I have a blessed life, thank G-d.
I live in MY country...The land that G-d gave me and my people. I have a loving husband who would do anything for me and two beautiful precious babies who fill my life with joy, laughter and challenges that make me a stronger and better person when I overcome them.
Sometimes, after a long day with the kids, unfortunately, I can lose sight of just how incredibly blessed I am. Instead of remembering the outpouring of blessings that I'm surrounded by, I'm focused on the fact that all my close friends with babies live too far away.That I can't see them on a regular basis, as we don't have a car. That shlepping two babies on public transportation by myself gives me the heebie jeebies. I'm focused on the small apartment we live in where my big boy has very little room to roam and explore in. I'm focused on the fact that he hardly ate anything that day. Or that my baby girl cried a lot. Or that the kids hardly napped. I'm focused on the fact that Hubby slept through the night and I haven't done that since before I was pregnant with our first.
Being a wife and an Ima are both TREMENDOUS brachot( blessings). Every minute of every day, I am given opportunities to grow and improve as both a wife and as an Ima. Sometimes I grab those opportunities and succeed, while other times I fail miserably. I guess it's all part of learning how to balance a relatively new marriage ( three years on Aug 11th) and two babies under the age of 1 1/2.
So after a long day with the kids, instead of focusing on the fact that all my close friends with babies live far away, I am slowly working on developing friendships with women with babies who live within walking distance. Instead of focusing on the small apartment we live in, where my big boy has very little room to roam and explore in, I am grateful that we can provide our kids with lots of toys and activities to keep them busy and I look for opportunities to take them out to the park in order to roam free. So what if my boy hardly ate that day? He obviously wasn't hungry. He's very expressive and great at letting his Ima know what he wants or doesn't want. If he was hungry, he would have eaten. So, my baby girl cried a lot. Okay. She just wants her Ima to hold her, caress her and tell her she's loved. So, Hubby slept through the night again. Lucky him. He's blessed with the ability to zone the world out and get a restful sleep. I could really learn from him...
One of G-d's many missions for me is to work on and improve my Hakarat HaTov( gratitude). To look at my life EXACTLY as it is and to be grateful for all of it. Hubby is a champion of Hakarat HaTov...If there were a medal for it, he'd win First Place over everyone I know. He expresses gratitude on a daily basis for even the smallest of things (like that I washed his undershirts...Or that I changed the sheets on our bed). If I bought a sweet watermelon, he is thankful. If someone gave him a ride from the train, he's filled with gratitude. "Thank you" just rolls off his smiling lips with so much ease... I have so much to learn from him in this department...
It's all a matter of perspective. One can focus on all the things lacking in their lives or on all the abundance of blessings that surround them.
I choose to view my glass as half full and I thank G-d that I married the perfect man to help me improve that quality.
With Love,
Cigal
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