New Year, New Attitudes

This past year has been difficult for so many people I know, ourselves included. It was not easy to make the decision for me to go back to work, but it was necessary and despite the rough transition, it's now just become part of our lives and we've all adjusted. There have been times when I've whined about our situation and felt sorry for myself and then eaten a piece of humble pie as I watch the trials my friends have had to endure. This past year I have had friends that have lost their jobs and friends that have gotten divorced but I've also had two friends lose their children in terrible accidents.

In June, I received the tragic news that my boss and friend of many years had accidentally left her almost 3 year old son in her car all day while she worked. It wasn't until she drove home that she found him dead in the back seat. My heart broke for her dear family and I continue to mourn with her as she faces her court date in March. I cannot imagine anything worse happening to a person or a family.

In September my old English teacher from high school lost her 12 year old son in a flash flood while playing in their neighbors back yard. She and I had recently reconnected through each others blogs and she has allowed her readers to journey with her through this gut wrenching experience on her blog. I feel a piece of her pain as I read through her entries as she deals with her irrepressible grief.

In a year where I have found myself consumed in thoughts of whether my kids are doing well enough at school or in sports or whether I need to lose a few more pounds or clean my house better, I thank God that those are the problems I have to deal with. Our family's trials are small and trite in comparison to what these families are enduring. I cannot even conceive what my life would be like if I lost one of my darling children and yet I find myself yelling at them and not spending the quality time that they yearn for. The lesson I have learned through the experiences of these other people is that I need to cherish more. I need to suck the marrow out of each moment I am allowed to be the mother of my boys and truly realize what a gift they are in my life. I am thankful to have learned this through another's experience and not my own.

Pray for these friends of mine. And then pray that you never have to live a day in their shoes. Love your family more and treat them a bit better than you did yesterday. Consider yourself blessed to be able to live such a gifted life. This is my resolution for this coming year, to live in the moment, make the most of each day and to count my many, many blessings.