Thankful

As I sit here alone in the dark while everyone is sleeping, I'm checking out Facebook. I know that one of my old high school friends has a son with Autism.  I check out her newsfeed to catch up on anything I might have missed and I see how involved her husband is. At that moment I am thankful for my happy healthy child. I know that God gives us different struggles in our children, I have seen that first hand. She is so patient with people and I know she must have that with her children as well. She's always been loving, caring and friendly to all those she comes in contact with. 

All of this took me back to almost 5 years ago when Colby and I were scared out of our minds. You see February 15th is a day I'll never forget, it's the day I found out I was pregnant. I was a mess, a huge puddle of a mess. I called Colby and told him we needed to talk, he said he could head home and we could talk or I could just tell him over the phone. I told him I was pregnant and he said "I knew that!" It was a shock to my system. We didn't know what we would do, all of our options came into play, each one of them eliminated over time until we came upon our only other option, to bring Stephen home. 

I think about those days often and when I see what other parents are going through with their children and the love they have for that very special blessing, I am thankful for the blessing God gave us. I have seen more of my classmates struggle with trying to have a baby while some of us will never know that struggle. I have seen classmates lose babies not long after they are born, yet I will never experience that pain first hand. They have handled it with more grace than I could ever imagine. God is working in my life everyday and it's during these times that I'm so thankful to have my children. 

As I was being a sad sack I heard "mommy, I need you!" coming from Stephen's room. God knew I needed to tell my little boy how thankful I am for him and how much I love and adore him.  I hope he never grows up and wonders if his parents love him. Tell your kids that everyday, multiple times a day, you can never say it too much. They may hate it when they get older but they will never doubt your love for them.