On the Bright Side

A picture of Cole and Logan looking on the bright side...

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

In the past month we have made three trips to the ER (two for Cole, one for Lauren), Cole had a colonoscopy, have found out we were pregnant (a little more than a month ago) and then we lost the pregnancy, Cole has had pnemonia and with it developed a huge fear of doctors, Logan has had pink eye. Just this week our car was broken into, Logan got hand, foot and mouth disease which led to a fever of 103.7 and I (Lauren) pinched a disk in my neck leading to lots of shoulder pain and lots of medication. So, needless to say there has been a lot going on. While it is easy to focus on the "bad," there are several verses that I have seen lately that call us to pray for everything, and to be thankful--so, I thought I would list what I am thankful for (this list is by no means exhaustive).

So, here are a few:

1. There is something more. No matter what we are going through God is with us and won't let us go.

2. My husband. I am so blessed to be married to him--he has been a great partner in eveything (both good and bad) that we have faced.

3. My Cole. I love his rambunctious spirit. He is so fun and also so loving. He is a wonderful son and big brother.

4. My little Logan. He has brought so much joy with his spirt and I am loving watching him grow.

5. My baby angel. Althought we never met him, God allowed us to created an angel for His kingdom. And as someone told me "all he knows is love: he was created in love, we loved his in my tummy and now he is with his Father and loved in heaven."

6. My extended family. Our grandparents, our parents (the kids' grandparents), sisters, brothers-in law, aunts, uncles and cousins--They pray for us, love us, encourage us, hurt with us, read my blog...

7. My friends. We have been blessed to know so many wonderful people that have prayed for us and loved us.

8. The church body. (They are also included in our friends.) They have called and emailed and prayed for us.

9. My MOPs group. They have been so supportive with their calls, encouragement and meals.

10. The doctors. We have seen some wonderful doctors that have cared for us and helped us get on the medicines we need and give us encouragement. My doctor for the miscarriage and Cole's doctors have been an incredible support.

11. Our health. Although little things do come up, we are overall healthy and happy.

There are so many more things to be thankful for. In all of the "bad," something good has come out of it. We feel so loved and when I look over my list I can see God in each situation. He has provided for us and has surrounded us with love. I could list so many more blessings. Thank you, God, for blessing us.