Would You Like Some Cheese with Your Whine?

Jiminy Christmas - what is up with these blog posts? Suck it up, already! Maybe it's because it's Friday, maybe it's because I'm done wallowing, maybe it's because the family photo is done - whatever it is, my usual optimistic mood is back. And halle-frickin'-lujah, it's about time. I have so much to be happy about and thankful for. I just need to get over the negativity.

Sunday, I saw a little girl at the counter at QuikTrip (the best gas station on the planet, I might add). She was somewhere between 5 and 7 years old I would guess. Adorable - long, soft, curly brown hair, glasses, sweet smile, bubbly attitude - and suffering from some kind of disability that kept her from being able to walk. Her mom had to carry her wherever she went. She also had had a tracheotomy at some point. But she was happy as a lark.

We smiled at each other. And it was a genuine smile on my part. Not one of those, I'm-going-to-smile-because-it's-the-right-thing-to-do kind of smiles, but one that you can't help but make because the other person's joy is infectious. I left with tears in my eyes, thanking God for blessing us with healthy babies. And then I realized, the real lesson here is not to be thankful for that (which I am), but be joyful in the face of adversity. And really, what adversity do I face, middle-class, employed white girl with a happy marriage and 2 healthy kids? In the big picture? Nothing.

Seeing that little smiling face was a gift from God. I wish she could know how much she blessed me.