Counting My (Our) Many Blessings

Most mornings on my way to work, I call Dad on my phone and we chat about some aspect of our lives until I arrive at the office. I recently had a conversation with Dad about how life has been so great for me in the last few weeks. For the first time, in many, many years, I feel as though I have finally reached a wonderful balance in my life. My marriage is great, my job is great, my home life is great, etc., etc., etc.

My marriage is great primarily because of Joe. We celebrated an anniversary of sorts this last weekend. It was four years ago that we met in person for the first time. Because of Joe I feel real love, a real commitment of belonging from someone. Joe lets me be me. He understands me as much as one person can understand me. He is kind, gentle, quiet, patient and logical...everything I am not. He puts up with my crazy antics and awful singing. I love his beautiful eyes, his rosy red cheeks and his sweet, gentle kisses. I love spending time with him and miss when I'm not with him. I can't imagine life without him as he's become so much of my life and grateful that he is my eternal companion.

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I've found the place I need to be working right now also. I drive to work less than 20 miles roundtrip vs. the 100 miles roundtrip I drove for the last few years. I work for people who appreciate me and my caliber of work. I am wonderfully compensated for my work. The work is interesting, challenging, fulfilling and gives me a sense of purpose. If I have to work, then this is the place I want to work.

Joe's health is doing well even with all his medical problems and since no one has been in the hospital recently, we consider ourselves blessed health wise also.

Financially we are also being blessed. It has taken us about a year to get to this point. We sunk a very large investment in a child care center which fell through for us. What seemed to be a devastating loss for us at the time has proven to be a blessing as we were not locked into a situation that we most likely would not have been able to get out of. Then I lost my child care job and was unemployed for five months with some unemployment compensation. However, that didn't help with our financial obligations a great deal especially when I was traveling around for job interviews. I have a firm testimony of paying tithing. We have had unexpected monies come our way, been able to pay off some of our financial obligations and haven't felt any loss of money by paying our tithing. Between Joe serving as 2nd counselor in the bishopric and my teaching the adult Sunday School class and being full tithe payers, I know that the balance in our lives is due to our blessings from my Heavenly Father.

I am fortunate to still have the opportunity of spending time with my parents and family. Whether it's daily phone calls to Mom and Dad or spending time at their home or taking Mom out to dinner or a movie, I'm grateful that I can still tell them in person that I love them.

I know and acknowledge the hand of my Heavenly Father in my life and thank Him for all my blessings (and hope that this continues for a long, long time).