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“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith by the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” – Maya Angelou
Let me tell you a little story. A few weeks ago while Tyler and I were shopping for our bi-weekly groceries, I started thinking about gratitude and what it meant to me. Kind of strange for it to all hit me walking up and down the isles of Costco, but that’s me. I over think and my brain soars at the strangest of times. We both had a list of what items we needed to get and as I was grabbing my things, I couldn’t help but to get a bit teary eyed. Here we are able to provide for our family while keeping our bellies happy and healthy, while others are out there struggling. I felt a bit selfish at first with this thought in the back of my mind. I wish money was limitless and starvation would be extinct, but that’s not reality.
Those thoughts have stuck with me these past couple of weeks, and made me realize a lot with my life. I have more than I’ll ever need right now, and I’m ever so grateful.
I complained to my husband a lot when I first quit my job. About how bored I was just being at home, and how I’m really not the creative type with the kids when we’re stuck indoors. I’m not the mom to play around on the ground and pretend I’m a flesh eating lizard whose ready to pounce on my four year old, nor am I a pirate waiting for our ship to sail. My imagination really needs some help. So when we did get out, what did we go do? Hey guys, let’s go shopping. Terrible, right? Ya, and bad on our bank account too. Don’t get me wrong, buying something nice for yourself can give you a pleasurable moment rocking that new shirt and jeans, but nothing compares to valuable time with your kids. That’s something you can never get back. Plus, getting back to being grateful. How amazing of my husband to provide for us and for God to give him to opportunity to be in control of his very own business, which allows me to be home with the kids?
Which leads me to something else that caught my eye. I was scrolling through Facebook one night when the kids were asleep and Tyler was at his softball game and couldn’t help but notice a lot of my friends we’re commenting on a little girls page. Lilly Bumpus. Who was this little girl, and why was she so popular on Facebook? I wanted to know her story. Well, go grab a tissue. Baby Lilly was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma at the age of four months old. She’s had four surgeries, and 14 rounds of chemo at 75% adult strength in her short 11 months of life. Both her parents have lost everything including their jobs, home, belongings, pets, to fight for Lilly and be by her side, and have done it all with a smile. Lilly and her family are from the same town that I grew up in and currently reside, Arroyo Grande, CA. This hit me, hard. Our little Nolan is almost 10 months old, and I complain when he’s grabby about teething. Baby Lilly is among 1,000′s that battle cancer daily, this I know, but the fact that it’s so close to home hit my heart. The love and strength these parents have for their daughter is remarkable, and with prayer, hope and faith it all payed off. Baby Lilly was released from the hospital earlier this week, and is completely cancer free! Now, the journey begins for this family to get back on their feet and regain their life together. How much gratitude do you think they’re feeling at this moment? Knowing their baby girl had enough strength to overcome such a challenging and painful 7 months of her life? Honestly, no words can describe how I would feel going through such a thing. To Lilly’s parents, you two are pure gems in my eyes, along with many others I’m assuming. You inspire many that you can truly get through anything, and to Lilly, Go Lilly!! You’re a miracle baby girl! Time for you to conquer the world.
To help Lilly and her parents, you can donate here.
Life is an awesome thing when given the right outlook. As I get older, I notice how important it is to cherish one another and how time is in the essence. You’ll never get it back. I’m grateful for it all. I have so much given to me in this wonderful, beautiful, and crazy journey I have so far lived and I thank God for it all.
