Blessed

Instead of this...

I can't understand ANYTHING here. I wish there were more things in English.

This...

I am so thankful to have the opportunity to live overseas.

Instead of this...

Ugh he's working late AGAIN!

This...

I am so thankful my husband has a job and a paycheck.

Instead of this...

The commissary here only stocks three types of yogurt.

This...

I am so thankful to have access to familiar groceries and the option to go off post for more abundant food options.

Instead of this...

I'm so tired of sleeping on this air mattress... (which broke this morning)

This...

I am so thankful to have a roof over my head and a bed on its way (somewhere out there).

Instead of this...

I'm sick of living so far from my family and am jealous of people who are so close to theirs.

This...

I am so thankful to have family worth missing.

Instead of this...

I don't wanna cook dinner tonight. These kids will only eat a few bites and then make a huge mess.

This...

I am so thankful to have food to cook, a clean place to cook it, and children who are well-fed (even if they are picky and messy).

Instead of this...

I hate the medical care here and I'm so tired of taking my kids to these appointments.

This...

I am so thankful to have access to medical care and thankful for healthy children who are not facing any life-threatening illnesses.

Instead of this...

I wish Steve would stop snoring and hogging the only sheet we possess.

This...

I am so thankful that my husband is home, sleeping next to me in bed, safe and sound. And clearly alive, with all that snoring going on.

Instead of this...

I wish Sam would leave me alone for two seconds so I can pee without being asked a million questions.

This...

I am so thankful that my boy is speaking so clearly and has the curiosity to ask questions about things around him (even if the questions are centered around my lady bits).

********

Instead of looking around and comparing and wanting and wishing and hoping for other things, I am trying to make more of an effort to realize that everything I have is more than sufficient and to be satisfied with what I've been given. NOT ALWAYS EASY ("do as I say! not as I do!") but when you look around, we all have blessings coming out the wazoo. Be thankful!

(Side story- When Steve and I realized at 4am this morning that we were sleeping on a deflated air mattress, Steve rolled over and said, "Why did you break it?" And a man that can make me laugh about that at 4 in the morning is a keeper. Then he brought me Starbucks. Because he's a saint, of course.)