Honestly, it doesn't take long after I've submitted to a full-fledged pity party that Heavenly Father shows me all of the blessings in my life.
Just a few short hours after my last post, I took my two oldest to swimming lessons and put Jaiden in the kids' room at the Y during the lessons. I love the Y and have had no other problems with the kids' room. But on that night, the kids were outside playing on the play equipment, and one of the teenagers supervising didn't notice Jaiden had wandered off. I have no idea how long he was missing, but apparently another employee found him wandering out in the parking lot and brought him in. (They told me all this when I came to pick him up. I have left instructions that under no circumstances is he allowed to be taken outside again.)
I was horrified on so many levels, the biggest being that Jaiden has no concept of the danger of cars and will frequently try to run out in front of them.
I've said many prayers of gratitude that he was protected. I have had a renewed gratitude for the children we do have in our family and how much I love and adore them. They really are my life and the reasons I make the sacrifices I make (just like all of us moms).
I have had many other opportunities the last couple of days to see how much me and my family have blessed, in just so many ways. I can clearly see that with the trials we face, we have been given all of the tools we need to dig our way out.
No, we are not magically transported from Crappy Point A to Carefree Point B (and as we all know, it doesn't take long for Carefree point B to become Crappy Point A again - because that is what this life is all about - getting little breaks here and there from trials, and then digging right back in to being tested and tried). But we are given all we need to be able to do the work to make it through what we have been asked to do.
I had one of those little breaks from the worries and cares of life just recently. Coming back from Bar exam #2 I had one of the happiest weeks of my life. The massive Bar burden was temporarily eased and I got to spend all day long being a mom! I knew it couldn't last, simply because life cannot be lived in that state, but I savored the experience. One of the little 'rest stops' along the way in the journey of life.
So yes, I have taken a 'waaa waaa u-turn!"
And now I must make the transition into Seminary Teacher mode - another huge blessing in my life.
