I really don't have much to complain about. I am truly blessed and know that I have so much to be grateful for. Sometimes, regretfully so, I forget this and have to be reminded that things are not as bad as they seem.
It was a high strung day, thanks to the inconsiderate neighbors of mine, she couldn't nap {yet again} because of the loud screaming and stomping that echoes throughout our home. I was ready for a brake. By brake I mean a breakdown and the resting time I get when she actually gets to nap. Well, it wasn't happening this day and it hadn't for a whole week straight.
As you could imagine she and I were up to our heads in weariness and grouchiness. She'd been extra clingy due to lack of rest and her molars coming in. All of this meant I hadn't had one second free. I realized it was dinner time when she began asking for food and pointing to her dishes. My heart sank. She allowed me the 15 minutes I needed to steam some veggies and reheat the left over meat. I began to cry a little as I sat her down and began our meal time prayer. God reminded me of how blessed I was to have food to give her. I couldn't help but imagine not having the means to do so.
There was a time in my life when all my mom had to give me was sugar water. We were homeless and lived in a car. She would fill my bottle with water from a hose or public restroom and find or ask for sugar packets in restaurants to add to it. Sometimes they would give us bread and we would eat our meal in our broke down car. When I remember living in shelters and in garages or sleeping on someone's couch, I can't help but cry. Not from pity but from a place of gratitude and awe. It's my understanding that God kept our family alive.
There's a story my parents love to tell: It was a cold a rainy night, all the money we had was gone and my dad or mom couldn't find work. We were still living in the car and had not even a crumb to nibble on. My dad not really being a man of faith prayed for a miracle and after he prayed my parents decided that begging was their only and last option. As my mom stepped out of the car she heard a crunch beneath her feet. She lifted her foot to find a crisp $20 bill. Yup, it was dry and brand new.
Like many people my age, I often dream of owning a home and can get frustrated with shared walls and obnoxiously high rental prices but, on days like these all I can do is thank God for our health and providing food and clean water for my baby girl to eat and drink. I live in a clean and safe environment, I never worry about where we will sleep. I don't think I live a lush life but, then again I do.
I don't have a lot leftover but I know I have all I need.
As you could imagine she and I were up to our heads in weariness and grouchiness. She'd been extra clingy due to lack of rest and her molars coming in. All of this meant I hadn't had one second free. I realized it was dinner time when she began asking for food and pointing to her dishes. My heart sank. She allowed me the 15 minutes I needed to steam some veggies and reheat the left over meat. I began to cry a little as I sat her down and began our meal time prayer. God reminded me of how blessed I was to have food to give her. I couldn't help but imagine not having the means to do so.
There was a time in my life when all my mom had to give me was sugar water. We were homeless and lived in a car. She would fill my bottle with water from a hose or public restroom and find or ask for sugar packets in restaurants to add to it. Sometimes they would give us bread and we would eat our meal in our broke down car. When I remember living in shelters and in garages or sleeping on someone's couch, I can't help but cry. Not from pity but from a place of gratitude and awe. It's my understanding that God kept our family alive.
There's a story my parents love to tell: It was a cold a rainy night, all the money we had was gone and my dad or mom couldn't find work. We were still living in the car and had not even a crumb to nibble on. My dad not really being a man of faith prayed for a miracle and after he prayed my parents decided that begging was their only and last option. As my mom stepped out of the car she heard a crunch beneath her feet. She lifted her foot to find a crisp $20 bill. Yup, it was dry and brand new.
Like many people my age, I often dream of owning a home and can get frustrated with shared walls and obnoxiously high rental prices but, on days like these all I can do is thank God for our health and providing food and clean water for my baby girl to eat and drink. I live in a clean and safe environment, I never worry about where we will sleep. I don't think I live a lush life but, then again I do.
I don't have a lot leftover but I know I have all I need.
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