Today, I want to express my gratitude. Colton and I have been extremely blessed lately; I have been able to see the hand of the Lord in my life many times in the past few weeks.
First, Colton was blessed to find a stable job with a steady income. When the election season did not end up as we hoped it would, we expected to face the challenge of unemployment again. We lived through it once before and were prepared to do it again for a while. Not too long after his last job was over, Colton received not just one out-of-the-blue job offer, but TWO! We immediately recognized that the Lord was looking out for us and prayerfully considered which one to take.
For the first time since I met my husband, he has a job that he loves. And the best part? He gets to be home a lot more. I can't even begin to describe how wonderful it is to have him home again. I no longer feel lonely and like I'm living the life of a widow; he comes home in time for dinner and we enjoy our weekends together. WE FINALLY GET TO BE NEWLYWEDS! No more 9 am to 1o pm workdays; no more 80+ hour work weeks. I'm excited to finally have precious time with my husband, for us to enjoy our time together and really learn everything there is to know about one another. I'm grateful that God knows me and loves me and has given me this blessing that I so desperately need and desire.
Second, Grandpa Buxton passed away. It might sound strange for me to say that I'm grateful for this, but I truly am. Grandpa had been suffering from strokes, heart attacks, and prostate cancer for the past several years. He had been in and out of the hospital 8 times in 6 months. It was hard on the family to watch him suffer through so much pain and heartache. I only have been a member of his family for a little while, but he meant so much to me. He always made me feel welcome and special. I learned so much from his example about how to love and serve others, even at your own expense. He was really the only Grandpa I ever had and he showed me what being a Grandpa should be like. I love him for making me feel like a special granddaughter. I'm grateful for the close relationship he shared with Colton. I'm grateful to know that our goodbyes are only for a short time before we will see him again. I look forward to the day where I get to learn more from him and laugh and joke with him again. You can finally rest now, Grandpa.
Third, I got a job as well. I had been interning last semester at a physical therapy clinic in order to graduate. I learned a lot from this internship and really enjoyed my time there. I was pleasantly surprised my last week of the internship when the physical therapist offered me a part-time PT Tech position. I was THRILLED! It felt so good to know that he appreciated all of my time and hard work as an unpaid intern and that the clinic had come to rely on my help. There were times throughout the internship that I was really discouraged; it was very difficult for me to put in so much time and effort without any pay. However, I can see now that the Lord was teaching me a lesson. He humbled me; and once I was humble enough to be grateful to have the learning experience instead of complaining, he blessed me with the desires of my heart.
Lastly, I am in my final semester at Brigham Young University. I will graduate in April with a Bachelor's degree in Exercise & Wellness, something that I love and am very passionate about. I don't care that people say it's a pointless degree; I don't care that people say it won't get me anywhere. I have learned valuable information throughout my studies that will keep me and my family healthy and happy, and that is extremely important to me. I am very grateful for the opportunity and privilege of studying at BYU, of working towards a college degree and achieving it. I know that an education is one of the most important aspects of our lives here on Earth. And as if making it to my last semester wasn't sweet enough, I received a surprise notification that I had been selected to receive one last scholarship. Because of the unexpected funds, I was able to replace a broken laptop that was beyond repair and fairly expensive to replace. Again, the Lord knows the concerns and desires of our hearts. If we have faith in Him, he will provide.
What are you grateful for today?
