Quiet weekend...

It has been a quiet few days around our house.  Friday the boys went to my parents place for a few days so Tracy and I had just ourselves to keep us company.  3 days without kids!  What were we going to do?!?  I was certainly looking forward to some time off from chasing the rugrats around.  We spent some time shopping and Tracy had the quote of the weekend.  We were in Target and she was just aimlessly wondering up and down the aisles and I asked her what she was doing.  Her reply, "I'm just looking.  I never get a chance to just look around."  I laughed.  She was right.  When you're toting around two boys you don't really have the luxury to just look around. 
As I said earlier I was looking forward to the peace and quiet, but honestly that lasted to about Saturday morning.  I already missed the little buggers jumping into bed and waking me up.  I even missed watching Mickey Mouse Club House and fixing the little guys break fast.  Funny how you think you are so looking forward to the time off , and then when it finally arrives you find yourself missing the noise and energy.  It wasn't nearly as fun waking up this morning without Alex climbing on the bed and making sure I was going to open his fruit snack and turn the TV on.  That's right...they get fruit snacks in the morning...its dad's little treat.
Contemplating this I was reminded of the saying that you really don't know what you've got until it's gone.  The sermon yesterday was on the 10th commandment which tells us not to covet stuff we don't have.  I talked about learning to be content with what you have and to count the blessings you already have without being consumed and preoccupied with stuff you want and think you need to be happy.  I know I take for granted my life and all the blessings I have.  How can I be thankful enough for a wonderful and healthy family, a church that I love to serve, a community we love to live in and rallies around one of its own, and the freedom to do what we want?  Is it possible to be thankful enough for all of that and not take it for granted?  I don't think so, but I'm going to try.  I do my best to thank God every day for all that I have, and I try to not take for granted the opportunities I and my family have.  While the hooligans were gone I was reminded how much I love them and how I can't take for granted the time we get to spend together.
I think the challenge for me is to be reminded in the daily grind how blessed I am.  I think that is a challenge for all of us.  I know some are struggling, but I bet if we thought about it we all could find something to be thankful for.  Let's take some time to thank God right now for all the blessings in our life.  Even if this might be a tough time in your life...think of the blessings you do have.  They are there, and you don't want to miss them!