Life is Good...Okay Great

If you know me, you know that I am a very happy person and generally have a "sunny" outlook on life. I absolutely LOVE life and appreciate all of the little things that God places in our lives to bring us joy...like beautiful sunny days, flowers, good friends...there are too many "little things" to name...There is just so much to be happy about.

A couple of days this week, my usual cheerful disposition was clouded by feelings of sadness. I think I actually "dealt with" the fact that we moved away from home for the first time. I let my guard down and allowed myself to just be sad about it. I missed familiar streets, places, and people. I even missed my job. I wished my mom and sister were here to run errands with me or sit and talk over a cup of coffee. I also wished they were here to HELP me, haha. I longed to stand around in mom's kitchen laughing and being goofy with my amazing beyond amazing family and whatever close friends would be at their house at that moment in time. Of course I quickly felt guilty for being sad when God has so richly blessed us. Our families are still there, and we will have so many good times to look forward to in the years to come. They are only a phone call away, and this is such a growing experience for us to live away from home. God has blessed us way beyond what we deserve.

God showed me in the midst of my emotional state that He is teaching me to rely on Him and cling to the wonderful, loving husband and beautiful baby son that He has given me. Of course I miss my family and friends back home, but God has a special calling for our little family here in Houston. Kyle and Jackson are who I am called to take care of and love, and I must be loyal to them (second to God) and embrace where we are right now in life--this precious stage where Jackson is so little and relying on us to meet his every need.

I was eating lunch with two amazing friends the other day, and we were just talking about how there is something to be excited and happy about at each stage of our children's' lives. In other words, although this stage of Jackson's life is precious, there is so much to look forward to in the future. It reminds me of something Granny said a while back that I will NEVER forget. I asked her what her favorite stage of life was (expecting her to say her teenage years or 20s), and she said something so simple yet full of so much wisdom. She said, "The age I am now. There is something exciting about every stage of life."

I was out taking Jackson for a walk just now...and with the sun shining and the beautiful clouds all around and only the sound of a dog barking in the distance, I looked at Jackson in his stroller sleeping peacefully and thought...life really does not get any better than this. I do miss my family. Of course I miss my friends. Maybe I do have bags under my eyes. And there were two days this week that I did not brush my teeth before noon. I have only worn makeup three times since Jackson has been born. There are onesies and blankets and diapers all over my once spotless room, and my living room has been overtaken by baby equipment. But you know what? Life is great. I am so excited about this new stage of life. Don't get me wrong...it has it's crazy moments. But, I've decided that I'm going to enjoy EVERY single exhausting, happy, sad, exciting, crazy minute of it. Ah! I love life!