A Prayer, Some Presents, and Wonderful People

My heart is swelling with gratitude today and I thought I’d share why.

Gratefulness #1

Our food budget has been drastically cut.  This is cool except for one thing–the Queen of picky, a.k.a Emily does not eat anything I set before her.  As I knew I wouldn’t be able to buy some of those luxuries–chicken nuggets and hot dogs–to tempt her, I had to come up with a new plan.  So I prayed.  Miraculously enough, she has eaten almost everything I have served her.

I don’t usually share these types of stories with people because I feel very strongly about my faith and don’t want it to be mocked; however, this experience, so simple and so powerful, has had a healing effect on my faith–which has been severely tested this year.  I needed this reminder that my prayers are answered, even if the content sometimes seems trivial.

Gratefulness #2

The holiday spirit has been seriously lacking over here.  Based on the note above, I’m sure you can deduce why.  Something, or rather someone, has changed that.

A certain person (or persons) has marked our family out for the 12 days of Christmas.  For the past week, he has left gifts on our doorstep, knocked, and ran away before we could thank him.  These gifts aren’t small, either, they are big and expensive.  And very thoughtful.

Exhibit A

If you can’t tell by this crude photograph, that’s a poinsettia.  A large poinsettia.  I mean, we don’t have anything large enough, besides our kitchen table, on which to place this beautiful plant.   But that’s not the point.  The point is this gift is huge!  And all the other gifts have been equally as tremendous.  I will admit that this very caring gesture has brought tears to my eyes on many occasions this week.  It has also reminded me of the true meaning behind Christmas: the spirit of giving.

Gratefulness #3

I hope this doesn’t sound cheesy, but I am feeling very blessed by all of you who visit this place and read my words.  As silly as they can be at times.  I was reminded of all your incredible natures when reading through the thoughtful comments on my most recent post.  Depression is a tricky topic to discuss and I’ve shared some pretty personal experiences.  You have proved my faithfulness in your trust by validating my need to share and offering hands of support.

One thing I can count on is your forgiveness and understanding when it takes weeks to respond to your lovely comments.  Thank you for making this a place of refuge; that’s what I need at this point in my life.