{Gratitude}

It all started this morning with the scale. I have been so anxious to lose this baby weight and I have been obsessed with weighing myself every morning. With Sydney, I lost all the pregnancy weight so quickly from breastfeeding and I have been waiting and hoping the same this time around and it's just not happening. The week when all us girls were sick, I fell off the wagon of counting my calories and stopped taking care of myself since I had 2 sick girls to take care of. I wouldn't eat breakfast and lunch wouldn't happen until around 2pm and then I would be starving by then and just eat whatever was easy. Unfortunately, that has continued until now, except I'm eating meals on-time not at least. 

This morning I stepped on the scale and saw I had gained a couple of pounds. The thoughts of self-worthlessness started flooding into my head. To my surprise, they were quickly overcome with different thoughts. That's why I've decided to write about this tonight.

The thoughts that surprisingly started flooding through my head were.... I have a healthy body and a body with all working parts, even though I don't like the weight I am. Even though my body is holding onto these last extra pounds, I am supplying milk to feed and nourish my baby so she will grow healthy and strong. I have the ability to use all the parts of my body without effort. I can hold my girls in my arms and embrace my husband. My body has carried and given birth to our 2 beautiful girls. Even though some things don't have to deal with my weight, they are things I can do with my healthy body. What more is there to be grateful for than all of those things and so much more? So many more things outweigh the 1 thing I don't like seeing on the scale.

Then I started applying this concept around the house when I started seeing little things I needed to this morning that were making my ever growing list longer and longer. Those little piles of kid stuff around the house. I should be grateful for them. They mean I have a healthy and beautiful daughter who has been outside playing and having a great time. I have been blessed with the ability to bare children. It's a sunny and warm day for her to go outside and play. She is happy and that's all that matters. Who cares about this pile in the corner of the room! Picking it up will take me 1 minute and all of that other stuff is what matters most.

The never ending pile of dishes that never get done. Why get overwhelmed that they aren't done and the kitchen isn't clean? I'm grateful we have food and that we get 3 meals a day, plus snacks. I'm grateful my husband has a job and can provide for us. We can feed our children and they aren't starving. We aren't worrying about where our next meal is coming from. A lot of people would give anything to have dirty dishes in the sink. I can be grateful for them!

The never-ending piles of laundry. Sometimes they sit in the dryer for a couple days. Sometimes they stay in the clothes hamper. I'm not going to walk by them and get overwhelmed about not getting them put away anymore. Instead, I'm playing with my girls. I'm watching Hannah smile. I'm spending time with my family. Piles of clothes means we have clothes to wear. We have a washer and dryer to clean them in. We can stay warm in the winter and keep cool in the summer. Who cares about piles of laundry waiting to be washed or folded and put away. Today, I am enjoying and savoring the little things in life that matter most.

I don't know why those thoughts started to pour into my head this morning, completely washing away any disappointment I was feeling. It has made me that much more grateful for everything today! I have to say how grateful I am for Adam for doing the dishes this morning and doing all the laundry while I was at work this morning!! Oh how I love him so much!! He helps me in every aspect of my life. I'm a lucky gal!! :)