Tears on the ground beside my feet .........

Sometimes things happen in our lives and they are impossible to understand ... we have to accept them for the way they are because we have no control over them. There are moments when we are strong and able to deal with those things and then there are other moments when the pain and hurt and sadness is much harder to put away ..... that is when the tears come. If only for a brief moment and then we let them go again and try to feel gratitude for what we do have rather than what we don't have.

 

A woman sits alone, staring over at the children playing in the playground.  She watches them as they climb on the play equipment, their joyous laughter filling the air.  She watches them run and fall, then get back up and keep going, filled with an abundance of energy that she could never hope to find.

She watches as they climb the rungs of the ladder to the top of the slide, intense looks on their faces, working feverishly to reach the top.  Little knees bending, legs twisting around to be put out in front of their little bodies, edging their way to the very top of the slide.  Suddenly their bodies are hurling toward the bottom of the slide, when suddenly they slow, put their feet firmly on the ground and go running around to the bottom of the ladder enthusiastically, to repeat the feat.  Smiles on their faces, they feel bliss at the exhilaration of their achievement.

One child momentarily falls and begins to cry, then a lady, obviously not his mother, but his grandmother, rushes to his side, throwing her arms around him and hugs him close to her body.  Then there is the sound of shushing, the sound that offers comfort to little ones when they hurt themselves.  The sound that only mothers and grandmothers can make.  The child clings to his grandmother, calling to her, wailing and crying about how he has hurt his leg and he needs a band-aid.  The grandmother says to the child "Grandma will kiss it better" and then proceeds to lay an endless supply of kisses on his face and then on his knee.  The child slowly stops crying and then starts to laugh as his focus becomes the kisses rather than the hurt.

 

As the woman on the seat sits and watches this scene play out, she thinks of her own grandchildren somewhere.  She thinks of those beautiful little ones that she may never know and wonders what they are like.  She wonders will she ever feel the joy of truly being a grandmother.  She will never know what it is like to be a grandmother for the first time, for that opportunity has been and gone.  She will never have the chance to hold that small and innocent bundle in her arms.  To stroke that tiny little face, and tell that perfect bundle that she loves them and that she is glad to have them as part of her family.  To feel the inexplicable joy of knowing that through her own children, life will go on and that the world is a better place for having this child in it.

She sits and watches and thinks to herself that she hopes that this grandmother appreciates what she has ..... but as she sees the grandmother hug and hold and comfort this child, she knows that this child is truly loved.

As tears roll down her face and drop onto the ground at her feet, she prays for a miracle in her life .......

SOMETIMES THERE ARE NO WORDS ..... DAY 13 of BLOGTOBERFEST

Sometimes there are no words .....

I read a story today, a beautiful and touching story today about a boy named NOAH. His story has touched me deeply and so I would like to share it with you. Noah was a young boy with many issues in his short life, but I feel that his being in this world made such a difference to all who came in contact with him. Go here to read about Noah .... I'm sure his story will touch you too. Noah's story is not only about him, but is also about his special family.

Reading about Noah has made me realise that whatever we have to face in life we have the ability to do it. I am so blessed to have 5 healthy children and after reading this story will be forever grateful.

ONCE A MOTHER, ALWAYS A MOTHER ...... DAY 12 of BLOGTOBERFEST

It's been a long day today.........

Things started to go awry when I had a missed call at work from Mr. 25. I rang him back only to be greeted with the information from him that he had had an accident at work and had crushed his finger between 2 pallets.

My stomach sunk, I felt sick and just sat there for a second. I went into MOTHER mode. You know that mode when your kids are hurt and so you hurt too. I asked all the usual questions : are you alright? How much damage is there? Where are you?

Yes, he said he was alright ... although I had to think with a crushed finger, he must have been in some pain, although he then told me that he had been given pain medication. He then told me that he was being sent from the hospital where he was sent to another day hospital to have plastic surgery on his finger, so I knew that the finger couldn't have been in good shape. All this time Mr. 25's girlfriend was with him, taking very good care of him. She was awesome and so calm. I was so grateful that she was with him today and looked after him so well.

At this point I finished my shift at work and then went home. I got more phone calls with the address of where he was and then I got in the car and headed down there. When I got to the Day hospital they had seen him and in order for him to have the surgery he now had to go to another private hospital to have the actual surgery.

After much waiting around and wondering what was going to happen they finally took Mr. 25 in and after still more waiting they did the surgery. He has never had a general anaesthetic and so didn't know how he would react to it .... but he came out with flying colours. Everything went well. Of course he is sporting a huge bandage covering the whole hand and has to go back on Friday to see the doctor ..... but all seems well. I guess we won't know the full outcome for a number of weeks.

