I am so blessed!

Today we did somthing we've never done for the Super Bowl.  In fact, we didn't really watch most of it, and are just now tuning in for the very end.  Instead, we volunteered with our small group from church to make a Super Bowl spread for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.  This is something our small group has done about once a year for the last couple of years, and it's always such a great experience.  I left there today feeling very blessed by my time there and also for my healthy, happy family.

Everyone there was so appreciative of the food we prepared, and when you think about it, it was such a small gesture.  But talking to the families who are staying there, you find out that they are tired of eating in restaurants and hospital cafeterias and homemade food is all they want.  We met several families today who just stick out in my mind.

The first was a mother who was there with her son who's been fighting cancer for over a year.  Right now he's on maintenance chemo, and it's something he'll have to continue for at least a couple more years. She explained that her son had made a good friend during treatment who was also staying at the house.

We talked to two other ladies who were mother and daughter.  The daughter had given birth a week ago to a daughter at 24 weeks.  At birth she weight 1 pound 12 ounces - so tiny!  To give us an idea just how tiny this baby girl is, the daughter showed us one of her diapers - I can't even describe how small it was. But these women have such a positive attitude and were on such a high when we spoke to them because the new mother  had been able to hold her daughter for the very first time at the hospital today.

The last woman we talked to is the one who made the biggest impression on me.  Her 3-year-old daughter Briley was diagnosed with leukemia just two weeks ago, on January 21, and they had been here in Fort Worth ever since.  Their home is about 2 1/2 hours away from here.  This woman had the most positive outlook I could imagine anyone ever having after receiving that kind of news.  She talked about how if you had to have a leukemia diagnosis that her daughter's was the type you wanted and how there had been so many positive results to her tests.  Her strength and courage were truly an inspiration.  We were able to get her blog address and contact info, so I'm really looking forward to following her story.

As I listened to all of these stories, I could only think about how blessed I am.  I have a healthy family. Ryan and I have great jobs.  We have a wonderful support system with our friends and family.  Now, the problems we face just don't seem so big.  I am so blessed!