Wednesday, January 16, 2008

52 Blessings

Weeks 1 & 2: A Father in Heaven who hears and answers prayers AND having my immunization records.

I'm going to do two blessings this week because I want to be on the same week as Amy so I can easily keep track by looking at her blog when I get behind! (maybe she can keep me on track.)

I loved Amy's introduction to her starting the 52-week blessing posts. It inspired me to go back and re-read Elder Eyring's General Conference talk. On Sunday I did so and I became really excited to record some of the many blessings that I have. As I pondered, I realized there have really been some amazing things that have happened to Nate and I this past year that need to be recorded for our memory and for our children (and us) to know (and remember) just how much our Father in Heaven looks after and loves us and our family. So I plan to do that on my 52 Blessings as well as a gratitude journal I've started.

President Eyring's advice was to sit down every night and ask the question: "Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children?"

In closing he testified that Heavenly Father "loves us and blesses us, more than most of us have yet recognized." I hope that by doing my journal and the 52 Blessings on my blog, that I can learn to see His hand more in my life so that I can give Him the proper thanks (even though that's probably not possible) for all He does for me.

Enough blabbing . . . onto the blessing for the week!

Every mother knows what this is a picture of . . . the dreaded immunization record. Shots are the bane of motherhood because you never know just how hysterical your child will be (or not be) and then there's the pressure of keeping it in a safe place for their whole childhood; hence, the beginning of my story.

Savannah is only four (well, almost five), but her shot record looks like it's a lifetime old. I don't care what it looks like, I'm just grateful to have it.

In December, I planned to get the girls updated on shots. Trying to be prepared, I found the records and had them out on my desk. The day for shots got changed and the records stayed on the desk.

Then the day came and I went to grab the records which were nowhere to be found. Ugh! I had no other copies of their records and Savy starts kindergarten next year and has to have her shots caught up and proof of the fact. I searched and searched. Then I prayed and prayed. The minute I prayed, I knew they were out in my garbage can.

I hate clutter and I clean our desk quite often, but I am usually careful because Nate likes little scraps of paper for writing down phone numbers and important info. So I like to think I'm careful about not throwing away just anything - especially shot records! Preposterous that they would be in the garbage I thought, I'm much too careful for that. Can we all say "pride." So I searched everywhere one last time and I still knew they were in the garbage.

So out to the garbage can I went. Two garbage bags and a puddle of rain water is what I found upon opening the lid. I quickly discovered, of course, that the one from the office was on the bottom in the rain water. Taking it onto the back porch, I started the job of going through the garbage and quickly found them right there at the bottom, wet and dirty. Immediately I thought how quickly my prayers were answered (if I had just listened sooner) and how blessed I was because it hadn't been a garbage day (and we have two each week) when my shot records would have been gone forever to a dump.

After a session of lysol disinfectant spray and then a good blow-dry, we were off to get shots. I'm kind of glad they look so trashed because now every time I go for shots, I can remember how blessed I am and how Heavenly Father really does listen to our prayers and cares about our problems and is willing to help.

4 comments:

Nina Jones said...

Mandi, thanks for the meaning of a blessing I sure do need this reminder... I love your comments those shot records are like a bible once your child gets into school so watch over them well... Love you!

Nina Jones said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Megan said...

Don't you hate it when pride gets in the way, happens all to often. At least you went out finally and looked. The idea of digging through the trash is horrid to me, I'm proud of you for doing it, I know how you feel about dirty things and germs.

Mandy said...

I'm so glad you found your records and I'm glad after asking for help you knew right where they were.