One-- ah ha ha! Two! ahh- ha- ha!

Last post of the 'summer'.
Boooo.

But, in spite of the crappy things I *COULD* list, today in church we sang the hymn "Count Your Blessings". (no, the link is not the hymn, neither is this link, but they're both good songs found on youtube. But THIS LINK *is* the hymn that we sing-- but believe you me, we do NOT sing it like these guys. How entertaining! Could you imagine singing like this in an LDS church?! The High Priests wouldn't be sleeping, that's for sure! haha)

Okay, back to the purpose of the post.

So, the summer is 'done', so to speak. And this summer, I want to look back at the things I'm truly blessed by. Not in order. But things I've been blessed with in these three summer months.

• peace. I've had so much peace in a whirlwind of upheaval in my life. June 1st, Chris left, and since that day, I've never doubted once that the Lord has been helping me through it by giving me an amazing sence of peace that I do NOT intend to ever take credit for.
• clarity. I have seen things now that my eyes were closed to for a long time. Not just in my marriage, which, to put it lightly, was A LOT of things. But more so, I have seen things about myself that I didn't know existed. Things I could believe, things I could achieve, and things I could let go of that I didn't think I'd ever be able to do. I see much more clearly into the person I CAN be in the future.
  
• friendship. Again, the scripture I talked about HERE was mentioned in a talk in church today. I have been soooo blessed to have found friends, old and new, who I can truly love and rely on. Friends who don't judge me, friends who believe in me, and friends who I enjoy with every morsal of my being. Where I am ME, where I am accepted, and where I feel needed.
• family. I got to spend time with every single brother and sister that I have. Which, to some, may not be that exciting of a 'blessing'. But to me, it's one of the biggest. To be loved so intensely. To truly have the most silly times I've EVER had with people who probably know most about why I am who I am. People, who, luckily for me, if I wasn't related to, I think would STILL be people I'd love to be around. I think I'd be friends with every single one of them. Just like I am today. But, how amazing that I get to be siblings with them too! These people and their spouses are some of the most incredibly beautiful, talented, loving people I know. And I get to call myself theirs for eternity. How amazing.
  On top of siblings, I have two parents who are such examples. Who have overcome so many horrible and beautiful things in life, and are living testaments of power and humility all rolled into a little 5 foot 2 frame and a slender 6 foot 1 body. Does it get any better? I must be a pretty smart person-- I picked them. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
  But, there's another link to family I can't forget. Three beautiful, trusting, absolutely astounding children who could kick my butt at living 'joy' any day! Three souls who I don't deserve, but will do my darndest to prove myself otherwise. Three little pairs of hands who, unfortunately for them sometimes, have me wrapped around their tiny fingers in a feeble attempt to guide them to be people I can only HOPE I could be.
• church. I may not follow every teaching to a T. I may not follow some teachings at all! I may not be a very good example to my no-mo (non-mormon) friends and neighbours. I may not understand why I do what I do. I may not really agree with some of it. But it's me. I like that part of me. I feel whole there. I feel... right. And I've been blessed to be in a ward (congregation) where the people are sooo loving to me. Where I feel I could call on any of them, and know I'd have a million of them at my door in minutes. I feel so blessed to have the friendships there that I have. To be able to share so many things with people who have so much in common with me. I love my ward. And that's not something everyone can say at times in their life. But I do. And that's a blessing I don't take lightly. Niether is the fact that my new church building is down the street-- a constant reminder for my children, which is always a good thing.
  
• financial stability. This is not something I've been blessed with very much in my life. Which is my own fault and no one else's. But this summer, I planned. I budgeted. I saved. I learned to live WELL within my means. And I'm proud of myself for that. I have been taught MANY lessons from people much smarter than I. Doesn't mean I applied the lessons in my life... But recently, I've started to. And it's a nice feeling.
• health. Simple and not that impressive. But I have great health. I don't need to compare myself to others to know how lucky I am. I can run for over an hour, and not lose my breath. I can rely on my legs to take me up 100 stairs, and know that they'll still take me down 100 more. I have eyes to see the flowers in my garden. I have ears that hear laughter of the kids in my dayhome. I have muscles that I'm proud of-- they remind me of the priviledge I have to work on them. I've lost 15 pounds in just the summer months alone. I've done that because I'm happy to be healthy, and I will NOT let myself forget to take care of this body I've been given. True, I may have surgically altered it- but I have enough health to recover from that. And I feel good about this body. stretch marks aside! ;)
• humour. without it, the list above would have been pretty minimal as I would have sat here in my tears. But, I have found laughter more this summer than I can EVER remember. And, with all the 'crap' surrounding me, that's a pretty impressive feat. I have smiled through hard times, and have appreciated other's humour during those times to get that smile to permeate into my soul.
• love. I know what love is. I know what it can be. And I've felt void of it more than my share of times this summer. Which is why I can also say I've learned to appreciate the moments I've felt it all that much more!

My list doesn't end there. But I am grateful for summer 2008. What a wonderful summer, you've got to agree!