Thankful Thursday—Sometimes Blessings come in Threes

As many of you know, this last week has been a tough one for me. I have been down with bacterial pneumonia, and trying to work my way through a painful flare up of my fibromyalgia.

But it has been a rough week emotionally as well, as I have “celebrated” (otherwise known as “made it through”) the 13th anniversary of the death of our son, my first-born child. We are very blessed to know a young man, who has been adopted into our family un-officially, who shares not only the same birthdate, but middle name as our son.

When you lose a child, whether weeks into the pregnancy, at birth (as we did our son), or anytime after that moment of holding and loving them for the first time, the pain truly never really goes away. It can change with time, and the rough edges are chipped away year by year, but you still think of them…
wonder how things would have been….
wonder what they would look like today…
.wonder how different the family dynamics would have been.
Seeing this precious young man, this adopted son, play with my babies has meant so much to this old heart. It has made me realize that our family truly never will be complete until we reach Heaven and I can hold ALL of my children in my arms, all 13 that are waiting for me. I am quite sure that they are happy with the Lord, and it is just me who longs for a glimpse of their precious faces.

Having a child or children in Heaven gives you a new perspective on life as well. It teaches you how short life truly is. It shows you that only a few things matter, and most of those things are the opposite of what the world wants you to believe truly matters.
It is your moments of time with someone else, your relationships, your character in the hard times and good times. It is stopping to say hello to someone who needs to hear it,
or a warm hug to someone you know is hurting.

This week has been tough, being down as a mom of three busy girls, and so I am thankful for THREE things this week that have gotten me through,
physically and emotionally.

~ ~ ~
I am SO thankful …that God has brought this son back into my life.

I wish I could post a picture of him, 
but I wouldn’t do that without asking him.
SO…
Imagine a strong young man with a heart of gold, much as David must have had, and you will see him.

~ ~ ~

The second thing I am thankful for this week is this man:

He has held down the fort and kept life going with the family, cooking, cleaning and limping through while I was barely able to get out of bed.

 ~ ~ ~

And finally, for this precious woman:

MY mother……who has changed diapers, folded laundry, kept my oldest on track and loved my children while I was struggling to get some really needed rest.

I have so much to be thankful for, even in the midst of sorrow or pain.
What are you thankful for today?

Many Blessings to you and yours,
Heather