Carrie Wigal

(I began writing this about a week and a half ago…)

I’m sitting out here on my front porch enjoying this beautiful spring-like weather. My 3 year old daughter is playing in a tree, “swinging like ‘George, the monkey’ (Curious George)”; my 2 year old son is falling fast asleep on my chest/lap; my 12 year old stepson is on a field trip at school visiting the middle school he’ll be attending next fall; and my husband is building a 3-tiered flower bed in our front yard for me to start planting. Ahh, the life…

I used to dream about days like these when I was single, working my 9 to 5 accounting job, and now I’m living it. No, I’m not independently wealthy, but I am blessed beyond measure. A few days ago I was sobbing in our basement over the woes in my life (I’m 5-1/2 months pregnant), and my husband encouraged me by reminding me of the blessings we have. Yes, the stage we’re at right now is hard (building a home-based business, raising small children with another on the way…all living in a house that is in a constant state of remodel), but we have so many wonderful things to be grateful for. What we need to do is keep our blessings right out in front of us at all times, reminding ourselves how good our life really is.

So, today, I’m counting my blessings, starting with those who are nearest and dearest to my heart.

• My husband. Ty is the most giving and loving father a woman could want for her children. He pays attention to them and gets down on his hands and knees and plays with them…all the time. He believes children should be children, not mini-adults. While some may criticize his casual way, allowing them to run around, get dirty and explore new things, I appreciate the freedom he’s instilling in their lives. He is also a caring and patient husband, putting up with my hormonal mood swings (pregnancy does that, you know) and making every attempt to understand my needs while admitting he doesn’t have a clue about me sometimes. I love him so much.

• My stepson. Tyler came into my life and captured my heart when he was 5 years old. My number one dream about a family someday was to be a little league mom, and Tyler has made that possible for me. Although he has a passion for video games that I could never understand, he’s incredibly talented in baseball. I love to watch him play! He also has a refreshingly sweet spirit. He’s a ham with a video camera and loves to wrestle with my husband. I personally enjoy hearing him laugh most of all.

• My daughter. Lauren amazes me every day with her ever-increasing vocabulary and developing personality. While she didn’t talk much prior to turning 2, she sure is a talker now. She enjoys reading, going to church, watching PBS, singing her ABC’s and helping me do laundry. What a delight she is. My favorite time with her is laying in bed, holding her and singing Jesus Loves Me and telling her she’s “wonderful, beautiful, special and smart” and that I’m so proud of her.

• My son. Michael is a phenomenon to me. He catches and throws a ball like no other 2 year old I know. (He just turned 2.) He also loves to run & kick a soccer ball…the coordination of this child baffles me. While I think he’s a natural born athlete, there’s no doubt the time and energy Tyler spends with him teaching him how to “play ball” really plays a big part. And he loves balloons…hours and hours of pure delight when there’s a balloon in hand. How precious. While he’s a rough and tumble kid, he calms and comforts me when he rests his head on my shoulder to sleep.