Thankful

This holiday weekend is bringing out the better side of me. I like it! I'm really excited for my kid's party at school - they are so cute in their little costumes. It's also FL/GA weekend, as always it pairs with Halloween. I'm a little nervous about the game, but I'm gonna have faith that my Gators can pull it off strong. In fact, I'm gonna have faith that everything will be okay. I've been on edge lately because of our finances. We can afford everything we NEED, but not everything we WANT. Sometimes it's hard to make that distinction. I was at a garage sale this morning and a retired-age woman was selling some men's things. I assumed they were her husbands things, until she said "My son passed away 3 months ago and now I need to get rid of some of his things. He just collected so much stuff!". There was an old pair of cowboy boots in a box, clearly worn often, and I said "I bet he had a lot of fun in these!". As I walked away, I heard a baby crying in the house, and all I could think about was whether that baby was her grandchild, and if that baby's father was this woman's son. I didn't ask, but I didn't have to. I think it was one of those times where God sends me a little message about how blessed I am, and to stop worrying about all the little things and instead focus on the amazing gifts I have been given. It also made me sad to think that this woman had to bear the burden of the death of her son. There has been a lot of tragedy around me lately. A friend of the family was killed by a stray bullet in Jacksonville, leaving behind her three young children and husband. A colleague lost a pregnancy after 5 months gestation. Another colleague was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This week is teaching me that I must be thankful for every minute I'm given with my loved ones, and to do the things that I love with them and for them. When Lily does something good, I say "Good Job, Honey". When I don't say it right away, she asks me to say it because she needs to hear it. Perhaps I need to listen a little more closely to the cues around me to hear "Good Job, Steph". I think we all need that validation that we are on the right path. I'm thankful for the blessings bestowed upon me, and I'm trying to be more grateful and appreciative to the One that provides for me.

Hello, My Name Is...

The kids and I went to church last night for a new program they are hosting on Wednesday nights called "Little Friends of Faith". It's a gathering for kids 0-4 and a chance for parents of young kids to mingle and fellowship, and they provide dinner, so I was the first to sign up!! The first order of business was sign in and get nametags. Lily wrote her own name (though she still has a little trouble with the "y"). I put Luke's nametag on his back because he kept peeling it off. After Lily was coloring for a few minutes, she looked up at me and said I spelled my name wrong. Embarrassed, I looked down but realized I spelled "Steph" correctly. She said "No, but Mommy, it doesn't have an M in it!". Oh my goodness, I laughed so hard with my whole heart! What a sweetie! Of course my name is MOM, not Steph! And that has been a pivotal moment for me. Who am I? So many different titles throughout my short life so far...maybe even a few not-so-nice names at times...I'm having a hard time deciding who I am these days, but more importantly, I'm having an even harder time deciding who I want to be. What name goes on my nametag next week? Perhaps just "BLESSED".