I must admit. I started feeling a little sorry for myself today. My daughter was in the ER last night, and is still having trouble breathing. She got diagnosed with asthma today. Our retaining wall broke, and will cost a fortune to fix. Our garage flooded with mud and water & lots of stuff got ruined. My grandmother has been in the hospital. Everyone had to miss our daughter’s one year old birthday party because of hospitalizations and emergencies. OK – - – - so there was my list of complaints, and that is what I had been concentrating on & feeling sorry for myself about.
So – I have decided I need to quit my pity party & improve my attitude.
Here is what I am thankful for:
My sick 3 year old:
1. Now that we know our daughter has asthma, we can hopefully treat her more effectively.
2. I am a nurse, so I do know how to take care of her.
3. She is able to be treated at home right now rather than be in the emergency room.
4. Yes, the medicines are making her crazy and cranky, but I am so thankful that we have them for her.
5. I know that God loves her even more than I do, and actually cares more about her than I ever could. Hard to believe but true.
My retaining wall:
1. Yes, it will cost a lot of money to fix it, but fortunately we live below our means & have money in the bank to fix it. We don’t have to worry about lines of credit or even what we have to cut back in. That is a TRUE blessing. That is why it is SO important to live below your means and save up money for a “rainy day” (Pun intended. LOL!)
My flooded garage:
1. It only flooded the garage, and not the house. Thank God for that!!!
2. We had a great shovel and rubber thing on a stick to scape out all the mud and water.
3. My husband was already home from work today because of our sick 3 year old, and was able to do all the heavy lifting for me.
4. This is a little thing, but my toilet paper and paper towels that were floating in water . . . . actually stayed dry on the inside and can still be used.
5. My hubby pointed out as well, that a lot of things that had gotten ruined I had bought with coupons, so it’s not like we were out money.
6. Once we got the mud out, it didn’t look nearly as bad.
7. My hubby has been wanting to clean out the garage, and this gave up the “motivation” to do it today.
8. Both our daughters took a nap, so we could work on it together. This is amazing considering my baby got 5 sticks this morning at the doctor & our 3 year old is taking prednisone and albuterol.
9. It is 60 degrees outside, and a beautiful day.
10. I haven’t gotten to play in the mud since I was a kid. It is almost fun splashing in mud puddles. (-:
My grandmother:
1. She is out of the hospital now.
2. She is a Christian.
My daughter’s one year old birthday party:
1. She won’t remember.
2. In the whole scheme of life, it is really not a big deal.
So, I feel much better now, and am planning on have a great rest of the day finishing cleaning out the garage and spending time with my wonderful family at home. And, I am so glad that we can be at home since our daughter’s NOT in the hospital anymore & our actual house is safe and dry. So there is my positive note on a day that has not been the most pleasant, but is improving by the minute!
Amen to that! My day started out pretty rotten too but I believe we can choose to make it better if we try. Thank God tomorrow is a new day and we get to do all this all over again. I hope your babies get to feeling better!
Take Care!
Ann
I’m so glad you were able to find all the positive things in what had once seemed like tragedies. That, in itself, is something to be thankful for. Many people in your spot might have continued the pity party and neglected things that had to be done or people who had to be loved. You didn’t do that, and being able to see the silver lining is something to be thankful about for sure =]
I’m glad your little one is feeling better!!
I have been following your blog for a few months now and haven’t had a chance to say hi. I just read about your 3 year old daughter and her trip to the ER. I thought that this was my sign from up above to introduce myself and tell you about my daughter who was rushed to the ER when she was 3 yrs old. Her name is Chandler and she is now 14 yrs old and hardly ever has to use her enhaler. I can remember the night that she first started having trouble breathing. Her lips became pale blue and she was having such a difficult time breathing. Her little body was so limp and weak. My husband and I drove her to the ER, he ran her inside, carrying her in his arms, and I parked the car. He told me that as he ran in, he told them that he had a little girl who was having trouble breathing. They opened those big doors and took him right on back. They took them back so fast, that by the time I parked the car and ran in, they were already in the back checking on her. Thank God we had great, caring doctors and nurses. I will forever remember them and be grateful to them. But, I did want to let you know Chandler’s story. She was in the hospital for 3 days, inside of a oxygen tent. Once she came home, she used an elbuteral machine and I carried an enhaler with my everywhere I went. I kept and enhaler in my car, my husbands car, and in almost ever cabinet in our home. Once Chandler started school, I talked to her school nurse and her teachers and informed them about her asthma. They kept and enhaler for her in the nurses office. The older Chandler got, the less and less that she needed the enhaler. She is 14 now, and she still has flare ups, but they are far and few between. If I can even answer any questions, or help with anything that is on your mind, just email me at silver_britches1980@yahoo.com.
