Counting My Blessings

Although I should have been a princess, with the accompanying charmed life, things didn't quite work out that way. The past 10 years have been especially rough. But I am very blessed, and this is something I don't acknowledge enough. Maybe I get some of the pain because I'm not looking enough at the positives - so here is a short list of some of the things I'm thankful for:

• My children, of course. Although they can bring me my biggest challenges and sometimes my deepest pain, they are also the source of my greatest happiness. Although our family isn't perfect, I am proud that each of my kids have strong and unique personalities.
• My parents. I have great ones. They are genuinely nice people, and smarter than most people, and they've always been supportive of whatever I do.
• My siblings. Again - some great people. The really cool thing is that we like to spend time together even though don't see each other enough. They are also nicer than average smart people.
• My home. Both my house and where I live. I feel very fortunate to have a home. It took us 20 years to finally be in a position to own our own home so I very much appreciate having it. The best thing is the big front porch, where I love to hang out in the summer. Part of reason I love being on the porch is the view - and this is part of why I love where I live. Hyrum is a small town, butting up against the mountains in northern Utah. The view from my porch is a close up of the mountains where the sunrise is stunning. From the back deck is a slightly more distant mountain view, where the sunsets are always beautiful. I live in a safe neighborhood full of friendly people. The skies are blue year round.
  
• My employment. I'm fortunate enough to have two jobs, both of which are interesting. I like my co-workers at both jobs, and have better than average working conditions.
• My church. It makes me happy.
• My friends. I don't make friends easily, so I'm grateful for the friends I have.