thankful

It has been a rough night (we spent our evening at urgent care because poor Sammi not only has a bad cold and ear infection but now she also has pink eye in both eyes) and I have found myself complaining and losing my temper a lot this evening..... so I thought I would change my mindset by posting something uplifting. Sometimes you have to force yourself to be positive but once you do you actually truly feel more positive. So here it goes. First, 5 things I'm thankful for (I'm doing this on the fly without much thought) because I thought it would be appropriate this Thanksgiving week:

1. My health and my family's health. Yes, we get colds and aches and pains....but we have no major health concerns, no cancer, no terminal illness, no chronic disease. We all have use of our legs, use of our arms, 10 fingers and 10 toes. We are so lucky. 

2. The upcoming arrival of my new baby girl. A new person to cuddle, love, play with, teach, learn from, grow with, and be head over heels in love with. I am so lucky I have been given the opportunity to be a parent.

3. Our new studio. How many people in this world get to do what they love, with the person they love, make their own schedules, bring their kids to work, and then be given the opportunity to grow their business by leaps and bounds over just 5 short years? Enough said.

4. My friends and family. Dan and I both have parents who would drop what they are doing at any given time to help us with anything we needed, and who live close enough that we can see them often. We have incredible neighbors that have touched our lives deeply and continue to support us. I have friends, friends who have been close to me for 5, 10, 15, and even 27 years (and I'm 30) who still are the best of friends to me and continuously love me and support me day after day. And we, of course, have our beautiful Samantha.

5. Our church. We don't go often (sometimes life gets in the way). We aren't as involved as we want to be. But we love it. And we love the pastor and his wife. And we know that even if we aren't as involved as we'd like to be, the people in this church would be there for us if we needed anything. And every time we are able to go to a service, I am touched and my life is changed, even if only a little bit. Which brings me to the story I have been meaning to tell for quite some time...

When I first found out I was pregnant I asked my doctor if she would prescribe prenatal vitamins for me (instead of the generic OTC ones I took with Sam) because Marsh and Meijer offer them for free, no insurance required. She said of course, and I started taking prescription prenatal vitamins at the very beginning of my pregnancy.

I consider myself a very spiritual person but I always hesitate to talk about religion or church in this blog  because I don't want to "turn off" my friends who don't share the same beliefs from reading it. After all, it was only meant to be a blog to update you on Sammi! Regardless...this is a cool story so I have to share it. :)

A few weeks ago we went to church and the service was about healing. (I am about to summarize a long, great sermon into a few short measly sentences so forgive me, Curt.) Basically, if you truly believe you can be healed and you ask God to heal you, you will be. You might not necessarily be physically healed but maybe will be emotionally healed or lifted. People were invited to come up front if they wanted to be prayed for. There were many tears and much emotion. Dan and I were both thinking (because we shared thoughts later)....wow. We are so lucky. We honestly couldn't think of a legitimate reason to go up there. Our lives are so blessed. 

However, I also kept thinking...I have felt awful for 6.5 months of this pregnancy.  Medically speaking I'm healthy and this baby is doing great....but man, I've just felt awful for so long. I didn't even see the complaint worthy of going up front but I did sit quietly during this time in church and just focused all my effort in having a one-on-one with God. It went something like...."God, I know that we are so lucky to be so healthy physically and mentally and I am so thankful for all that you do for me, but if it's not too much trouble, I have 10 weeks to go with this pregnancy......." and I prayed for a good last 10 weeks.       

Three days later Dan went to Meijer to refill my prenatal vitamin prescription and the pharmacist said that he was sorry but that they were out of that vitamin and it as on backorder. If I'd just have my doctor call in a different one he would fill it. We were so busy that I just didn't take a vitamin for 3 days. And for 3 days, I felt amazing. My nausea, my dizziness, my stomach aches, my general state of "just not feeling good at all" was gone. I immediately made the connection.

I've heard of many people getting sick from prenatal vitamins because they are so strong, but I guess I just figured if a vitamin made you sick you'd take it, throw up, and realize it made you sick. I didn't realize that they could actually make you feel awful 24 hours a day if your body can't handle them. A few days later I confirmed with my doctor and went back on generic vitamins. I've felt back to myself ever since. 

Now I ask you.....what are the chances that Meijer would run out of the most popular prenatal vitamin and for it to be on backorder? And what are the chances my prayers were answered? That this was no coincidence? Well....I'll let you decide what you think but I think it's pretty awesome and once more way that I feel like God is with me day after day!!! This story is a perfect example of what I mean when I say I don't really believe in coincidences. My close friends have often told me they think I carry a guardian angel with me, and I have to say that often I believe it too.

Sooooo.......you know that thing I said earlier about making yourself be more positive? Well, after a long draining evening I am feeling very blessed and very loved, just by writing this blog. And, I promise that my blogs will be back to fun-filled stories and photos of my little Sammi, my little SLS, and all of the fun things that come with our everyday lives together!!!!!! And if you've made it this far, you're either crazy or amazing and I wish you a wonderful week full of reasons to have gratitude!!!!!!! :)

Love and hugs!