Counting my blessings, one by one.

Our family has been the recipient of a whole lotta kindness in the past two weeks. I have a dear friend, an "Angel" if you will, who has sent her husband on numerous deployments and has been a bit of a rock to me through all of this. She gave me the best advice about keeping track of the blessings and the good things that happen, so I am going to do that here. I really can't believe how blessed we have been already, and we are just starting out.

1. Living in a small city makes me feel safe and secure. But when I have to drive into downtown, I get all sorts of anxious. It's like an entirely different world. I have lived here for over 7 years, and I still don't know how to navigate through all the freeways and interchanges. Two weeks ago, after my husband was gone, he told me he needed certain documents right away. I was going to have to leave my comfort zone and go downtown. I actually had asked a friend to drive me but then decided to put on my big girl pants and give it a try by myself.  The entire way there I was praying that I would find the courthouse, find a good parking spot that didn't cost a lot of money and wasn't too far for me to walk (I had just had surgery/the baby a week before and walking was not my best friend). Would you believe I drove right to it with not a traffic stop or congestion or construction (which NEVER happens), found this parking spot ACROSS THE STREET, and when I got out of the car to pay the meter it was already paid!

 

2. On my first outing alone, with all 4 kids, I was driving home and hoping Maegan would last a few more minutes before losing it.  When we pulled in, there on the doorstep was a big bag full of crafts and gifts and baby food and even a Frozen puzzle! Makenna thought Christmas had come early. A sweet neighbor left it for us and thought my kids would enjoy the entertainment while I was busy with the baby. I mean, who does that? Kind, kind, kind people.

 

3. Another neighbor sent me a message and said she had made extra dinner and could she bring me some? I have only met her on one other occasion, but we have chatted on our neighborhood Facebook page. Women are so good at that whole intuition thing and I feel so thankful to be the recipient of such intuition.

 

4. New neighbors who moved in across the street, dropped off a card to congratulate us on the new baby and gave us gift cards to Kroger and to Starbucks. When Alfer came home to surprise us for the weekend, he was able to use the card to take the kids for a fun breakfast (who knew Starbucks sold more than coffee? I have never been there before but the kids loved it and I'm so glad they got to have some daddy time.) And then when these same neighbors found out about his deployment, they emailed me right away and told me how they'd been a military family and had a deployment right after their baby was born, too. They offered all the support and kindness that I needed in that moment and it touched my heart so deeply to know I'd have someone so close who understood. Not living near a base I don't have that kind of military support system around me, so this was an extra blessing.

 

5. Because the deployment happened so fast, there was much left undone from the "honey do list." I wondered how I would get out there in the heat with a healing incision and mow the lawn. But then all these lawn mowing offers came in. It was amazing. I thought I would wait until Alfer came home for his "surprise" weekend and he could mow it and then we would set something up more permanently. I was upstairs feeding the baby when I heard a lawn mower really close. The kids looked out the window and saw our dear friend and ward member/neighbor out mowing our lawn. He didn't even ask if I needed help. He just came and did. I kind of think that's what Jesus would have done. He saw needs and just filled them, without asking. That's exactly what this friend (and all these friends) did for us that day. It makes me want to be a better person and to "go and do likewise."

 

 

No doubt this list will get longer and I'm going to do as the song admonishes us to do:

 

"When upon life's billows, you are tempest tossed. When you are discouraged thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done...."