I will keep your family in my prayers,
Stephanie in GA
Stephanie – That is very encouraging! I really appreciate you sharing that! That does make me feel better. I am hoping that she will keep getting better the older she gets. Thanks so much for taking the time to introduce yourself! That is a great testimony about your life as well. I am so glad that you have been able to turn a bad situation around, get a job and provide for your family. That is amazing! Have a great week! Rene
Oh, I did mean to tell you that it is ok to have those “pity parties”. I do that myself from time to time. In Nov. 2003, I was in the best shape of my life, running 7 miles a day and a former Miss Georgia finalist. All of a sudden I was in the ER myself with what was finally diagnosed as a paralyzed stomach. After, that other organs began to shut down, and as of today I have had 17 major surgeries. I am disabled and unable to get out and work from home. Finding your group, and other like you have been a life saver for me. I have found a way to put my skills to use and have a job again. A way to provide for and save money for my family. God is Good!
Thank you for all you do,
Stephanie in GA
Hi Renee – My daughter was also diagnosed with asthma when she was 3 after 2 emergency room trips and hospital stays within 2 months. She’s 4 now and the asthma hasn’t flared up in quite awhile. Hers only acts up when she gets a cold or respiratory infection so it wasn’t serious, but she’s not on any medications for it anymore. We have some albuterol to give her through our nebulizer if breathing problems occur, but it hasn’t in more than 6 months (through flu season, so far, thank God!). So keep your head up, hopefully your daughter will be one of the many who recover within a short amount of time. As a rather obvious side note – be sure and work closely with your doctors as far as medications. We had some problems with side effects that we didn’t recognize for awhile, and I wish someone had told me that so I could have kept my eyes out from the beginning! Prayers!
Thanks for the advice and taking the time to comment! I am hoping that she will get better soon as well. She seemed much better last night, but this morning woke up sounding really bad again. I hope it’s just because it’s in the morning though. I am also really glad we’re not having to stay in the hospital this time! Rene
Rene, I admire you so very much! It is your great attitude that makes things better! Nothing is an inconvenience when you have faith and great attitude. You turn a negative into a positive! Glad to know you daughters are under control and doing better. You are simply awesome.
Awww Thanks so much for your kind words, Myrah! I really appreciate them!!! Rene
Rene – We will keep you and your family in our prayers. What a wonderful attitude – so not easy to do when everything feels like is falling apart! Think of it as a character builder! Hang in there!
i am glad your daughter is ok and is diagnosed and i am a nurse and know that it can not be treated better :) also just a passing thought :) totes in basement from now on :) our basement flooded in ohio and then we went to totes now i do not worry :)
That is a lot of horrible stuff to deal with at one time! :( The great thing about writing down things to be thankful for…is it helps you to be thankful. Very encouraging!!
That was so great that you could take all the negatives and turn them to positives. Way to go!! There’s a lesson there for me. Thanks ;-)
I wanted to let you know that number 5 on your list of things to be thankful for, really struck a cord with me….I had an ‘Aha’ moment. Yes God loves and cares for our children more than we do. (Yes it is possible) I took it a thought further…he loves us the same way….I’m still processing that…letting it sink in….and getting all teary eyed when I am able to realized some of that inmensity. Thank YOU for sharing your thoughts and letting God use you to make us realize some things. May He continue to bless you, lead you, comfort you, and give you strengh through your journey.
your post is very encouraging and it is so full of being thankful wonderful
I love how you are looking at the bright side of things!!!! I try so hard to do this as well… and it can definitely be challenging, but it’s definitely important!!
Thanks for linking up over at Garibay Soup :)
Great positive attitude!
I hope things are better now! It’s great that you can see the silver lining when things get icky. Take care!
Thanks again everyone for all the kind comments! Rene
WOW! You have really had a time and I want you to know that I am praying for God to bless you abundantly! I know that during rough times in my life, God has really come through for me when I stopped complaining and started praising Him anyway. I am sure you are bound to see a flood of blessings with your awesome attitude. Living below your really comes in handy when “life happens” I appreciate all that you do to help myself and others do the same. I took a class at church called Financial Peace University and Dave Ramsey really hammers it in when he says “Live like no one else now, so you can live like no one else later” (rice and beans now for a debt free but very prosperous life later :-) God bless you and your family!!!
Sincerely,
Jan Archer
Yes, I agree with him whole heartedly! Makes a HUGE difference!
Even in adversity you are blessed. I am so glad you are able to see the better side of a very difficult day. Pity parties can be fun, but they can’t go on forever- unless you intend on being unhealthy!!
Thanks for linking with Make-Do Monday and sharing your insights with others through Make-Do. Please visit again on this next Monday and have a wonderful weekend.
Shari
Make-Do Mondays @ Practically Perfect Life