As I get older so many things become clearer, one of those things is that I still have so much to learn.  At the same time, I look forward to the lessons life has to teach, even though some of them are not enjoyable, in the end if I allow myself to learn from them, I find I appreciate more.

It's so easy in our day to day lives to get caught up in our own problems and issues.  Sometimes we can't see the "wonderful" around us.  We think to ourselves, "nobody could possibly understand how hard my life is" or "why should I care about that, I have my own problems".  It's when we allow the day to day issues of our own lives to blind us that we miss out on so many things, and sometimes life wakes us up, and for a little while we are acutely conscious of the world beyond our issues.

I like this awakening.  I can't pass a veteran without wanting to say thank you.  I marvel at the wonder of my children and family, each and every one being a miracle.  I now take the time to smile and lend an ear to the frazzled check out girl at the grocery store.  I rejoice in the relationships that have survived and flourished over the years, so many friends who have brightened my life and taught me so much. 

Even still I do occassionally get engulfed in the problems of running a household and raising children, and as it always does, life sent me a wake up call.  Saturday evening was pretty much a normal "same old same old" kind of night.  My four and five year olds become super charged just before bed with enough energy to power a nuclear reactor.  I was only ten feet away, but in a flash disaster struck.  Ethan, my four year old, lay on the floor having jumped off the couch and landed on his face.  I had never seen a concussion before, I hope I never see one again. It was terrifying, he threw up and could not seem to make his extremeties work.  Without any hesitation we called 911.  In seconds a thousand horrible possibilities raced through my mind, it took more then a little effort to keep from losing myself to panic.  Then, in came the police officer followed by the EMT's.  I was so relieved to see them.  I am so used to doing most things on my own it was such a blessing to know this one thing, I didn't have to.  In the ambulance as Ethan dozed, already doing much better, they kept me from panicking by asking questions.

Upon learning I had a son in the Air Force and that he was deployed they asked that I convey a message to him "Thank you, you are appreciated".  The conversation turned to appreciation itself and how today we seem to see less and less of it.  That's when I promised myself to try and stop at least once a day and find something or someone to appreciate.  I know, corny huh?  Thinking about it though I realized how a small jesture of appreciation can go a long way.  At least I know it does with me.  A small thank you for going out of my way makes me feel good all day.  A hug from a friend can make any problem seem not so heavy.  A compliment on a job well done can get me through a whole week!  So why not take a moment and give that to someone else who deserves to be appreciated?

As I put the stamp on the homemade card we are sending to the rescue squad tomorrow, I realize I have so much to be thankful for and I won't forget how this wake up call taught me about the art of appreciation.