Miracles and Gratitude

 We capped off a very tough week with a wonderful weekend, and I am ever so grateful.

I’m all about finding beauty...even in the hard times...but you’d better believe I appreciate the good when it’s good! (I didn’t always...I used to waste those precious moments worrying about when the weather would turn.)

This week I experienced a happy accident and a really odd “miracle.” They will both go down in the books of my gratitude awareness.

I was trying to capture this beautiful moment...when our frigid world warmed a bit and we finally got our house-bound boys outside.  

We took a walk to the park...it was a hike, actually, as we had to trudge through the snow. So, we let them play (pics to follow...) for a bit and treated them to the shortcut home.  

We generally do not take the shortcut, but it is such a fun (though short...hence the name) experience...a little uphill path cut out through the trees. And, as we broke into the clearing (and our neighborhood), it was so lovely a view - the boys, their dad and Jesse trudging ahead to the sunshine. I, once again, removed my gloves to take the photo...

And...I dropped my phone in the snow.  

Undeterred, I wiped it off and took the pic, anyway. I couldn’t tell if anything came out, but it was worth the shot...

...this...a most artistic display! And don’t you think it truly captures the beauty of the struggle we just went through?!! What a happy accident! 

It was one of those days...the moment of relief after struggle. And the funny thing is, you never feel this grateful ANY other time than AFTER you have suffered.  . I guess it’s just the human experience.  

We relished in the moment my boys were able to walk on the frozen creek for the first time.  

Firsts are soooo invigorating!

...and life sustaining.  

Beauty all around us. Matt asked me to capture this. Undisturbed footprints in the snow. We decided it was likely a squirrel who left the tree. I didn’t really care. It was his beauty to appreciate, and I played my part to honor that.

I have other ideas of beauty...which apparently includes my family walking uphill ahead of me.  .  (I sure seem to have a lot of those! I’m sure there’s an analogy somewhere.)

But on to the miracle. After about four weeks of refusing to eat and floating on his side 90% of the time, Oscar appears to have pulled through. He ate readily today, and he is swimming normally in his new tank. (A rehab facility in my room...close to me...where I can frequently inspect.) He misses the yogurt container, I’m sure, but honestly I think we are both just happy he has healed.

Have you EVER heard of a fish surviving after 4 weeks of illness??? Matt says he would have flushed him a LONG time ago. Poor Oscar! I wouldn’t have flushed him if he died!! Thank God he has ME to look after him.

Sometimes the miracles aren’t at all what we would expect. And the tragic losses are beyond our grasp. But I, for one, will continue to find hope in the beauty of the struggle. Amen?

Goodnight, my friends. The lovely weekend is giving way to a very full and busy week. Let’s take it one moment at a time and hunt for the beautiful and miraculous...what do you say?