...

~how nice it is to be in my jammies at 1:30 PM on a rainy Saturday
~how blessed I am to have my hubby and my kids-none of them are perfect, but I am overwhelmed by the thought that God saw me worthy enough to care and love them
~what a blessing my job has been-it's had its struggles, but if I had held out for a public school job, I would not be employed right now. I've come to realize that I'm right where God wants me to be
~how amazing my family is-mom, dad, brothers, sisters, kids, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents--all of them are blessings, even though I neglect them!
~how awesome Cocoa Pebbles taste-I'd forgotten!!
~how much I miss my best friends...now they both live in Arizona. Joni has been there for awhile now-we've been friends since high school, and lived apart for most of our friendship, but have managed to stay in touch and be there for each other over the years. I miss her tons, but have gotten used to seeing her once and year and living for those few moments we get together. Cath just recently moved and I miss her tons. I miss hanging out on Fridays, eating brownies, yelling at each other's kids, seeing her at school everyday, and being able to hang out at the drop of a hat. This is a big adjustment for all of us-but I know God has a plan and I'm trusting in that!
~How great our God is-even in heartache, suffering, pain, and loss. Our family has been through a lot of stuff over the last few years-and yet, everytime, God has revealed his greatness and love to me. There has always been a rainbow after the storm. It was mighty stormy there for awhile, but the clouds always lift and God is always faithful.
~I'm grateful for the little things...scrapbooking, baseball, junk TV, Simply Lemonade, happy kids, and time to think and pray. I do love my life, my hubby, my kids, my family, and my friends. And I love my God for giving all of this to me-I pray that I never forget all of these blessings or take them for granted.