So Blessed

Tonight I sit here in amazement. It's taken me approximately two hours to go through all the heartfelt messages, blogs, texts, and msn messenger notes from everyone thinking about our family. I get at least 3 messages a day from people I've never met, people Mark has never met, just loving, faithful people that have heard about us "through the grapevine" or from reading someone's blog, or from a prayer chain requested by someone who loves us. It's brought Mark's faith back in people. He said tonight, "I'd given up on people, but really, people are still good."

This experience has already been such an eye opener for us. We have taken so much for granted. Our marriage; our relationship as partners and as friends, we need to focus on that and nourish it more. Our children; we need to spend more time together as a family, doing silly family things that bring us closer together. Our friends; we need to chat more, get together more, play and love more. Our extended family; we need to be in more contact with each other, let everyone know that we DO think about them and pray for them and miss them when we can't be together. Our co-workers; let them know how much we respect them and appreciate the experience of working with them and getting to know them. Our lives are filled with so many people that we can be sharing with, congregating with, worshipping with, partying with!!! We have realized that we take it all for granted, that everything that we've been given in this life could be taken away in a second and we'd live with regret of not appreciating every opportunity.

It's an amazing thing to go to the blog of a friend of a friend of a friend, see the picture of my family on their page and have a post about us, asking for more prayer. PEOPLE STILL DO STUFF LIKE THAT?!? Wow. To see God's hand through these people's kindness and ability to think about people that are not in their own "circle" is humbling to say the least. It makes me want to be a better person, a better friend, a better Christian.

So I thank you, not only to those visiting and reading my blogs, but also to the people that they tell, and then the people that are told after that! And for all the prayer that is going up for my beloved, for all the kind words, for all the support, the well wishes, the blood donated, the offers for help, the encouraging words, the visits even knowing that you couldn't come in, but just to drop off cards and let him know you cared enough to come. We are blessed indeed. And we thank you. And we love you.

God bless you all as he has us.