I am blessed.

I hear this sentence often as if it’s being whispered through the wind or even glowing in neon in my mind’s eye. I have all that I need right now and most of what I want. This is not to say that I am free from struggle or pain; that is certainly not the case. But when I read my friend’s blog (http://thewheelerjourney.blogspot.com/) and think of how painful it must be to miss your child so much, to not be able to hold her in your arms every day, I am reminded of my own blessings. I miss Willow Grace every hour that I am not with her, and yet I get to return to her at the end of each and every workday. I really want to adopt some day, and if that is the road that God wants to lead me down then He will prepare me for the journey and equip me with the strength and patience that I will need for such a trial. My prayers are with Lindsey and Chris Wheeler, and I hope to find ways than that to help them.

Last night I watched American Idol Gives Back. (Yes, this year I have actually become hooked on that show. It’s the first time that I’ve seriously followed it. For the two weeks after we moved, we didn’t have cable, and I had anxiety over the fact that I was missing it!) Anyway, my point is that even though I endured very difficult circumstances when I was a little girl, I never dealt with the types of loss that some of those children have suffered. As I rocked my little sweetheart to sleep last night, I thanked God that she has both of her parents, a safe place to live, and enough to eat. I’m not worried about a mosquito giving her malaria while she sleeps or if I will be able to feed her tomorrow. My daughter, like me, is blessed.

And I don’t take my blessings for granted.

I know where I could have ended up. Some of the girls I grew up with are there now or are fighting like mad to get out. I see their lives, and I am amazed at how different things turned out for us. I made some choices growing up. I choose to stay in school and study hard. I chose to go to college and to get a degree. I chose to have a career before marriage. While those are all good things, it’s not just because of me that I am where I am. I know that.

My parents were wonderful parents. They taught me to love God and to be honest, hard working, and respectful. They loved me and still love me well. And yet, even with all that they have invested in my life and as eternally grateful as I am to them, the main credit for how blessed I am cannot go to them. I have an amazing husband who loves me like I never dreamed could be possible. Because of him, I feel blessed, but even he cannot be credited for the state of my current life.

I could list of a host of people who have invested in my life. They have taught me, prayed for me, and love me. They have supported me emotionally, intellectually, and even financially. I have been blessed through them, but those blessings did not start with them.

I am blessed because God loves me. I am blessed because I have a relationship with Him. All that I am and all that I have is because of Him. I thank God that I am blessed, and I hope to spread that blessing on to others.