Blessings

I feel like there are things that always seem to go wrong.

There’s always problems with family, money, feeling like we're doing enough.
That checklist that never seems to end and
there’s never enough time for.

I've been thinking a lot about this.
Sure, lots of things are always going wrong.
But there’s lots of things that are always going right.

For most people on most days,
there are way more tender mercies in a day than there are struggles.
Even the day your bathroom floods into your downstairs neighbor’s apartment
(totally happened)
and the day you find out you need to have a crown on that tooth when you have no money
(also happened)
Even on those seemingly terrible days, there is beauty in it.

I've remembered lately the times that we've been shown great love.
These weren't in big, boisterous ways.
I feel lots of love from seemingly small, insignificant ways that some would take for granted.
Up until recently, I probably even took them for granted.
The more often they happen, the more I notice them.
They can’t be a coincidence.
They happen far too often to be coincidence.
They aren't coincidences.
They are blessings.

The time I called my dentist to let them know I was going to be very late because my husband wasn’t home yet to watch the kids. Instead of charging me $50 for the cancellation, they said don’t worry about it.

The time I was heading back to college and didn't have enough money for books. Instead of worrying about buying food or books, my grandma handed me a check so I could pay for them.

The time I was pregnant with my firstborn and we had no money (I mean zero dollars, spending $20 a week on groceries). I was in college and I had a teacher who was kind enough to offer me the crib his kids used because they wanted to give it to someone who needed it.

What’s even more incredible to me was that my family had already pitched in to buy us a brand new crib. Just knowing my teacher thought to offer it to us was humbling.

The times my sister calls me to show she’s thinking about me and wants to know how things are going even though I probably repeat the same stories over and over again. She still calls me.

The time (in fact, it’s every time) my parents come to visit and they always always bring food, diapers, clothes for the kids and sometimes all of the above.

The time I accidentally had a baby in my apartment (follow link for story) and my friend not only cleaned the apartment but did the laundry as well. When she dropped it all off, she even brought zucchini bread.

The time my friend dropped off food from her cabinet telling me, “It’s not much but I thought you could use it”. It certainly meant much to me.

The times my daughter cried every Sunday and had a hard time going to her Primary class and she was comforted by her leaders and friends.

The time this same little girl came out of her room and told me, “I was scared of the dark and then I prayed and now I’m not scared anymore! Goodnight!”

The time I asked a friend to come and visit because I was feeling lonely. She came over, brought lunch, stayed for a couple hours so we could catch up and I could feel like a friend again. Something about having a baby makes you think you suddenly can’t make friends. At least that’s what it’s like for me.

The time I felt such love and affection from friends after sharing that it’s been very hard for me. I had many women reach out to me, hug me, express their love to me and let me know that they cared.

Every time I go to church and get to sit next to a friend.

Every time I go to the grocery store and the cashier is friendly.

Every time someone reaches out to my kids.

Every time I pray.

There is so much love, tender mercies and blessings that come to us constantly.
If we could even count our blessings, name them one by one,
we will truly be surprised by what the Lord has done.

“God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.” -President Spencer W. Kimball