Hi Friends! I hope all is going well and you are enjoying the crisp fall weather. I can't believe that we are approaching the end of the year and that November is in two days. So sit back and enjoy by rant/stories. I am actually really grateful that October is pretty much over. October was a really, really hard month for me. If not on the daily, definitely on the weekly, I had challenges that really pushed me to my limits. Just when you think your life is going smooth, buckle up, because that is when it is likely that trials will come. It's just a matter of how you handle them, which if you rely on Heavenly Father, you will get through them. Obviously I'm not going to go day by day of what October brought, but I wanted to touch on a few things.
The beginning of the month I fell really ill and before I went in to the doctors, I thought I was having a miscarriage. No people I am not pregnant, but I was experiencing those same symptoms when I had my first one, except no blood. Once I went in, even the doctor was stumped. Because he wasn't sure, I was subjected to many tests to narrow it down to a diagnosis. Before the tests began, here is the list of what they thought it was: Kidney Stone, pneumonia, stomach ulcer, or pancreatitis. I had several urine analysis', blood draws, a breathing test, and a chest x-ray. I was literally at the doctors office all day, when all I wanted to do was sleep and cuddle E. In the midst of this, they believed to have found a grade 1 1/2 heart murmur (where some doctors can hear it and others can't). Between all of the testing, I cried in my car, overwhelmed with the fact that I didn't have an answer of what was causing me to be in so much pain. Embarrassingly enough, I even cried in the doctor's office while getting my blood drawn. I cried when they told me to come back, I cried on the way to go pick up E. I was not well. After several hours and after I forced myself to go to school, I was told that I had a mild case of pancreatitis. I had to go on a cleanse and practically eat nothing so it would flush itself out. Unfortunately I was not given any pain medicine because my case was mild. Most people are hospitalized for the pain, however, I felt "okay" and let my body heal at home. I walked around like an old person for about a week, slept a whole lot, and watched a bunch of Netflix. It took about 10 days to feel 100% again.
In the middle of this 10 days, I had to go get an echo cardiogram (an ultrasound of your heart) done. The tech took so many images and was really quiet. I was convinced it was really bad, because her body language was hinting at that. After my appointment, I was told I would get my results in 2 business days. No. I didn't, so of course I kept stressing myself out about it. Over a week later, I finally got my results. It was confirmed that I do have a slight murmur, but there is no cause for concern. Basically I just have to watch it and if I experience any chest pain to go to the ER. Great... but really I have so much to be grateful for because I didn't want to have surgery to get it fixed.
Among all of this, there were other, rather smaller, trials that I had to face too. It was hard. Of course with medical problems, bills follow and pile up. There were days that I would get so beat up and find myself getting short with E and Spencer. Or even just feel sad. I was in self pity mode (which is natural when facing trials). Then I would remember that I hadn't read my scriptures or even said a prayer of gratitude. Once I did those I immediately felt better and my mood would shift. I was constantly reminded that while trials are hard and demanding, I never have to go through them alone. A grateful heart is the one way that makes me feel better. (No pun intended knowing that I truly am grateful for a considerably healthy heart with a murmur!)
I love the upcoming holidays. Everyone always seems to be a little extra grateful for the little things instead of the big things. During every challenge that I face, I really do try and find ways to be grateful for that challenge (which can be harder than you think). I always ask, "Alright, I am going through something hard and challenging, obviously I am supposed to learn something from this. It may not always be a big lesson, but I always learn something from each trial. I am a big journal keeper and there have been many times when writing down things that I am grateful for in the middle of trials, which make me feel like I can conquer anything. I wish everyone could always be grateful. Grateful for who they are, what they have, and the little tender mercies (that may seem like annoyances when hoping for something big). I also try to serve others when I am in the middle of a trial. When people say "Thank you!" Doesn't that just make your day? It does mine and I always let them know I am grateful for them as well. Service and being grateful can literally cure any sadness or doubt. So; with that being said, I am going to do a challenge and I encourage you to all participate. It is not unheard of to have a grateful challenge for the 30 days of November. Here is the challenge (hopefully you can continue it for more than 30 days). There are a few different parts to this challenge-
Part 1:
1-Buy a cheap journal from the dollar section at Target/craft store/Amazon
2-For each day in November, NO MATTER WHAT you are going through, write down at least one thing you are grateful for that day. It can be simple like, I put on make-up today, or big like passing a test or getting good news about a medical problem. Write your feelings and why you are grateful for that.
Part 2:
1-Make a list of 30 different people that you are grateful for in your life. Really push yourself on thinking of 30 people either in your close group of friends/family or ones that you only see a few times a year.
2-For each day in November, make it an effort to tell all 30 of these people why you are grateful for them. Send them an email or text, or go old school and send them a letter. Do something that you are comfortable with to express your gratitude to them. I understand that this may be difficult, but I promise that it will make you feel better.
3-Keep track of the responses and your feelings while doing so.
When the 30 days are up, I would encourage you to read all of your thoughts and see if you can tell a difference in your attitude about things. Save these for when you really need them. So I am going to start right on November 1st. Let's all be a little more grateful for everything we have and may we be able to show how grateful we are to others. I am truly blessed to have all of you in my life to buoy me up when I need it most, especially to those who help me get through trials.