What I came to realise today was that once you are a mother, it really doesn't matter how old your children are, you still worry about your children when something happens. All you want is for them to be okay. You are always a mother, it's a job for life.

I also realised that I am grateful that Mr. 25 has found someone to share his life with and that together they seem so good for each other.

I am grateful too for the doctors and nurses and those that cared for my son today and gave him the very best of care.

Most of all I am grateful and thankful for the fact that despite what happened, the accident wasn't worse and that he will probably come out of this whole thing relatively unscathed. There is always something worse that can happen and I'm so grateful for a good outcome.

WHAT I LEARNT TODAY

I learnt today that we have a loving Father in Heaven who care about us and is there for us when we need him the most. He also knows what we need the most. I am so grateful for the blessings that he gives to me. Sometimes just the smallest thing can be the most wonderful blessings and can take our day from dark to light in a moment.

He showed me that even when we are stretched to the absolute limit and think that we have nowhere else to turn, that he is aware of our struggles and will bless us if we just have the faith to rely on him.

I feel such gratitude to the person that helped to bless my life.

Thank you.

Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family.

One day each of us will run out of tomorrows.

Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.

~Thomas S. Monson ~

It's Sunday today .... a day of peace and rest. Although when I woke up at 6.15am this morning to get ready to go to work I didn't think it was much of a day of rest. I just wanted to throw my mobile phone (which I use as my alarm) over to the other side of the room and go back to sleep.

Even though I had to work I did think about how nice it is on a Sunday to just not do much. It's nice to rest for the other half of the day and think about what has happened through the week .... to reflect.

We are often so busy rushing around that we don't have time to reflect... but I think Sunday is the perfect day for that.

So I'm sitting here today thinking about all the things that have happened and what is going to be happening in the coming week. Kinda defeats the purpose doesn't it.

But then I contemplate the week to come and what might be happening. Then I think, do I really want to go there ...... thinking about what I have to do. It makes me tired just thinking about the week ahead.

Still it's a bit hard to relect or contemplate when you feel like falling asleep. Then maybe when I sleep I'll dream about what I did or what I'm going to do.

I just know that I love to sit and think and reflect and it seems like Sunday is the best day of the week to do these things. I like to think about all the beauty in the world and how blessed I am to have the things that I do. So many people just complain about their lot in life, are negative and ungrateful and I think that's sad. We are given so much in this life to be grateful for and instead of thinking about what we don't have we should count our blessings. I hope that I always feel grateful for the things that I have.

Are you a glass half full type person or a glass half empty type person????

GRATITUDE ......and other things that I have learnt in life.

Licola Wilderness Village, Gippsland, Victoria.

I work with people with disabilities as a personal carer and it constantly amazes me how these people who face the challenges that they do seem to move through life without complaining.


I have come to realise that I am the one that is learning from them. I have learnt that no matter how bad life is that it is still possible to get up each and every day and live a worthwhile life.


I have learnt that it is possible to keep on moving through life, knowing that somehow at the end of the day you will make it out the other side.




I have learnt that I am blessed with the health and strength that I have and that I can get up on my own every single day.

I have learnt to have patience and to be in the moment, neither worrying about what has already happened or what might happen.


I have learnt that I should never take for granted the things that I am capable to do in this life....for there are some people out there that don't have the ability to do all the things they would like to do.


I have learnt to live the best life that I can.....for you never know when you might not have the chance to do all that you want to do.


I have learnt to appreciate being able to do the everyday things that we often take for granted - like being able to shower on my own and being able to walk down the road, being able to drive a car, being able to make myself a meal or even make my bed. I don't ever want to take these things for granted.


I have learnt that there are things I can do in life even when I think I can't do them.




I have learnt that even when you feel as though you have hit rock bottom, you can always get back up and keep going.


I have learnt that I gain more from serving and helping others than I do from being focused on myself.


I have learnt that even when I fall over or don't do something particularly perfectly, that I can have another chance tomorrow to do better.

I have learnt that I can be brave and that I do have the courage within me to do things that I am scared to do.




Here I am in my harness (even when I thought they wouldn't have one to fit me) waiting to go up on The Giant Swing

Free of the step ladder and about to be dragged 18m up in the air


Swinging free and slowing coming down from a ride that despite my fear, I will never ever forget in my life.


I am grateful for the lessons that I have learnt and for the things that I am capable of doing; and I am grateful for the people that I care for, because it is those people that have taught me all of this and so much more.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. "
Melody Beattie

WELCOME THE NEW YEAR....2009 - THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR

I have decided that rather than making a whole lot of resolutions for the coming year 2009, I mean we all do that anyway....I would like to say what I am thankful for in the past year.

• I am grateful for my family and love them all dearly.


