Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2-3
Honestly, if you would have talked to me 3 years ago, I always said that I didn't think being a stay at-home mom was for me. Now, I can't say how thankful I am to be able to do just that! Obviously after our long journey to parenthood, I love getting to spend so much time being Mira's Mommy. Taking care of her everyday, and getting to experience all of her milestones has been more of a blessing then I could even imagine! I'm grateful to my Hubby, who is a little more stressed these days. I'm actually enjoying the other parts of my new "job", the not-so-cute parts! My house isn't spotless, but I make a serious effort to clean something everyday! I started menu planning, and have a grocery budget and get excited when I come in under that budget. I've had a homemade meal on the table pretty much every single night, unlike previous years where we ate fast food 2-3 nights a week. YUCK!
I am thoroughly enjoying this time in my life, and I'm definitely enjoying every minute of Mira's life, and remembering to cherish every minute, good and bad. (You know, when she's smashing her veggies in her cute little hands and then smearing them on anything nearby!)
As a christian, I often say that I am thankful for what God has blessed me with. I try to remember to thank Him for the little, everyday blessings, and try even harder to find the strength to thank him for the not so good things that happen. I am honestly moved to tears of joy every single day when I think of the struggles we went through to become parents, and the blessings that we received through those years. Outsiders can look at our adoption journey, and think that we got "lucky" because we were matched so quickly. We believe that God was preparing us for the day that our baby would be placed in our arms for many years before that. That Mira was created to be our child and all the circumstances that lead up to her birth had been written in His plan long before we could ever imagine. I can only speak for myself, not my husband, but a year after we got married, God started his work in me. I got to the point in my life where I stripped away all of my desires, and there was no other choice BUT to let God lead the way. I learned how to truly trust in God and gain my strength from Him. I also learned how to ask for blessings, and that sometimes the trials and disappointments in life are God's way of breaking us down to renew our hearts with the promises of His new mercies.
When I started writing this post, I wasn't quite sure the direction I was going to take with it. It was inspired by my new favorite song, Blessings by Laura Story, and also by friends who are going through a very tough time. It's hard to know Gods plan when you are weathering a storm, but when the day comes that you can see clearly and feel the warm sunshine on your face, may you have peace and joy knowing that God was with you every step of the way!
I'm not real advanced when it comes to blogger, but I started following
last week, and I'm excited to see they do something called "Gratituesday". I plan on learning how to link up and participating in this weekly. They also have some great recipes and meal planning tips.
For today, I'm grateful that my 15 month old just ate all her veggies for lunch and they didn't end up on the floor! It's the little things! I definitely have lots more to be grateful for, but that was the first that came to mind!
