Simple Blessings

Lately, things have just seemed hard. This year I've really struggled with the changing dynamics of my family and my life in general. I have struggled with the loss of my mother, and it has been heart-wrenching to watch my father suffer. I feel lonely. I've lost my very best friend, and it's hard knowing she is no longer just a phone call away. I would give anything to hear her voice again.

Not only has this year brought separation, it has brought a whole melange of health problems. I've been "diagnosed" with everything from RA to Early-menopause to Pre-diabetes, with no real answer in sight. I've always been a very healthy person and this new world I find myself in is often times very difficult to accept. As I was contemplating all that was "wrong" with my life today, a song popped onto the radio. I don't know the title of the song or even who performs it, but I immediately felt as though its simple, yet profound, message was meant just for me.

The lyrics, "Whenever life gets so hard you're barely hanging on....keep hanging on.", touched me. Through all of the trials and heartache this year has brought, I feel closer to my Father in Heaven than I have at any other time, and I am grateful for the simple blessings in my life. I can feel His presence and I know that He has not left me to face these new challenges alone. There are times when I'm stubborn and refuse to acknowledge His hand, but I know that He is there, still blessing my life. He sees the bigger picture, and I am reminded that we don't know His plan. Our job is to keep faith, and with faith comes hope. And hope is what keeps us hanging on.