Gratitude List – The Best Medicine
Whew! Happy Monday, friends!
This past weekend was a bit tough… ok, really tough. I woke up with a 102 degree fever on Friday morning and found myself admitted to the hospital by Friday afternoon. After two romantic date night evenings in the hospital (wink, wink), we finally made our way home yesterday! Thank God for that blessing! ;)
I have learned quite a bit over the past few days… many lessons I am still learning for sure through this recovery. However, one thing that has become overly clear is the power of positive thinking and my need to be extra confident throughout the tough times that God is guiding me through this life. He is right by my side and He is doing so many AMAZING things throughout this journey!
After a bit of a low point yesterday that was full of emotion (yes, tears and all!), Ryan reminded me that God is going to take care of me. God IS taking care of me right now. When I took some time to think about the positives in my life, instead of focusing on the challenges, my whole perspective changed! God IS so good and He has blessed us with so many AMAZING blessings to remind us of that daily!!
Instead of focusing on the details of the rough couple of days (one day maybe we can chat about that if you would like- but honestly right now I need to focus on the GREAT things happening! ;) ), I decided to create a Gratitude List today. I am going to share 5 things that are definitely on my list today. It would make my heart smile so big if you all could add to my list. I need to focus on the positives and the more I think about it, I think we all could, right?
Just a few of the things I am incredibly grateful that God has blessed me with today.
1. Ryan. Ok, I know that seems obvious, but I am even more than grateful for him today than ever. Ryan has been by my side- doing EVERYTHING for me! Seriously, everything (including even blow-drying my hair!)!! At any point I started to feel anxious or scared, God gave him every word I needed to hear to give me strength. I am so incredibly grateful!
2. Photographs. Twelve years ago yesterday, Ryan and I started dating. ;) So fun, right?!?! That is magical to even think about. This morning, a photograph of Ryan and I, that is on a box I had made for Ryan which sits in our bedroom, caught the corner of my eye. The photo looked VERY similar to a photo that Ryan and I just took on Saturday when they let us out of the hospital for some fresh air (see below!). As I looked closer at the photo, I realized it was a photo from the location where we started dating! ;) And the memories of our fun picnic adventure 12 years ago came flooding back. I am so grateful for that photo and the memories that come along with it!
3. Fresh Air! Ahhh! Seriously, the weather was absolutely gorgeous this weekend in MD. The skies were bright blue with big white puffy clouds! When I went into the hospital on Friday, the air was still a bit sticky from the 90+ degree days we had last week. Every time the nurses and doctors would come in, they would mention how great the weather was (not in a mean way- just to share their gratitude and excitement for me to get out to enjoy it!). I could not wait to get outside and take a deep breath of the cool crisp air that had moved in! On Saturday, they gave me permission to take a step outside and soak it all in! Since I have been home, the windows have been wide open and those deep breaths have never felt so good! ;) So grateful for the fresh air that surrounds us!
4. Nurses, Doctors, and others who are passionate about their jobs! God definitely had His hands in building a team that was going to take care of me. Dr. Keith, and all of the other nurses, doctors, techs, etc were so caring and so AMAZING. Dr. Keith went out of her way in so many ways to make sure she was there. Staying late on Friday… coming in the morning and afternoon on Saturday… and then again bright and early on Sunday! She was not on call and not suppose to be working, but she made sure she was there! That was incredible to me and definitely an AMAZING example of dedication that is more than appreciated! I am so grateful for every dedicated professional who is using their God-given talents to make a difference in people’s lives.
5. Comfort. The comfort of home is pretty remarkable. However, it is not the stuff… it is the people that surround you. It is the family and friends… those that are physically near and those that are not, but are certainly close to your heart. My immediate family and many of my close friends live out of state, but the past few days have brought everyone even closer to my heart. I am reminded of the incredible gift of friendships we have been given… from years past to very recent. We have family that surrounds us always (near and far) and for that I could not be more grateful.
This girl is well on her way to a speedy recovery! ;) (haha… had to share that!) But really- THANK YOU to everyone who sent their well wishes by text, email, phone, FB, blog comments, sweet treats, flowers, visits, etc. You all have lifted my spirits and have given Ryan an energy boost when he needed it most, too! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
The gratitude in my heart is overflowing and that is so HAPPY! Seriously, that is the best medicine!!! Please please please take a moment today to think about what you are grateful for and say an extra special prayer to God thanking Him for those blessings in your life!! Please leave a few in the comments and I will be sure to thank Him along with you!