DAY 926... Everyday Blessings

I am guilty of losing sight of the blessings that I receive daily in my life. I forget how lucky I am to be woken up by a crying child in the middle of the night because there are so many women out there who long to have children but don't. I forget how lucky I am to have so many options of what I want to eat for dinner because there are so many people who don't have anything at all to eat. I forget how lucky I am to have a hard time deciding what movie I want to watch because so many people don't even have a TV. I forget how lucky I am when my house feels too hot because there are so many people out there who cannot afford heat. I forget how lucky I am to be able to soak in a hot bath because there are so many people who only bathe in cold water. I forget how lucky I am to get ready for the day and go to work because there are so many people who don't have a job. I forget how lucky I am to have homework to do and papers to write because there are millions of people who cannot afford to attend school and gain a higher education. I forget how lucky I am to have to stop and go out of the way to get gas because there are many people who can't afford a car. I forget how lucky I am that I have a messy house to clean up because it means that Aniston has toys to play with. I forget how lucky I am that I have laundry to fold because it means I have clothes, and lots of clothes to wear, when there are people without clothing.

Basically I am guilty of taking advantage of so many things in my life. I feel that sometimes that even applies to Aniston, my daughter. Today, Aniston and I released 2 beautiful balloons in honor of a beautiful little girl who would have been 2 today. Unfortunately she passed away in August at 17 months old after losing her battle with cancer. I cannot even imagine that as a parent. I cannot imagine losing a child and then having to continue life with other children and jobs and the real world. My friend who is the one who lost her daughter has been amazing and has set such a fantastic example for me. She is constantly commenting on my pictures of Aniston and is continually uplifting others around her instead of focusing on her own grief. She is so strong. I know that Aniston is still young (20 months) but I feel as though she really felt and understood what we were doing today in honor of that sweet precious child. I think that she could sense my sorrow and my heartbreak. Children just tend to sense these things. It just melts my heart.

I am thankful for the blessing in my life that is my religion. Because of my beliefs, I believe that when a family member dies that we can be together forever as a family and that means in the life after we die. Because of my beliefs, as hard as a physical death may be, I can find some hope and some ray of sunshine in the fact that I will see them again. I haven't been faced with this trial at this point in my life but I hope that if I ever am challenged this way that I can remember and hold strong to my beliefs.

I am challenging myself this week to be a little more thankful and grateful for everything that I have in my life, even those things that I may deem as hard or annoying. I am blessed every single day and the sooner I realize that, the better off I will truly be.