Thankful.

Thankful.

The biggest thing I have learned in the past 7 months is to be thankful.  Always.  

I have had to fight the feeling of pity daily because this year, things have not turned out the way I thought they would....or should.

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A very serious cancer scare for my mom...

My husband's field of study still has very few job opportunities...

A lost pregnancy...

Numerous health scares for myself, and even my daughter...

~the list, unfortunately could go on and on~

HOWEVER...

This has all taught me to be grateful for how much I have been blessed with.  Because when you focus on the negative, hope slowly slips through your fingers.  Among the many, many things I have to be thankful for-my specific reasons for gratitude this season are...

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My mom is healthy, and despite all the worries and two major operations-she's still kickin' it.

Michael has a great job that is flexible, and he works for people he loves.  We have a roof over our heads, food to eat, clothes to wear, and extra room to still have some fun.

Though I will always grieve the baby I lost, I have learned that I am not in control. There has not been a day that has passed where I haven't thought about and grieved for that child....for myself.  My mind knows I have one child, my heart knows I have two. My miscarriage story was scary and uncertain.  We loved that baby, "organized ball of cells" that he/she was.  I am so thankful that I am safe, healthy, and that I am beyond blessed with an amazing little girl.  What a privilege.  

I am so thankful that Laura DeMars Photography has experienced so much growth this year.  I have learned a lot, and I am so excited for what the future holds.

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This year has been filled with some definite downs....but there are also a lot of up's.  I choose to focus on those up's.  I am so filled with thanksgiving for the life and family I've been blessed with.  

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
-- Melody Beattie