Today was a hard day.
And so, in effect, I started writing a blog post that reflected that. Pretty much the post turned into a full-blown list of all of the things going on right now that make life so downright hard. My dad, who has been battling stage-four cancer, is back in the hospital and feeling worse than ever. My husband, who is always my morning sunshine, is now in nursing school and starts leaving now before I even wake up. And after a grim diagnosis of Endometriosis, the pain decided it will unleash it’s full fury. *Oh yay*. You know–just things like that that really make someone tick.
And then, as I was writing up a storm and fighting back tears as I did so, I felt a little tickle on my toes and looked down to see my new baby bunny licking my big toe–begging to be held. So I took a second to lift him up and nuzzle his cute little sniffer. And just like that–I highlighted that whole block of text and with one click–it was deleted.
I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten all of the Lord’s little mercies that had happened. It hit me like a ton of guilt-ridden bricks. And to add to that–I’m sure you’ve forgotten some of them too. I mean, who hasn’t? It’s called the human race for a reason–we’re all racing against time, against trials, against the odds. And we forget the things that keep us going.
It seems that the extra-ordinary things in life–the things that sustain us–are things often wrapped in very ordinary wrapping. The things that stand out tend to be the things that jolt us–the things that make us wince or make us uncomfortable. But these ordinary–yet extraordinary things–THAT’s what I should write about. So here goes, my friends.
I’m grateful for opportunities.
Today was Matt’s first day of nursing school.
And boy, am I proud. I’m so proud that the thing he’s worked hard at for years now is finally coming to pass and that I happened to marry a guy who puts caring for people first on his to-do list. I’m so glad I deleted the line about being lonely–about hours that will be spent apart now. *Phew* Because the Lord blessed us so much with this one opportunity. The Lord just blessed thousands of people by putting Matt in nursing school. Opportunities–those things just shouldn’t go unnoticed.
I’m grateful for time.
Yes, my dad is in a hospital bed, hooked up to IV’s and staring at some replay of old football highlights as nurses prod him with needles. But I still have my Dad. He still has time.
We can still visit him and joke with him and take pictures and write memories on our hearts. We can still help him wrestle with a horrible disease and we can still treasure every moment of laughing about his “chemo brain”. We can cherish every minute–just like we should with everyone we love, for that matter.
I’m grateful for the little, thoughtful things people do for each other on a daily basis.
The co-worker who gives me a hug and asks about my dad. The new chair they put at my desk that is ACTUALLY soft. The text message from my husband telling me he loves me. The Facebook messages from readers who just want to tell me how I unknowingly helped them through something. The man right in front of me who hands a homeless man a warm jacket and reminds me to do something nice for someone. It’s never a coincidence when people touch your life–even indirectly. It’s merely the touch of the master’s hand.
I’m grateful for laughter.
The Lord blesses us with a million little things that make us smile throughout the day–and a thousand things that make us laugh. It’s no coincidence that he instilled in us a sense of light-heartedness for a reason.
Sometimes we’re too goofy for our own good. But then I realize that the Lord constructed it that way because joy is one of the only reasons we’re even here.
I’m grateful for children.
And no–I didn’t put pictures of my bunnies here by mistake. *Okay, you can laugh*
But seriously. They really are Heaven sent.
It’s easy to feel down because I can’t get pregnant right now–or I should say, because it’s going to be hard to. But just yesterday my sister-in-law let us know one of her friends was giving away their bunny. And we couldn’t say no. So we added another little guy to our usual family of three– and as weird as it may sound, it helps my mama instincts. I know the Lord loves me each time they lick my tears or vie for attention. Families come in all shapes and sizes after all–mine just happen to have fur coats 😉
On top of that there are my primary kids.
They don’t realize how much they impact me. Their smiles and giggles, their handmade gifts that they hand to me before sacrament, their eager answers and soft testimonies of Jesus–they are little mercies reminding me I can make a difference in a child’s life even while I’m childless.
I’m grateful for the fact that the God of everything is on my side.
My husband said that today in a text and I can’t really shake it from my mind. “Don’t worry”, he said, “The God of everything is on your side”. And it’s true. How could I forget?
Why would a God who scattered the stars and formed the mountains and splattered the galaxies with vibrant twists of immaculate colors care about me? Why would he care that one child hands me a handmade card that brightens my Sunday or care that I get one out of his millions of rabbits to fill my temporarily empty arms? Why would he care that my commute is smooth on a certain day that’s been otherwise rough so that I can get to work on time or that someone compliments my hair on a day where I just feel anything but pretty?
Why? Because he cares. He cares about the details of our lives so much that he fills moment after moment with them–and most of them simply go unnoticed.
Today was a hard day, sure. Maybe you even had one.
