Did you wear your green today?  After all, it was St. Patrick’s Day.  Do you have the luck of the Irish with you?

When things happen in life, a lot of times people will say how lucky you are.  Me?   I say, “I’m not lucky, I’m blessed!”

God has poured out His blessings upon my life and my family.  That is not to say that my life has always been a bed of roses, because it certainly hasn’t.  I have had my fair share of troubles in this life.  But, I am choosing to look up and thank God for life!

It is a privilege to be here on this earth.  God woke me up this morning, and I am so thankful to Him because it is another day that I get to spend with my family making memories.  It is another day that I get to love on and ride my horses.

I don’t take any of this for granted.

I appreciate each and every minute that God gives me.

There are so many that don’t get to grow older.  Their time here on this earth was cut short, and only God knows why.  My sister, Pamela, is a prime example, as is Greg’s sister, Julia.  We don’t understand why they had to leave when they did, but God knows.  He called them both home, and I believe that they are with Jesus today in Heaven.

Just this afternoon, despite my ten year old getting sick and tossing her cookies at school, I had such joy as my husband got off work early to help build another horse pasture.  My daughter, who was feeling much better by this time, was playing basketball and pretending she was Maddie off of a show called Liv & Maddie.  She would exclaim, “Bam! What!” each time she scored, just like Maddie does on this television show.  I got to watch that.  I got to hear her cute little voice raised high as she excitedly celebrated making it into her make-believe hoop (no, we haven’t yet put one up because we can’t find JUST the hoop … and we don’t need the whole structure with the base, pole, and hoop).

My point in all of this is that I got to witness this.  I was the one that had the honor of looking at my darling daughter’s face as she smiled shyly after she realized I not only heard her but was watching her play the entire time.

No, I’m not lucky to get these memories-in-the-making or these precious moments with my daughter … I am BLESSED!

I had the chance to go alongside my husband to help build this new pasture and pull the fencing tight to ensure the horses didn’t escape from their new home.  It was hard work, but I was the one standing next to him pulling the fencing.  I shared this moment with him, and we got to bask in the glow of the fruits of our labor when we put two of our horses in the new pasture after our project was complete.  We did this.  We were blessed to be able to make a new pasture for them and work together to accomplish what we did tonight.

And, I am blessed to share little moments with my now-adult-daughter!  She’s 18 now, and I know that my time with her at home is coming to a close in the next few, short years.  I am not prepared for this, yet I know it is approaching sooner than I care to think about.  Until then, though, I get to tease her, just as she loves to tease me, and we get to share inside jokes together that we just smirk over and some times just bust right out laughing because it’s something that only she and I know about.

Oh yes, I am blessed, even though she only wants to focus on her bands and not her future and what she’s going to do when she graduates in May … as frustrating as it all can be at times … I am still blessed, and I thank God for these moments with her.

I thank God for allowing me to be present and in her life all of these years.  I have always prayed that God would allow me to be here for both of my children as they grow up and to allow me to see them graduate, go to college, get married, and have children of their own.  I have often said that I want to be an old lady rocking her great-great-grandbabies on her front porch.  And I still want that!  I want to be in good health so that I am able to help my children with their children and things around their house.  I pray that God will grant this as it is my heart’s desire to be here for my children, and I do pray that God will allow me to be healthy for many, many, many years to come in order to lend a helping hand when needed as they become independent and start lives of their own.

When so many grumble about turning another year older, I count it a blessing to be here all of my 43 years and beg God for 43 more!  No, there won’t be any grumbling or complaining about turning another year older for me.  I’ll be thanking God for one more year with my family and pleading for many more years to come.

So on this St. Patrick’s Day, I’m not lucky … I am BLESSED completely and totally by GOD above!  And I thank Him.  Oh how I thank Him for ALL of the many blessings in my life.