Happy Thanksgiving!!! Lesson Learned

Thanksgiving. What am I grateful for? So many things come to mind but lately one thing in particular has been a constant on my mind and at the top of my list. I don’t know if it’s the holiday season that takes me right back to where I was a year ago but Baby Girl has been on my mind constantly. She’s growing up so fast and getting more and more beautiful every day.

(Was supposed to be a really cool shot. Obviously didn’t work out how I dreamed it would.)

In just a couple of weeks Arabella will be 1 year old. I started crying just writing that. Not because I want her to be a baby forever or anything like that. I don’t think a parent ever recovers from traumatic experiences like the 2 we’ve had. Both were extremely difficult to go through. Almost losing Aidan at birth and then Arabella…what incredible miracles. It really makes you look at their lives in such a different light. Today, while we were at Disney World on “It’s a Small World”, Rich and I were just staring at her in awe. She was loving all of the fun, singing dolls. We talked a little bit about those minutes in the delivery room, when we were both pleading with our Heavenly Father to please let us keep her. Those 3 minutes felt like an eternity. She had gone into cardiac arrest and could go either way. We look at her today and are so very grateful to see her grow. She is our little sunshine.

(On “Small World”)

I’ve asked myself the “why me” question several times. I’m totally over it, finally! I’ve wondered “what is the lesson that I need to learn that I apparently didn’t learn the first time around?” Well, what a perfect time to REALLY come to terms with my life experiences. I have learned my lesson. GRATITUDE! In such an overwhelming way I feel gratitude when I look at my baby girl. She was just a couple minutes away from not being mine. She came with a trach. So what! I’ll take her and the next however they come. I’m not saying it’s not hard but I will always be grateful to have them at all.

 

(Don’t look too close! I’m in desperate need of a pedicure (Karlee)!

I had an “Ah ha” moment on our way to Disney. A week ago I sprained my ankle and tore a ligament. I moped and cried because I was in a splint and couldn’t walk. “I hate using the crutches! How am I supposed to carry Arabella?” Boy oh boy have I been feeling sorry for myself! We stopped at a service station and what do you think I saw when I stepped out of the car? I saw a man without a leg, on crutches. Just happened to be the same leg that I sprained. I felt lame. Gratitude, my friends. Let’s stop feeling sorry for ourselves and see the blessing instead of the hardship.