Miracle Monday

My blog has been whiny the past few months. I need to be more positive. Yes, sucky things happen, but that isn't all that happens! Every Monday I am going to force myself to reflect on the past week and pull out the positives, the mini-miracles that happen around me all the time that I often overlook, at least in writing here. So here it, the inaugural post for "Miracle Monday"

5 Miracles I have seen this week:

1. Ultrasound image of my little girl, all scrunched up and sucking her thumb.

I love technology. It really is amazing the things that we can do today with modern medicine. Seeing a real little person in there always makes being pregnant so much more real, like it isn't just a huge stomach, it is an actual tiny person in there! With her own face, and hands, and unique look of complete dissatisfaction at being stuffed upside down into a confined space that doesn't yield to her constant pushing to get out. (FYI update, as of today, baby is in perfect position, but cervix is stubbornly unchanged)

2. My little boy, sound asleep and still.

He woke me in the middle of the night to help get his clothes changed into something warmer, then pleaded for me to stay until he fell asleep so he wouldn't be scared. At 3AM, giving in is easier than enforcing good sleep habits, so I stayed. Just before he fell asleep he put his little arms around my neck, kissed my nose, and said "Mommy, sometimes we fit together just like a puzzle." Even at 3AM, I was touched. And then he fell asleep and lay peacefully still, something that never happens while he is awake.

3. Heavenly Father's paintbrush.

I picked a gorgeous leaf up from the parking lot yesterday. The colors were perfect, yellow with red lines and tips, not yet browned from time on the ground. I kept it in the window for a few days. I love the fall, the nice weather, the great colors, the smell of woodsmoke in the mornings. I am always awed by the beautiful colors Heavenly Father put here at this time of year.

4. A sense of belonging.

I have never really had a place that I call "home." One of those places you can answer right away when someone asks you where you are from. I have to generalize and qualify any answer I come up with. My dad was always looking to do better and provide a better life for his family, so we moved A LOT when I was growing up in pursuit of every better opportunity. I think the longest we ever stayed in one place was about 3 years, sometimes barely staying in one place long enough to hit the year mark. Anyway, that life is not so conducive to helping a shy and socially awkward girl learn to make friends and fit in. Anyway, it has taken a while for me to get over it. Still after about a year in one place I have to dramatically rearrange the furniture or something to keep from going crazy. We have lived here for just over three years now, breaking my previously held record for living anywhere. Now I guess when people ask where I am from, I can answer "Georgia" with just as much validity as CA or UT. Anyway, I walked into church yesterday with a stack of 30 thank-you cards to hand out from my birthday and baby shower. I must say, I have never known the names of that many people, let alone been able to call that many people my friends. I sat for a minute reflecting on how at-home I felt there in the back of the chapel, surrounded by people I know and who care about me, and felt at peace. I do think that is the first time ever.

5. I am not running on empty.

Not gasoline, though some weeks this would be an appropriate thing to be grateful for. I thinking more about emotionally. That even on the days (mostly nights) when I am so tired that I think I have absolutely nothing left to give of myself, I can do it anyway. I can make it to answer one more cry from a bad dream, one more dose of Motrin to cool a fevered brow, one more hug to stop the tears of a hurt child, one more hour to listen to my over-burdened husband. One more hour of hope to hold off the despair. We talked in RS about our trials, "weathering the storms of life." I was reminded that no matter what we are up against, that we are never given more than we can handle, that even when we feel completely depleted, that the Lord will give us strength, that one last bit of energy, empathy, faith, or hope that we need to make it through. And that is a miracle, I think.

Seen any miracles today?