Gratituesday

So this lady has a great idea - Gratituesday. It's a day to reflect and give gratitude to God for the things we have been blessed with. I thought today that I would join her because this week I feel I have so much to be grateful for.

Things have been a little tough lately. My little Chelsea is the most amazing little girl you've ever met, but of course everyone has their challenges and my little girl's biggest challenge has been sleep. It definitely hasn't been as difficult as some stories I've read, but the pace for this I-need-8-or-9-hours-of-sleep-a-night mommy was difficult to keep up with. Since she was really small she has had a hard time going to sleep and staying asleep. I have read pretty much every sleep book in existence and every philosophy on infant sleep that there is in an effort to educate myself and help my little girl. The only problem with that is that everyone thinks they're right and thinks that other philosophies are wrong, which makes for a very confused mommy.

So a couple weeks ago I was stewing over all these sleep philosophies when Chelsea's sleep took a nosedive. She cut four teeth pretty much all at once followed by a cold complete with ear infection and the cutting of two more teeth at the same time. She couldn't sleep for more than five minutes at a time and would wake up exhausted and unable to go back to sleep. The only way she would sleep is if someone held her upright.

I was exhausted. I cried, I prayed, I cried some more. I wondered what in the world I was supposed to be doing. What did I need to learn and where could I find the lesson? And then I started to understand. It didn't come in one moment, but in a series of moments. As I turned my focus back to those things that are most important - my faith in a Father in Heaven who loves me, my Savior Jesus Christ, and my family - I realized that my Father in Heaven saw more in me than I saw in myself. I realized the lessons that I needed to learn were not about Chelsea's sleep, but about where to turn when trial strikes. I learned that I can't do everything alone; and even more important I learned that I'm not alone. And then general conference came. I felt like a starving child being fed the most grand meal ever served and I ate it up. I am so grateful for living prophets and apostles who are willing to teach me those things that are most important to know. I count these last few weeks as some of the most treasured in my life.

Chelsea's sleep is still a challenge and probably will be for a while, but today I give thanks that she is my daughter. I am humbled to know that my Father in Heaven trusted me to be her mother and that Chelsea trusted me to teach her about life. Every day I see so much hope, love, and spirit in her eyes. She will grow up to do amazing things and I am so grateful to be a part of that. I adore that girl.

Today I also give thanks for a husband who is so patient and so kind. I am so grateful for his partnership and for his love.

But most of all I'm grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ who knows who I am, knows how I feel, and knows how to help me through every trial; whether big or small. I am grateful to a Heavenly Father who knows what I can become and gives me trials that help me to see that vision too.