Thirty Five Miles From Home

At mile marker 402, I had a moment. Nothing profound or earth-shattering. I was jamming along to some tunes, and for some reason, my heart just filled up. Let me explain a little.

Back in February, I went back to work. It was one of the hardest thing I've ever done after being a stay-at-home mom for eight years. Hard, of course, because I had to leave my babies. Really hard, because I had to leave my babies 150 miles away for 4 days a week. My job is in Colorado Springs, and we don't live there. (We will soon, but I'll get to that in a second.) My husband had to fill the two parental roles, as well as continue his job.  Thankfully, I work with amazing people, and my supervisor has allowed me to work from home one day a week. But needless to say, the last few months have been rough.

There is light at the end of this tunnel, though! And it's not a freight train! School lets out at the end of this month, and my family will be joining me in Colorado Springs! I cannot wait!

So back to this moment. I was heading out I-70 toward Kansas...music from a new CD filling the car (I like to listen to it loudly!)...the bright blue Colorado sky sprawled upward from the horizon. And I was close to home. I have a wonderful husband, awesome kids, a fabulous job, a published book, cool brothers, a best-friend mom, great friends, and a God who loves me. Wow. I paused, despite the car's 75 MPH (perhaps a little more than that) movement, and spoke a whisper of gratitude.

I may not have as much as other folks, but I know I have a whole lot more than many. I'm one of the lucky ones. Blessed ones. And you know something? I'm pretty happy. My life is good. And I'm not saying that to rub anyone's nose in it. I just hope I can encourage you to look at your life and find the joy. There's so much to be thankful for.

And in choosing joy, you're going to find your happiness.

Blessings, my friends.