• I am grateful for the Gospel in my life and the blessings that it brings. I am so thankful for the Saviour and his atoning sacrifice.


• I am so grateful for all that my Heavenly Father blesses myself and my family with.


• I am grateful to have a roof over my head - a home to live in.


• I am thankful for the work that I have and for the opportunity it brings to me, allowing me to serve others, and to grow and progress.


• I am grateful for the wonderful friends that I have, people that are important in my life and that care about me and my family. My one goal for the coming year is to tell those people that are important to me, how much they actually mean to me.


• I am thankful for the three beautiful little baby girls that our family have been blessed with this year - Isabelle in October, Madison in November and Darcey in December. They are all just beautiful and very precious and all growing so quickly.


• I am grateful for the blessing of being able to see pictures of my granddaughters and know that they are healthy and well.


• I feel blessed to live in such a country as Australia. It is a safe place with the freedom to worship as I see fit. With all that is going on in the world around me, wars and turmoil in other countries.....it is a blessing to live in a country where my family and I are safe.


• I am grateful that my sons have good jobs.


• I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to learn and to have a mind and be able to think for myself.


• I am grateful for the people that come into my life that help me to learn and grow and influence mine and my families life for good.
• I am grateful for all the beautiful creations that Heavenly Father places in our world for our enjoyment.

Life can be hard at times, but if we strive to look for the good, then we can make our own lives and the world in general a better place. Challenges will always come our way, but it's how we deal with the challenges that we face, that is the measure of the person that we are. I always want to be grateful for the things that I have in my life.

WILL THE CHRIST CHILD COME?

This story was read in my church meeting this past Sunday and I would love to share it with you all.

One Christmas we had an interesting experience that I would like to share. Halfway through December we were doing the regular evening things when there was a knock at the door. We opened it to find a small package with a beautiful ceramic lamb inside. We looked at the calendar and realized that the 12 days of Christmas were beginning!! We waited excitedly for the next night's surprise and only then, with the gift of a matching shepherd, did we realize that the lamb was part of a nativity set. Each night we grew more excited to see what piece we would receive. Each was equisitely beautiful. The kids kept trying to catch the givers as we slowly built the scene at the manger and began to focus on Christ's birth.

On Christmas Eve, all the pieces were in place, but the baby Jesus. My 12 year old son really wanted to catch our benefactors and began to devise all kinds of ways to trap them. He ate his dinner in the mini-van watching and waiting, but no one came. Finally we called him in to go through our family's Christmas Eve traditions. But before the kids went to bed we checked the front step - No Baby Jesus!! We began to worry that my son had scared them off. My husband suggested that maybe they dropped the Jesus and there wouldn't be anything coming. Somehow something was missing that Christmas Eve. There was a feeling that things weren't complete. The kids went to bed and I put out Christmas, but before I went to bed I again checked to see if the Jesus had come - no, the doorstep was empty.

In our family the kids can open their stockings when they want to, but they have to wait to open any presents until Dad wakes up. So one by one they woke up very early and I also woke up to watch them. Even before they opened their stockings, each child checked to see if perhaps during the night the baby Jesus had come. Missing that piece of the set seemed to have an odd affect. At least it changed my focus. I knew there were presents under the tree for me and I was excited to watch the children open their gifts, but first on my mond was the feelings of waiting for the ceramic Christ Child.

We had opened just about all of the presents when one of the children found one more for me buried deep beneath the limbs of the tree. He handed me a small package from my former visiting teaching companion. This sister was somewhat less active in the church. I had been her visiting teacher for a couple of years and then, when she was asked to be a visiting teacher, she requested to go with me. I had learned over time they didn't have much for Christmas, so that their focus was the children. It sounded like she didn't get many gifts to open, so I had always given her a small package - new dish towels, the next year's Relief Society manual - not much, but something for her to open. I was touched when at Church on the day before Christmas, she had given me this small package, saying it was just a token of her love and appreciation. As I took off the bow, I remembered my friendship with her and was filled with gratitude for knowing her and for her kindness and sacrifice in this year giving me a gift. But as the paper fell away, I began to tremble and cry. There in the small brown box was the baby Jesus. He had come!

I realised on that Christmas Day that Christ will come into our lives in ways that we don't expect. The spirit of Christ comes into our hearts as we serve one another. We had waited and watched for him to come, expecting the dramatic "knock at the door and scurrying of feet" but he came in a small, simple package that represented service, friendship, gratitude and love.

This experience taught me that the beginning of the true spirit of Christmas comes as we open our hearts and actively focus on the Saviour. But we will most likely find him in the small and simple acts of love, freindship and service that we give to each other. This Christmas I want to feel again the joy of knowing that Christ is in our home. I want to focus on loving and serving. More than that I want to open my heart to him all year that I may see him again.