Wednesday's Wealth

This has been the hardest post I have ever written. It has taken me 4 hours! Maybe you will understand why by the time you get done reading it.

This week, I have been ruminating on the wealth of talents that the Lord has given me. He has blessed me in so many ways, and for this I am grateful. I was making a list for myself, so I could enumerate my blessings. I have a tendency, and I don't think I'm the only one, to forget the blessings that I'm not using at the time. And when someone asks me what I do, I often can't even remember!

One of the biggest blessings He gave me in my life, and one I will never forget, has been my mother.  She gave me my love of all things arts and crafts. I made my first ceramic fish when I was 3. She taught me to sew when I was 8, and she never stopped teaching me. When she got cancer, she taught me about courage in the face of formidable odds. She taught me how to face what ever life throws at you with acceptance and humor, and how to die with grace. She also taught me all my life not to brag or be boastful, so it's a very hard thing for me to be able to say, "I can do that and I can do it well." But today, I'm going to list the talents the Lord gave me, mostly via my mom, and I'm not going to feel guilty. I'm not meaning to brag, I'm just listing what I'm grateful for. And so here goes....

I am grateful that I can sew, knit and crochet. I can draw and paint. I can do woodworking (thanks, dad) and tole painting. I can make toys and purses and hats and wallets and aprons and all kinds of things. I can take an item and make a pattern for it, and most of the time I don't have to take it apart to do it. I did at one time make all my clothes and all my children's clothes, even jeans. I have made shoes, real ones, and  coats, suits, and underwear.  I can do almost any craft I put my mind to, and some I wish I couldn't. I read really well and love to do it. I helped write 3 volumes, each about 700 pages, on the history of a little town in Nevada called St. Thomas.  I can do upholstery and make curtains and drapes, which has come in handy many times. I can cook. I can follow a recipe for something I've never made and have it come out right. I was blessed with the ability to have babies. My mother had 8 miscarriages and lost one baby before she got me, and my oldest daughter lost 3 babies before she got her first, so I feel truly blessed. I know there are other blessings and talents, but I can't think of them right now.

Unfortunately, I am like most other human beings, and I just can't seem to be grateful all the time. Sometimes, I feel put-upon or taken advantage of when I really don't want to do something I'm asked to do. But I can honestly say, that doesn't happen very often. And that is because He also blessed me with a willing heart to go along with everything else. I LIKE to do things for others. I enjoy being so busy that I can hardly think straight. And it drives my husband crazy! When I have 16 projects all going at the same time, he's the one pulling his (hypothetical) hair out while I'm humming merrily along. Then when everything is done, I crash. But I still like it. Sometimes I get so caught up in the things I'm doing for others that I lose track of my own family, and that's not a good thing! Just ask them.

25 of my 26 biggest blessings!

Anyway, I feel the Lord has blessed me mightily, and I want to share. So now that I'm getting older and don't teach anymore, and don't drive anymore, I blog. I try to share some of what I know on this blog by creating tutorials for projects I like and think you might like, too. What do you all do? What blessings have you received that you share with others? How do you share? Leave a comment and let me know.

Now, after 4 hours, I am done. This is probably the most boring post I've written, along with being the hardest, and I'm sorry for that. I will try not to bore you ever again! Remember your blessings! Remember to thank the creator who gave them to you. You can feel His love when you use your talents, so say "Thank you." And remember this....anything is possible for two people, as long as one of them is God. Until next time,