I have been thinking...

I have been thinking lately about the power of friends. I have been blessed to have some of the greatest people in my life! And, I have also had to deal with some of the not so great people. But I have come to the realization that, no matter what, I am who I am. I came to this place with the gifts, talents, idiosyncrasies, and challenges that the Lord wanted in place for me. I am so far from perfect, that I will have to live a long time to even come close to being mediocre! And that is fine with me! As long as I continue to learn the things that I am to learn and enjoy the journey.

I was listening to some music and heard this song by Carrie Underwood titled "So Small". It had some lyrics that really stood out to me. Here is one part that struck me:


Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
And then you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Oh, it sure makes everything else seem
So small

So much of life can be, "when i own a home then..." or "when those last __ pounds are gone I will..." or maybe "if I could only..." but the thing that I have been thinking about and that is expressed in the above lyrics is that it's all there in your hands.
So, I looked at my hands, literally. They are large!
My Grandma once commented on how they reminded her of my Grandfather's hands. Oh dear.
I have on my hands rings from two of the most amazing men, my Papa's wedding band and my wedding ring from Gailon. Gailon's ring is sparkley and beautiful and my Papa's is a gold band with so much love squished into it.
I have scars and wrinkles, tan lines and freckles. And I have love.
I have hands of a teacher, crafter, mother-to-be, auntie, sister, daughter, wife, and friend. I have the hands of a servant of the Lord, one who has a testimony of the restored gospel, a daughter of God who is working to return and be with Him. I have the hands of one who is a Child of God.

There is so much love in my heart for Gailon. With all that we have gone through, he is still here! And I am too!! We have been through the trials of building our family, friendships, medical, losses, and a few more. But the one thing that is a constant is love. I love him so much! We have, and continue to have, so many adventures!
We have been working to get the photography business going, and we have been doing pretty well. Now, our next challenge is to determine his new "day job" , as his current place of employment is ending because the company is going out of business. But again, I have learned that we have the hands of hardworking people, who can make a go at anything, and succeed! So here we go!!!
Adventure is knocking and we are answering!