Do Words Ever Escape You?

When I look around my house, it is seldom ever clean to the point that I would like it to be.  I would love to have a clutter-free life.  I can't watch "Hoarders" because it literally gives me a panic attack.  There was a store in the town I grew up in called "Odds n Ends."  I entered that store once.  I could barely catch my breath.  It was a mess and nothing made sense.  Things did not have a place they were supposed to be in, it appeared.  I never went in the store again, I couldn't handle it.

But, with that being said, sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with gratitude.  I am so blessed to have my four children.  They light up my life.  They are generally the cause of the clutter or disorderliness of my house, but I will absolutely take them over a clean house any day of the week.

I was told a couple years before I was married that I would never have children with help from a fertility specialist.  That was probably one of the worst days of my life.  I remember leaving the doctor's office and just crying.  I wasn't even sure that I wanted to go home ever again.  I couldn't imagine never being a mommy.  I am so thankful that our Heavenly Father knows a lot more than the doctor.  I am thankful that he blessed me with them. 

I have been blessed with wonderful parents.  I am so thankful that they managed to find each other, get married, and have six children.  My parents have sacrificed so much for us.  They would do whatever they could to make sure we would have those things that we needed.  We didn't always get things we wanted, but we always had the things we needed.  They showed us how to love others and each other.  They taught us the things that we needed to know.  They raised us to be best friends.  I was raised with my best friends. 

I am thankful that they love our Heavenly Father.  I am thankful that they taught us about our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am sure it was not easy to get six children up and ready for church, since I know how it is to get four children up and ready to go to church.  You know, words escape me because to say I am thankful doesn't seem to express the way I actually feel.  I don't know that there are words that can do that. 

I love to hear the sounds of my children laughing together.  I love to see them playing with each other.  I love having time as a family to spend together.  During this time of Thanksgiving, I think it is important to ponder what matters most in life.  To me, that is my family, including my husband and children, my parents, siblings, their spouses and children, and the rest of my extended family.  It also includes my friends, both old and new.  I am especially thankful to Heavenly Father and Jesus, for allowing me to have all of these people in my life.  There is not a day that goes by that I do not know that I am loved.