Earlier this week, I looked at a thought I had posted up on our notice board and it made me think.
I tried doing this one night and it actually worked pretty well. But I want to put it more into effect. I know that although my life is far from perfect, there are a significant number of blessings that I do possess. I've tried to use humor lately to divert my focus from negative to positive and in some circumstances it's worked. I also think that counting my blessings will help me realize what I do have and direct my attention to the good in life. So here are some of my attempts at counting my blessings.
1. I somehow lost 5 pounds recently without trying! I'm quite shocked. Usually it's the opposite way, even if I am trying. Here's a picture of me now:
Don't I look good?
2. I have a house. That's a blessing in itself, but the fact that even though it's a bit dirty it doesn't look like this is a plus!
3. My stepkids like me. Taylor asked me to lunch yesterday. Yes, I had to drive halfway across the valley to pick him up from high school (Shudder! Is he that old?) and yes he had forgotten his lunch ticket and wanted someone to buy him food from Wendy's but he still picked me! Happy day!
4. My hubby and kids help around the house. I did a number of chores yesterday but Lyle's really good to help too. And this morning Taylor made breakfast and mowed the lawn and is now changing a tire and working on the roof with Lyle.
5. My newest calling of primary music chorister may take more time than my last calling, but I love it so much! I haven't had so much fun looking stupid in front of people in a long time! Last time I brought various hats and if the kids sang well enough either I would put on a funny hat or they could if they wanted. We had a lot of fun!
6. We always have enough food. I know that's a blessing. But we also have enough food for me to pick and choose recipes I want to try. New ones have included Maple Chicken and Waffles Casserole (really good with a little extra syrup on top), Strawberry Fudge and Baked Ravioli Casserole (than you Pinterest!)
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| Maple Chicken and Waffles Casserole |
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| Baked Ravioli Casserole |
7. I have a good husband and funny stepkids. Not everyone has a loving husband and even though mind drives me nuts some days (which says more about me than him) he's very good to me and loves me. My stepkids have never resent me in their life.
They've accepted and loved me. And they're so funny!
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| Yes, Annie's pajama pants are up to her chest! I told you they were funny! |
8. My sense of humor. Some days it's hard to find but most of the time it's there. Recently someone who my husband annoyed called him 'evil'...bless this person's heart, I thought this was a bit dramatic! And so instead of getting offended at it, I chose to add a sense of humor. I called my husband up and told him that I was pretty upset. I hadn't know he was 'evil' when I married him and I was highly disappointed that he had been hiding it from me all this time. I asked if he was really at work, because as a super villain he should be hatching some diabolical plan and I told him that I thought he was stingy with money that I'm sure he got by robbing banks or through some other horrible scheme. He laughed at that. I asked him where our cool evil secret lair was or if he had a mad scientist lab or something and why I never got to see it. He practiced his Mwahahaha evil laugh and did it really well! We were trying to come up with good supervaillain names and I wondered what kind of costumes we could get away with wearing as our 'evil' personas. We had a good laugh at it. Sometimes in order to survive life, you have to be able to laugh.
9. Infertility. Yes, that's right along with being a curse, it can be a blessing. It has truly taught me the worth just one soul (D&C 18:10). It has taught me compassion, patience (Well, maybe a little. I'm still pretty bad at this), to be grateful for what you have and to have faith in promises not yet fulfilled. And I have to say that having a sense of humor has helped a lot as well. Last night we stopped by 'Babies 'R Us' to buy magnetic locks for our medicine cupboard that we need for our home inspection. I was excited. I mean we were going to a 'Baby Superstore', so they must sell Babies there! Annie and I stared around at people and I pointed at some guy (who looked a little disconcerted to have someone staring and pointing at him) and said, 'He's got one. He came from that way!' and Annie and I set out around the store in our quest to find which section sold the babies. We couldn't find it. Then we saw a sign that said, 'Order it on line and pick it up in the store'! Aha! That makes sense! You must have to order the babies first and then they ship them here and all these people were just picking up their order! I really need to find that website and put in my own order! Also a couple of months ago I found the following at Clark Planetarium (it was a bin full of little stuffed 'diseases' which included everything from cancer to halitosis):
Ha! I had no idea I could buy an egg and sperm at Clark Planetarium for $20. And I've been going to the RE and paying lots of money for tests, medications and medical procedures! $15,000 for IVF my eye! I'll just buy these, stuff the sperm in the egg and wait 9 months and I'll have a baby...I grant you it will be a huge baby, but beggars can't be choosers!
10. The most important blessing of all: my testimony. Although I continue to struggle and wonder when some trials will end, Heavenly Father has been there the whole time and every time I feel like I'm as far down as I can go, I can feel him pull me back up. I know He loves me and wants me to be happy and will help me through these times of testing. Now if I can just remember to keep counting my blessings: 1...2...3...4...