Go forth and BE GRATEFUL!
(Here are just a few pictures of my family who I am extremely blessed and grateful to have!)
The beginning of the month I fell really ill and before I went in to the doctors, I thought I was having a miscarriage. No people I am not pregnant, but I was experiencing those same symptoms when I had my first one, except no blood. Once I went in, even the doctor was stumped. Because he wasn't sure, I was subjected to many tests to narrow it down to a diagnosis. Before the tests began, here is the list of what they thought it was: Kidney Stone, pneumonia, stomach ulcer, or pancreatitis. I had several urine analysis', blood draws, a breathing test, and a chest x-ray. I was literally at the doctors office all day, when all I wanted to do was sleep and cuddle E. In the midst of this, they believed to have found a grade 1 1/2 heart murmur (where some doctors can hear it and others can't). Between all of the testing, I cried in my car, overwhelmed with the fact that I didn't have an answer of what was causing me to be in so much pain. Embarrassingly enough, I even cried in the doctor's office while getting my blood drawn. I cried when they told me to come back, I cried on the way to go pick up E. I was not well. After several hours and after I forced myself to go to school, I was told that I had a mild case of pancreatitis. I had to go on a cleanse and practically eat nothing so it would flush itself out. Unfortunately I was not given any pain medicine because my case was mild. Most people are hospitalized for the pain, however, I felt "okay" and let my body heal at home. I walked around like an old person for about a week, slept a whole lot, and watched a bunch of Netflix. It took about 10 days to feel 100% again.
In the middle of this 10 days, I had to go get an echo cardiogram (an ultrasound of your heart) done. The tech took so many images and was really quiet. I was convinced it was really bad, because her body language was hinting at that. After my appointment, I was told I would get my results in 2 business days. No. I didn't, so of course I kept stressing myself out about it. Over a week later, I finally got my results. It was confirmed that I do have a slight murmur, but there is no cause for concern. Basically I just have to watch it and if I experience any chest pain to go to the ER. Great... but really I have so much to be grateful for because I didn't want to have surgery to get it fixed.
Among all of this, there were other, rather smaller, trials that I had to face too. It was hard. Of course with medical problems, bills follow and pile up. There were days that I would get so beat up and find myself getting short with E and Spencer. Or even just feel sad. I was in self pity mode (which is natural when facing trials). Then I would remember that I hadn't read my scriptures or even said a prayer of gratitude. Once I did those I immediately felt better and my mood would shift. I was constantly reminded that while trials are hard and demanding, I never have to go through them alone. A grateful heart is the one way that makes me feel better. (No pun intended knowing that I truly am grateful for a considerably healthy heart with a murmur!)
I love the upcoming holidays. Everyone always seems to be a little extra grateful for the little things instead of the big things. During every challenge that I face, I really do try and find ways to be grateful for that challenge (which can be harder than you think). I always ask, "Alright, I am going through something hard and challenging, obviously I am supposed to learn something from this. It may not always be a big lesson, but I always learn something from each trial. I am a big journal keeper and there have been many times when writing down things that I am grateful for in the middle of trials, which make me feel like I can conquer anything. I wish everyone could always be grateful. Grateful for who they are, what they have, and the little tender mercies (that may seem like annoyances when hoping for something big). I also try to serve others when I am in the middle of a trial. When people say "Thank you!" Doesn't that just make your day? It does mine and I always let them know I am grateful for them as well. Service and being grateful can literally cure any sadness or doubt. So; with that being said, I am going to do a challenge and I encourage you to all participate. It is not unheard of to have a grateful challenge for the 30 days of November. Here is the challenge (hopefully you can continue it for more than 30 days). There are a few different parts to this challenge-
Part 1:
1-Buy a cheap journal from the dollar section at Target/craft store/Amazon
2-For each day in November, NO MATTER WHAT you are going through, write down at least one thing you are grateful for that day. It can be simple like, I put on make-up today, or big like passing a test or getting good news about a medical problem. Write your feelings and why you are grateful for that.
Part 2:
1-Make a list of 30 different people that you are grateful for in your life. Really push yourself on thinking of 30 people either in your close group of friends/family or ones that you only see a few times a year.
2-For each day in November, make it an effort to tell all 30 of these people why you are grateful for them. Send them an email or text, or go old school and send them a letter. Do something that you are comfortable with to express your gratitude to them. I understand that this may be difficult, but I promise that it will make you feel better.
3-Keep track of the responses and your feelings while doing so.
When the 30 days are up, I would encourage you to read all of your thoughts and see if you can tell a difference in your attitude about things. Save these for when you really need them. So I am going to start right on November 1st. Let's all be a little more grateful for everything we have and may we be able to show how grateful we are to others. I am truly blessed to have all of you in my life to buoy me up when I need it most, especially to those who help me get through trials.
Go forth and BE GRATEFUL!
(Here are just a few pictures of my family who I am extremely blessed and grateful to have!)
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