Count Your Blessings

I am incredibly blessed. Far too often I get wrapped up in work and life that I forget how truly blessed I am to even have the things that stress me out. I am fortunate enough to have a job to go to every day. I am lucky enough to have a puppy to fuss at for being naughty. So on and so forth.

As many of you know this past week we had a bit of a scare when my youngest sister Abby was rushed to hospital with chest pains. I'm sure I'm going to mess up some details but I'm going to try to tell the story the best way that I can. Thursday morning she went to the health center at Appalachian after two days of chest pain and throwing up. After a series of tests they sent her to the hospital in Boone. After even more tests they packed her up in an ambulance and sent her to Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem. Upon arrival they immediately prepped her for a heart catheter. After the heart cath came back clear they placed her in the Cardiac Intensive Care (CICU) unit. By Friday morning they declared she had myopericarditis (say that five times fast) and she would have to stay a few days for observations. Keep in mind that Abby is a healthy eighteen year old who avoids junk food and runs three miles a day. They treated her with Advil which David believes to be the most expensive Advil ever considering the room in CICU she had to be in to get that prescribed! By the time David and I were able to visit her Friday afternoon she was in much less pain and her stellar sense of humor was back.

We were all thrown for such a loop with this. Abby's identical twin sister, Mandy, has always been the one with health issues. When Manda Panda gets sick we're undoubtedly upset, but it's not such a shock. When we found out about Abby, it was like a smack in the face. Thank God that she is doing MUCH better and was released from the hospital today. She has a follow-up appointment in a few weeks and orders to take it easy. We are extremely blessed that she was able to walk out of the hospital this afternoon; many of the people on her floor won't. All of this got me thinking how truly blessed I am to live my life. A few things that come to mind:

*My husband. His godliness and unending faith are more than I deserve, and I thank God every day that I get support his dream.

*Our families. Between the Wards and the Mobleys we have hit a family home run. How many people can say they love seeing and spending time with their in-laws? I can! And I would never trade my crazy/wonderful family for anything!

*Our church. As I've mentioned before we attend, Hope Church Charlotte, a church-plant in the Mallard Creek area of Charlotte. We are incredibly blessed to have stumbled upon this church of true believers. If you're ever in the area, check us out Sundays at 10am!

*Our pup! She may drive me bonkers with her forest discoveries (today was a tennis shoe), but I truly love the crazy pooch.

*Our home. I may fuss about its size and location, but I love our cozy little place. It's in a great location (if you can get over the traffic!) and it is the perfect size for our tiny family.

*My job. I love teaching! I love every moment spent with "my" children! We all have our bad days, but those kids make every headache worth it. Not to mention my co-workers are hysterical.

*Technology. I am so grateful for the technology that keeps me connected with my hubs even when we are miles apart.

*Our friends. Despite the fact that some are near and some are far, I know I can call on any one of them and they would do whatever they could to help.

*Our health.While I may fuss about the aches and pains, I am healthy, and for that I am grateful.

 With one of my very best friends since the start of college

 The pup enjoying this gorgeous spring weather!

Some of the AMAZING people I get to work with!

Sunday morning at Hope Church Charlotte.

What are you thanking God for today?