17. For an abundance of sick time and flexible suprivisors
18. The sound of my boys "communicating" with each other and giggling
19. Electricity, heat, a roof, food, water, and warm bed
20. Hugs that last forever
21. The sweet joy of talking to and laughing with my little sister on the phone for 40 minutes last night
22. The fun and excitement of trying to walk on snow without sinking
23. The comforts of cotton sweaters and slip on shoes
24. Snow plow drivers, salt trucks, and the sun
25. The sound of my husband getting home after a long drive on bad roads
26. The joy of getting a full nights sleep
27. That overwhelming pride and love I have for each boy,
28. The chance to savor each of my kids unique personalities and exploration of our world
29. My extended family, that is, my family in Christ
30. The swell of love pride and joy that still bubble up inside of me from #21
31. That 99.99% of the time swallowing is just a natural part of life that does not hurt and does not require conscious thought to do
I think the entire state of Michigan needs to be quarantined right now as there are several annoying viruses floating around including 2 or 3 nasty strains of the stomach bug, strep throat, mono, pink eye, not to mention sinus infections, and colds that lead to ear infections. The entire state should have just shut down for the entirety of February (aside from the Doctors offices and pharmacies/health food stores) to avoid the spread of all of these pesky infections, and simultaneously solving the "excess of allotted snow days" problem our schools are likely encountering. In fact, I might suggest it to the powers that be for 2012. Think they'd go for it? Ah well, it was worth a shot!
As annoying as they are however, many of today's praises are hightened by the illnesses that our family has (or hasn't yet) encountered. I'm especially grateful to the baby for begining to sleep through the night again (something I honestly had never thought would happen!) because the extra sleep is so helpful when I am sick, for the warm bed, the simple joys of being a mother, the extra help of having a husband, and the confidence in being able to provide for our family when it's freezing cold out.
While all of those joys are high on today's list of praises, they are not the highlight of the blessings I'm feeling today. Today's #1 is #21. Last night my son really wanted to call his Aunt Sarah, and so I let him (we have been teaching him how to use the phone so that he is aware of what to do in case of an emergency) they talked for 3 or 4 minutes and then I got the phone. We talk occasionally, but we are admittedly at two very different stages of life and therefore sometimes it's hard to talk for long, and it often feels like there is a barrier there. Last night was casual, and comfortable. I felt like we connected and I was delightedly surprised to see that we'd been talking for 40 minutes. It was so wonderful to hear about her upcoming college adventure, her hopeful roommate, and other interests and things going on in her life.
I absolutely love the life that my Lord has given to me, love following His call and growing closer to the women and little ladies in my church family. I feel blessed by the "home" the Lord has built for us here on the "other" side of Michigan, I can't see us leaving this general area for some time (especially after praying in depth about it last summer and seeing the Lord close the door on that idea and open even more doors for us right where we were). I have no regrets on the decisions that I've made which have brought me to this point in my life.
I do however, deeply long for the love and friendship of my original "girls", my sisters. I wish that I'd been there to comb Sarah's hair the first day of second grade (Claire's too, in eighth, but I know better, she would have bit me {smile}), to explain aunt flow, to hug and celebrate the day they passed their driver's tests, to pray over broken bones and broken hearts, to ease the pain of ms, to bike or walk with them for hours on end, and to laugh so "many more" times. The love I have for them has never changed and the pride I hold in my heart is ever growing.
They have always been more to me than sisters, they were my first friends. Gifts from God to ease my loneliness and teach me about love. They are my girls.
Now that I live two and half hours away and they are as close as ever, that loneliness often knocks on the doors of my heart. Today, I am overjoyed with the blessing of cell phones, lengthy or short conversations, laughs, texts, and facebook convos that ease the distance and blur the "generation" gaps.
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