But adding together all the little details of things–all the times when the Lord helped us out and extended his loving hand–today, I’d say, was also nothing short of magnificent.
all our lemmony things 
Gratitude – paying attention to those tender mercies – is a healing balm for the soul! Isn’t it amazing what a little change in perspective can do?
You might interested in a piece I wrote about my own journey with eucharisteo – Greek for thanksgiving. http://realintent.org/eucharisteo/
Also, Pres. Eyring’s talk, O Remember, Remember is a classic and one to pull out and read and study at least a couple of times a year!
It’s super hard to remember these blessings. They do often go unnoticed in my life. I forget sometimes that life is too short to spend too much time complaining. Thanks for writing this post. I sincerely feel better about the day I had. Thank you 🙂
Oh good! I’m glad it made you feel a little better. I forget ALL the time as well but when I remember to count my blessings it really changes my day! 😀 You’re fantastic. I hope you have a wonderful day today (it’s after midnight, so I can technically say that 😉
Reblogged this on vis vires and commented:
This blog reminded me of the blessings we do have in life. I’d like to try a little harder to focus on what I do have, instead of what I’m still waiting for or what I don’t have.
Thank you for your blogs. They are all inspiring. I first came across your blog in facebook and since then I always read your blogs.. Yes, God is with us always..He knows and he listens….
And you have time to create these wonderful blogs that uplift people….you are amazing !!
I’ve had strong feelings for a very long time about the LDS faith, I’ve been investigating it on my own for well over a year. I wonder how somebody like me, a self-admitting Agnostic liberal-minded person, could ever fit in to a conservative faith. Yet for some reason, I’ve always had these inexplicable feelings like I wanted to know more. So I’ve been reading blog, articles, mormon.org, watching YouTube videos, etc.
I’ve been having a tough time lately, letting small things affect me in big ways, especially my attitude. I get negative, fast, and forget to be thankful for all the good things in life. And then I read this blog post, and I thought “Wow, she’s taking the words right out of my mouth!”. So, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Today I saw a trio of sister missionaries walking in my town, and they stopped to talk to a man playing his guitar. I was sitting in Starbucks drinking my tea when I had this NEED to look up, and I saw the missionaries. I had this overwhelming desire to talk to them, but they were preoccupied. I did finish my drink and walked around, hoping our paths would cross, but they did not. And while I don’t (yet) have a strong belief in the Lord, I think there was something (or someone) telling me to look up.
I am so glad to have found your blog — I am still not sure whether or not I want to investigate “officially” with missionaries, but my heart continues to soften and this desire to know more never leaves me.
I feel like I’ve rambled, but such are the thoughts in my head. I love your perspective, I feel like I can really relate!
Aw you didn’t ramble at all! I’m so glad that you shared that with me and that there are people out there who share similar feelings. Makes me feel less alone too every time someone shares 🙂
I’m so glad that you’re investigating the church and I can tell you’ve had many special experiences that have led you on the journey. If you ever have any questions or anything you can feel free to shoot me an e-mail (kayla.lemmon@ymail.com) I joined the church at 19 and it always helped me (still helps me) to have someone to talk to about different questions and perspectives 🙂 Thanks for visiting my blog, Sabrina! Have a super great day.
Sabrina: I read your response to Kayla’s blog about remembering to be grateful in the midst of hard times. I can very much relate to you. I am a convert to the LDS faith and I joined when I was 22 years old, smoking, drinking, and using pot occasionally. I did not feel like the kind of person who could “fit in” with the Mormons I saw around me. I grew up in Los Angeles , but found myself working in St. George, Utah. Felt like I was the only non-Mormon working at the tiny hospital there. I just “happened” to end up being roommates with a girl who had been as Baptist (as I was), but converted to the LDS church. To make a long story short, I had the missionaries come teach me, and although there were a couple of things about the Church that were hard for me to accept at first, once I started reading the Book of Mormon I prayed about it and knew for sure it was true. I figured if the Book of Mormon was true then Joseph Smith must have been a true latter day prophet, and I was baptized. It hasn’t always been easy, but it was definitely the best decision I ever made. That was 38 years ago.
Like Kayla, I would be happy to chat with you via email if you ever want to talk. You can contact me at Maryquilter@comcast.net
Kayla, I came to your blog through your post about the Lord handing us more than we can handle at times and have stayed to read through many of your posts. Thank you for having the words to express your feelings – you are blessing many lives. I find myself in tears and yet nodding my head in agreement with many of your posts.
We have some things in common, although I’m further down the road than you are at this point. I joined the LDS church when I was 17 – the best decision I ever made – got married in the Salt Lake temple, raised 2 great kids and have fostered many nieces and nephews, and recently lost my husband to cancer. You speak truth with great tenderness – thanks for not hiding your light under a bushel – but holding it up to brighten the path each of us must take. 😉