2009 Blessings

I am convinced that if we focus on our many blessings our trials begin to seem so small and fade away.  So here is my list of my many many blessings of 2009:

First and always first I am thankful for my Lord and Savior!  His grace and mercy are always sufficient.  Thank you for loving me when I am unlovable.  Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.  Thank you for coming into my heart and saving me!  I am beyond grateful and full of love and adoration for such a beautiful Savior!

I am very blessed with my amazing husband who loves me for me and is quick to forgive me of my short comings.  He always seems to know just what I need and always wants to give me the world.  Seldom does the word "NO" come from his mouth when it comes to something that I want.  He really wants to make my dreams come true.  I am thankful the Lord knows best and gave him to me when I needed him the most!

My son is still one of the greatest blessings I could ever imagine having!  I look at him and can see Gods wonder through him.  Becoming a mother has been such an amazing journey so far and I love my role as his mommy!!!!  

I am very thankful for all our family.  The Lord blessed me with some wonderful people to call family.  I am thankful for parents who love us and always look out for us even though we are grown.  A parents job is never done!!!  I am thankful for a strong sister bond that although can be tried can never be broken.  I am thankful for family vacations and the wonderful memories that we made!  

I am very thankful for friends.  Friends are the family that we choose!!! I am so thankful for strong friendships that last over the years and nothing seems to break them.  I am thankful for friendships that just keep getting better and better!  I am thankful for friendships that have been restored!

I am so very thankful for my Job.  Yes my Job.  There are too many people who dont like what they do and I truly do enjoy doing my job.  I am very blessed with some wonderful people on my team that I now dont only call coworkers but friends.  I am so blessed to be in my position and I am very thankful to God for that!!!!

Our home.  I am so thankful to have a home that is not just a house but a home full of love and  laughter.  I feel so blessed beyond measure that God would provide us with our home.  I am thankful for a husband (and a few friends) who put so much hard work into updating the house.  This year I feel that the house has truly become ours!  Now maybe 2010 will be my year of decorating and getting pictures on the walls!!!!

Our church.  I love our church and the love that lives there!  I am so blessed to be a part of a church that has such a heart for Jesus and all His children.  There is no other place I would rather be serving than there!  I am thankful for all the little children I have the pleasure of teaching on Sunday Mornings.  I have got to see these babies grow since they were infants and to see them learn about Jesus is amazing to me.  I am thankful for a Pastor who is a God fearing man and wants nothing more than to serve Jesus.  Thank you to FBCO for helping me continue to walk in the way of the Truth!

Our Sunday School class.  Such amazing people who love the Lord and love to love on people.  They are all so giving and caring.  Life's downs are more bearable when you have such wonderful people to surround yourself with.

Our health.  We in the Anderson household and our families all are in pretty good health.  Although Todd and I have had a rough two years with a certain issue, its nothing compared to what some people face.  We are very blessed that I have had such wonderful care from my doctor and his staff.  They have been there for me through this rough patch and have done anything they could to make it better.  I am also thankful for rest of my family and friends who have prayed and continues to pray for Todd and I.  They have been there when I needed them the most.  I fully believe that I am getting better and 2010 holds a beautiful miracle for us!  

I think the list could go on and on but I will stop here.  Thank you Lord for all these wonderful blessings!  Now on to 2010 to see what many blessings the Lord has in store for us!

More great pics

A Cherry On Top Photography

My sweet Boy

Thanks to Lacey @ A Cherry on Top Photography for taking these wonderful pictures.  She has been taking wonderful pictures of my sweet child since before he was born, the precious few hours after he was born, every month up until he was 1, every year, Halloween, and Christmas pictures.  She always captures every characteristic of him.  I am so thankful to have such amazing pictures to look back on and remember him at ever stage of life!!!! Lacey, I love love love these pics.  Thank you so much!!!!

Worst Day

Generally when I have a bad day there is one thing that has always made me feel better and unfortunately for me I cannot have that one thing because her being gone is the reason I am having such a horrible day.   She loved me unconditionally no matter what.  She always knew when something was wrong with me and would just sit and snuggle with me as if she was saying its ok, I am here.  Although when Todd and I married with the hectic life style we led we probably didn't need to get a dog but I have now realized why I did need her.  I think for everyone adjusting to married life that first year is hard.  You cant cry to your parents every time something goes wrong or you have a fight.  You have to grow up and learn how to start doing things on your own.  Emma was my perfect solution.  Not only did she love me and would instantly know that something was wrong, I could tell her everything and she would love me just the same and not hold anything against the person I was mad at.  Considering I had to adjust in the beginning of our marriage to not only being married but having to work full time, go to school, but also to dealing with the ups and downs of being a coaches wife, she was the one thing that was a constant for me.  Every time I came home, every time I got up in the morning, everyday she was there.  She had these eyes that when you looked at her you saw how unbelievably loving this dog was.  How could God create something so loving so wonderful that I myself  would find myself getting mad at her.   Although she would occasionally pee in the house or bark when I would prefer her not, and even the few times she would run away from me and I would have to chase her, she was such an amazing dog.  I feel  horrible now for all of the times I would be angry at her and yelled at her.  How could I have yelled at such a sweet baby.  I think Emma helped shaped me into the adult I am today and it is terribly hard for me to let go of her.  I know it seems kind of silly to be this worked up over a dog but to me she was like my child and my first child at that.  I am sure my pain is nothing compared to those who have lost a child, a parent, a sibling, a loved one but my heart is breaking.  I cant stop thinking about her and how she couldn't tell me if this is what she really wanted.  I cant help but consider myself a life taker.  I choose death for her and who am I to make that decision.  She was so happy when we left the house.  She was excited to take a ride in the car.  She was wagging her tail and happy to stick her head out the window so it left me to question if I was doing the right thing.  I know she was in a tremendous amount of pain and I could see it in her eyes this morning that she was struggling with the pain and will to go on, but why did she have to seem so happy while I was taking her to do the unthinkable?  I cant get the image out of my head of her face while they were giving her the shot, but I couldn't let her go in without me there to comfort her.  Why did we have to go to a veterinarian  clinic that didn't seem to care and had no compassion for my dog.  We had been taking her for two months and I was telling them something is wrong with my dog and they just wouldn't listen to me.  I am so angry at this clinic.  Of all people shouldn't  they be the ones to understand and have compassion for animals?  Thankfully we found a clinic who understood what I was facing to help comfort me about putting her down.  As silly as this may sound to some, I am very much struggling with if there is an afterlife for animals.  If animals don't have souls this was it for me and her.  I will never see her again and that is really hard for me to accept.  I am not sure what to believe and I am not getting much peace about any of it.  Why did this have to happen.  She was so young and cancer in small spay dogs is very uncommon so why her?  I still needed her.  I miss her incredibly and hate coming home to this house without her. I know it will get easier in time but I am devastated at losing her.  I have a book that states "Dogs are not our whole lives, they just make our lives whole" and now I feel broken.