Grateful Meanderings

I have no aspirations of ever becoming a well-known blogger and/or writer.  My all-time record of thirteen (yes, 1-3) views in one day is evidence enough of that.  If that qualifies me for being an under-achiever- so be it.  However, to the bakers dozen who DO happen to listen in to my inner-rantings, I need to share with you some thoughts. I need to be accountable to someone- if not many- to share my gratitude and show that I will do something, SOMETHING, to better myself and others because of it.
Now that I've lost you, I'll continue.
You see- I've recently discovered something.

My life is near perfect.


Wow. THAT'S a discovery.
There were glimpses of that reality from time to time- moments when I saw just how lucky, and how blessed I REALLY was.  But the fallable human me let those slide.  I forgot.  I fell into what we Utah-Mormons call the Paper-clip-pride-cycle.  Once upon a time- and over and over again since then- the Lord blessed those who followed him.  They were grateful.  They were obedient.  The Lord blessed them more.  This cycle continued until one day the people forgot to be grateful.  The stopped spiraling the inner-paper-clip-circle and headed off the end.  They lost sight of how blessed they were and they ceased to acknowledge God in all their blessings.  They got prideful.  They started thinking they didn't have enough, weren't enough, weren't as good as Mr. Jones next door, and didn't they deserve to have at least as much as he did?!  See where they messed up?  I'm just as guilty.  My neighbor may not have the last name of Jones and I might not see many things and think, "Gee! I want that!"  But I'm not so innocent either.  My life has been so blessed throughout- that I forgot how blessed I truly was.  I didn't know how good I'd had it.

And then I took a trip.
And I started thinking.
And tonight I listened to two cousins share their recent experiences in Jordan and China and reflected on how similar their impressions were to mine. 
And I knew I'd better write this down.

So here is a far-from-comprehensive list of what blessings I have recently overlooked but I am OH, so grateful for. I don't have time to list the experiences that triggered all of these- but know in some cases there were many instances and they were very memorable.

• I am grateful for clean, running water. That tastes good.
• I am grateful for a nice, well-built, multi-roomed, fenced-yarded, air-conditioned, heated home.  With a normal toilet. And running water. And windows.  That feels safe.  And has WONDERFUL friends and neighbors ALL around it.
• I am grateful for clean, good food.
• I am grateful for a whole, functioning body.
• I am grateful I can bear children, that I HAVE children, and that my children are, overall, VERY healthy, very kind, and have every comfort imaginable.
• I am thankful for an education- the basics: such as the ability to read and write, and for the complex: the chance I had to go to college, CHOOSE a field to study, and have no opposition to my choice, my right to education, or my talent. 
• I am grateful for the education experiences available to my children.   Even with them being too young for public education we have internet programs, the library, joy-school, a public preschool and endless resources on the computer!
• I am grateful for technology.  How I'd MISS my family without the convenience of emails, texting, calling and instantly having a conversation no matter the miles between us, video chats, conference calls, etc.  The internet is a miracle I can't quite get my brain around.
• I am grateful for a working, heated/air-conditioned car that SAFELY gets my family around (in a timely manner I should add!).
• I am grateful for my religion and the freedom it offers me.  I met some AMAZING people on our trip. I also saw how trapped some were by their addictions.  Though some might find it restrictive to limit alcohol, drugs, tobacco etc and I'm sure many more thought our married status- with kids!!- was far from normal... I became so grateful to be WHO I was and WHAT I was.  Mormon. Mom. Me.  (Hey- my new mantra!).  I was grateful to have "limited" myself by choosing to live a different lifestyle.  I felt so much free-er.  I was proud (hopefully not in the wrong way) of who I'd become thus far, and still inspired to further internalize who I wanted to be.  I learned a LOT from the people we met in Thailand and hope I keep in touch with a few.  I hope to become more like them in so many ways.  And I hope I can stay being ME while doing so.

My sister said it so perfectly.  We have the perfect life and we don't even realize it.
But I'm starting to.  And I'm going to try my darndest to help my kids see it.  And to try and be grateful and to be worth those many. many. blessings. 
Don't let me forget.