Ok, I did so well at posting in September, but now October is running away with me. I was trying to write my blurb for the MOMS Club newsletter a couple of days ago, but I ended up just writing a list of all the things for which I'm grateful. It didn't really seem to fit for the MOMS Club anymore, but I though I'd post it here, so I can remember this on days when it feels like the world is caving in on me.

So many days I spend thinking about my wish list, or my list of things that I need. I am glad there is a time of year that reminds me that my longest list of all is my list of things to be thankful for.

I am thankful for two kids that, while not perfect, are perfectly suited to me. I am thankful for a safe place to raise my kids, where I don't have to fear that every parked car is a deadly bomb or that guerrillas will sneak into my home to steal my son from me. I am thankful that when I am going through a rough time, and I can't stop the tears from spilling down my cheeks, that I have friends who hug me, with a tear in their own eye, who don't need to tell me that everything is going to be all right, because they help me feel it. I am thankful for a little girl whose favorite thing to do when she is sitting in a shopping cart is to hug me, smile and say that I'm her best best mom in the whole world. I am thankful for a husband who does the dishes every night without complaint and who loves me even when I'm running late. I am thankful for a beautiful planet on which to live, with views that dazzle my eyes. I am thankful for a family that, after 35 years, misses me when I am away, for their endless love and support. I am thankful for a husband who has taught me that a wall of shame can be proof of why he loves me. I am thankful for a knowledge of the eternity that lies ahead, that I don't have to be perfect today, or even tomorrow. I am thankful for the love of my Father in Heaven, that has filled my heart with such joy that I ache for those who go through this life without a sure knowledge of the truth.

There is a book that says that the sea "is nothing but a library of all the tears in history" and that the characters of the story "let their sadness join the sadness of the world". But the sea is not just a catalogue of all the sorrow the world contains. There are tears of happiness and gratitude mingled with the sadness, and that is what makes a life. This life is difficult, but as I learn and grow, I am grateful just for the opportunity to live.