How Do You Know You've Been Blessed?

There are some things in life that we take for granted. One of the easiest things to take for granted is a friendship. A friendship can be so hard to hold on to. People grow up, move on, life goes on without one another. Fortunately though, on rare occasions Heavenly Father will place people in your life that will literally make life an amusement park. How do I know I've been blessed? Look at these pictures. Each one of these pictures bring me back these amazing memories with the most generous loving people I have had the opportunity to meet in this lifetime. Heavenly Father blessed me with an amazing support system throughout my life and High School especially. My 17th Birthday when everyone accommodated my want and dressed up all vintage like. The first youth conference when we hit it off. When we went to the haunted farm and corn maze. When we all played paint twister for Maggie's 16th Birthday and then washed up and went to the movies. When we dragged a couch around the city and pulled it out in front of the baseball  field during a game. When we went to an Ice Skating activity, and I didn't fall and hit my head, mostly because I was too afraid to skate anyway. When the girls went to see the Batman premiere and Batman and Joker both showed up. When Maggie and Orville escorted me around Walmart wearing Storm Trooper Masks. This doesn't even begin to cover all of the amazing good times I've been lucky to have with these kids. They have literally helped shape who I am today. They are all a blessing in my life. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. There is no way that I could name all of the memories we've had. One of the saddest things I will ever have to do is leave this behind. I have had a lifetime of friends like these. Some of them have even been my friends for a lifetime. One of the best things about our group is that we like all relationships, have had some bumps in the road. Whether it be jealousy, or not thinking of others feelings, or judgments made without truth. Its safe to say that its been a rocky road. But every night we spent anytime together, no matter who was mad at who, there were always hugs and thoughtful words of goodbye. Even if someone was mad at someone else, we still got along! There were never screaming breakout fights. Although there were a few interventions... Most of the time we put our differences aside and shared memories regardless of what might have been going on. I don't know... Its definitely a  hard relationship to describe, but I know that these people were a blessing from God to me. From destroying Sam's house with toilet paper once every year to playing chubby bunny with huge marshmallows or tiny gummy bears. This kiddos always made my days brighter and nights longer. Like I said though, people move on, grow up, life goes on. Sadly that's happening, well for me. Slowly our relationships have become distant. That's okay though. It just means that all of us are having new doors opened in our lives. Going to college will be weird without these kiddos. Especially when my best friend wont be there. Yet its good to know that no matter what, I know that I could go to anyone of these kids with anything in the world, and they would be there for me. That my friend, is how I know I've been blessed. 

What Does God Have in Store?

There's one thing that I've struggled with my entire life. It's nothing big. It's a blessed struggle. I count my lucky stars that its the hardest thing I've had to face. Some people would say that it's not even a struggle. They would say that I'm just thinking about myself. Well they would be right there. My biggest struggle in this world is being an only child. Yeah you probably just laughed and rolled your eyes, and I don't really blame you. Yeah I am a spoiled brat. But one thing I will always miss out on that you have, is the love of two siblings. My parents may have been able to buy me a car because they don't have six mouths to feed. But let me tell you, I would trade that car for a brother or sister any day. I think that those other only children out there can attest to this also. It's not my parents fault. They didn't choose this, it's no ones fault. It's just the way it is. Heavenly Father had something else in store. It's good to know that eventually my mother will get to raise other children. It's good to know that I have spirit brothers and sisters. It's just hard, in this life, to be alone. I won't be able to go to my little brothers football game. I won't get to help my little sister get ready for prom or her first date. I won't get to give my little brother advice on girls or set him up on dates. It just won't happen. I won't get to fight with a sibling and know that at the end of the day I will love them no matter what. All of these things and more have become things I live with. Yeah it may not seem like it's a big deal. It's just sad. I will say though, that the family I was put in was not by accident. God new exactly who and what I needed. Being an only child has helped me learn and grow and be independent and yet so dependent on Christ. It's has given me a relationship with my savior that I don't think I would have if I had siblings. Christ is my brother. He's the closest thing I ever have had to a brother and the closest I will ever get to a brother. His love or me was so strong that he died for me. He bled from every pore in his body. For me. Christ did it so that I could live with our dad again one day. He literally gave everything he had to make sure that I could always be a part of the huge family we have.  He knows every pain, weakness, and strength I have. He knows every thing I've ever done. I can follow him. Heavenly Father didn't give me siblings, and I believe a big part of that was to help me understand that I have siblings. Everywhere. He gave me a love and bond with Christ. The best brother in the whole world. The best brother I could have ever asked for. I can go to him, and he will make me feel better. I love it so much. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that although I have had this struggle to face, it wasn't without cause. If you have siblings on earth with you, please love them with every inch of your soul. Let them know how wonderful they are. Remember to be there for them no matter what. If they mess up be there to help fix it. They need you and you need them. For those of you like me, who didn't have siblings, or maybe lost your sibling, remember that you are not alone. Your never alone. God has a plan for you. Just keep looking for it. So that's the point. No matter what your situation may be, remember that God has something in store. Because he loves you. He knows you. He loves you.