Abundance...

Abundance, blessed, lucky, ...call it what you want just make sure you are thankful for it. All of us are given things that we should be thankful for but yet many times all we hear from those around us is negativity over what they don't have, what they want, etc.
I know I used to be a real Debbie Downer and focus on all the things in life that I wanted but wasn't lucky or blessed enough to have. I would look at women around me who could afford the nice cars, nice houses, nice clothes and say to myself, "How come I don't have that life?"
I remember one very important day in my life, one that changed my view on my life ever since. I was in Wal-Mart (surprise, suprise) and I had my kids with me, those of you who have multiple children know what that trip is like. Kids asking for everything they see, arguing over who gets to push the cart, complaining that they can't get a new toy, etc. I remember thinking to myself, geez I wish I would've stopped at one, I know I am not the only mom who has said this in their head at one point or another. In that moment we turned a corner and went into another aisle where there was a mom and her teenage daughter, why would this sight change your entire look on life you ask? Well as I turned that corner I saw a mom bent down wiping the drool off her teenage daughter, you see she was in a wheelchair, apparently paralyzed and had no control over her bodily functions. In that split second I apologized right then and there to God and told him, "You're right, I'm a jerk, thank you for what you have blessed me with". I found myself trying to hold back tears the size of Texas and as we turned to head down the next aisle I stopped for a moment and hugged my babies and said a little prayer for forgiveness and thanks.
You see in life it's not about what you wear, what you drive or what Coach bag you carry. What matters most are the things that have been given to you not what you have bought. I realize now that healthy children are a blessing, just because you have a child doesn't guarantee you that it will be a healthy child. I realize now that love is a blessing, there are many people in life who never find true love. I realize now that talents are a blessing, many people do not posess a talent that will live on generations from now.
No I don't have that new Camaro that I want (blue with white racing stripes please) no I don't own my dream home (though I visit it often since it's a model hm), no I don't have any designer clothes or accessories (the whole Coach thing is just ridiculous btw) , no I don't have nice furnishing in my home (hand me downs from many people actually ha ha). BUT what I do have is a house that feels like home, children who are happy, healthy and laugh a lot, a loyal husband that loves me unconditionally and a career where when I go to work I create life images that live on for generations to see.
Be thankful for what you do have and don't focus on what you don't have, life is too short for that.