gratitude

On Saturdays I run by myself. Since I get very bored as I run because I don't have anyone to talk to, I have to figure out ways to distract myself. I have tried changing my route that I run, and I have tried music (which helps a bit). But last Saturday I decided to download some conference talks to listen to. This turned out to be a very good way to distract myself from the fact that I am actually running. I was listening to a talk by Henry B. Eyring about gratitude. He talked about recording things you are grateful for each day. By doing this you will not only see the Lord's hand in your life but it will also help you at times when you aren't feeling so grateful.

I have decided that I need to think more about those little things that make me happy and for which I am grateful. I won't bore you all with the daily ritual of writing these things down here in my blog, but I might occationally write some of those things that I am grateful for.

This week I have a couple of things I am thankful for (I have a lot actually, but two I will share). First, I am grateful for a daughter who still thinks I am a pretty cool mom. Every Thursday I get to go to her class to volunteer. Each time I walk in, Breanna will get a huge smile on her face and start waving to me. She even jumps up and down and runs to give me hugs if she is able to.

After I have finished helping in the class, I always stay for lunch. She is so proud that her mom is there to eat with her. She even reminds me every Thursday to stay for lunch. Yesterday it was really cute because after she had eaten all of her lunch she asked if she could sit on my lap. She did for about 5 minutes and just hugged me. It was a very sweet moment that I will look back on and remember fondly. It makes me sad to think of the day when I won't be cool anymore and she won't want me to visit her class or heaven forbid, give her a hug or kiss in front of her classmates. Even though Breanna has a firery streak in her, she is still one very sweet little gal.

Here Breanna is admiring herself in the mirror. A true girl.

The second thing I am thankful for this week is a great endocrinology nurse practitioner. Every three months Joshua has his check-up with either his enodcrinologist or with the nurse. This last Tuesday i was pleasantly surprised to see Maura, a nurse practitioner, who is absolutely great. We usually see an older lady who doesn't quite have the nicest bed side manner. Maura is like a ray of sunshine when you walk through the doors. She has such a funny sense of humor and really makes these appointments bearable. The couple of times I have seen her I have left feeling much better about Joshua's diabetes. It is so nice to have those people who just make life a bit more cheerful.