Right Where I Want To Be

This week has been all sorts of craziness and at the end of the day, I feel grateful that I've been allowed to be exactly where I am right now. I've been given the opportunity to do things for loved ones this week that remind me that my favorite role is that of The Helper.

Scott got sick for like the first time in a year (at least) on Tuesday night. It was so strange to be sending him to bed, making sure he was eating and drinking enough, and stacking up extra blankets as he burned with fever and shivered at the same time. All to often he ends up being the caregiver for me. I am grateful for the opportunity to have the tables reversed a bit. That said...I'm all too grateful that he is feeling better now. It's hard when my "babycare backup" is out of commission and I am it. I am grateful to have a husband who is so willing to help out, and the reminder of how much he does for us. You never realize how much you love and rely on someone/something until they aren't there anymore.

Kevin has been a funny little cuss this week. Sometimes I think we are hitting the emotional roller coaster early with her--one minute she is screaming and the next she is giggling. The other day she had a giggle fit everytime she looked at Scott. He didn't even have to be looking back at her--she just saw him and she started laughing. Then last night I'd put a bib on her to keep her from drooling all over her pjs before bed and as I walked away she ripped it right off. The girl has attitude. I am so blessed to be her mommy. Even when she cries and I can't get her to go to sleep before 11:00 at night, I cuddle her a little closer, sing a little softer and longer, and kiss her a few extra times.

A friend of ours sent his special someone on a mission this week. Poor guy. We love him, and we know what the whole waiting game is like, and we also know what makes the waiting game easier and what makes it harder and this poor couple seems to have made it as hard on themselves as possible (sorry Jonny). I am grateful that he has sought our advice and come to us for comfort. I love being available when a friend is in need. There really is nothing better than being there for someone.

My grandmother passed away this past Sunday. I surely miss her. My aunts and uncles asked me to help write her life sketch and to share some of my memories of her at her funeral. This is an exceptional honor for me as my grandma has 30-ish grandchildren. I have been stressing over my talk all week. Trying to put a lifetime of memories into a five-minute talk is impossible--and choosing what to include and what to keep out is an equally daunting task. I just want to do her memory justice. Today I spent over an hour reading through her personal history. I am so grateful for the record she so caringly put together for her posterity. Love for her God, her husband, her children, and her grandchildren fills each page. I learned things about her I'd never known before. And at the same time, I am grateful for all the things I do know about her--things that I learned from growing up next door, from living with her for a few short months, from weekly visits and taking time to serve her. I don't regret any of that time and I know she knows how much I love her.

Today I mopped my mother's kitchen floor for the first time in at least two years. I'd forgotten how much time goes into that job to truly make the tile shine (my little sister took over while I was on my mission and does it most often now). I am grateful that Heavenly Father has placed me in a position where I have been able to be there for my family this week. I have learned that there is no such thing as sacrifice when you are giving up something that would have blessed only you in order to bless the lives of those you love. Such an opportunity is an honor, and I am grateful that my siblings allowed us such an experience this week.

In the end, I have learned this week that I am exactly where I want to be. I am grateful for opportunities to follow through on promptings from the Holy Ghost and serve those around me. This week has taught me that I have so much.


PS- I am also unbelievably grateful that the ridiculous "Twilight" sensation is coming to a close with the release of the final movie today. I am a PROUD anti-Twilight woman who thinks all of those books should be burned...well, at least the fourth one should be burned for sure, the others are just stupid. I know, I have read them. They have no literary merit whatsoever. And to moms of teenage girls everywhere--beware, there is a REASON that the final two movies were almost given an "R" rating!