Gratitude

This week has given me a lot of time for reflection. The kids have been sick all week and so we have been housebound which has given me a lot of time to think back on the past year and all that I have been blessed with. (I also found it handy to count my blessings so I wouldn't get too frustrated with the amount of times I was puked on this week).
I was thinking back to this weekend last year and feeling particular gratitude for a body that is healthy and functions well. I just have to say that I am so grateful for a functioning bladder.......yes, bladder! When I gave birth to JA last Dec.6th it ended up in a frightening emergency c-section in which my bladder was cut in all the rush. As a result I left the hospital with a new born, a 13 month old and a catheter! Dragging that horrid thing around with me for over two weeks and facing the possibility of surgery to repair it if things didn't heal quickly gave me a whole new appreciation for all the parts of our body that just work and for a Heavenly Father that did such an amazing job designing the human body. I am of course beyond grateful for a healthy baby despite all the life threatening complications and I am grateful to be a Momma of 2 after all our fertility struggles.
The missionaries came over a couple weeks ago and talked about the birth of Christ and how the inn keeper had no room for Him. They extended the in vitiation to let Christ in to our lives this season. They also asked us if they could share a Christmas message with some of our friends. I am a big wimp when it comes to sharing the gospel but gave them a handful of names and felt the spirit so strong as we prayed about it. They dropped by this week and told us about visiting with our old neighbors who let them come in and want to hear the discussions after the holidays and said that they had been looking to have religion in their lives! I am so grateful for our Savior who came to earth over 2000 years ago. I am even more grateful that 2000 years later he still knows us and answers our prayers and that he still comforts us and stands by us and that he still preforms miracles (I received a phone call this morning about one such Christmas miracle that I will share with you later).
I have been truly blessed and for that I am more than grateful! I hope that you all have the Merriest Christmas.