So Much To Be Thankful For

 I read a quote the other day that I really liked:  Gratitude turns what we have into enough.  


Although there are times when I wish I could have this or that, most of the time, I'm happy with what I have.  It is enough.  So many of my experiences have taught me that.

• After I had finally graduated from college and moved from a one-bedroom house with two children under the age of two where I had to sit on the bathroom floor while I studied, it made me realize that I can do hard things, I can accomplish much, and there's nothing wrong with sacrificing "things."

• When I went to South Africa and worked in a village where houses were made of dung, it made me appreciate the things that I had and the house that I lived in, even though it wasn't the house I truly wanted.  

• When I look at how far Lily has come, how happy she is, how fortunate I am to be able to stay home with her and Soleil (and even Gabriel, when he wasn't in school), it's worth not being able to get the things that I want. 

I am truly thankful for all of those experiences.  They have helped open my eyes to what is truly enough in my life--my family, my friends, the love I feel that surrounds me that comes from them, my God who is with me through it all--despite how difficult it has been. I've come to realize that it's never been the presence of "things" that have made my life worthwhile.  It's actually been the absence of them, and having to make the best out of life with what I do have. 


And while Dave and I are certainly thankful for the "things" that we do have, there are so many more important reasons to be thankful:

• We have five great children!
• We have great parents!
• We have great friends!
• We attend a great church!
• We have a great community of Trisomy 18 families and have had the ability to meet some of them.
• We have a roof over our heads.
• Dave has a job, and with that job, we are able to afford what we need and even a few things we want.
• We have been blessed by gifts from secret friends.  There have been many times when these gifts were sent at the perfect time when money was quite tight.  (We have a friend in California who continues to send us a gift pretty regularly.  Thank you, my friend!)
• We have had over two and a half years with our little Lily who continues to amaze us with her accomplishments and her determination.  She is able to get herself into a partial crawling position and starting to taste food again.
• We have had great doctors and nurses who have helped us care for Lily.
• We live in a country where freedom is guaranteed and children with disabilities are supported.

 My list could go on and on.  If you read between the lines of this list, you would see that it's not been all that easy.  But we know it could be worse, and knowing that has filled our hearts with an immense gratitude for what we do have.  And that is enough.