My gratitude stems from lessons I learned during our time in Guatemala. That time is close to my heart and probably always will be. I never realized how much I had till I didn't have it anymore. Now I am even more grateful for all that I have and I want to share some of those things that mean so much to me, even now, a little over 2 years, later.
I am so grateful for clean drinking water. Other countries don't have the luxury we do to have clean water that we can drink. Often just drinking the water from the tap, you would get some sort of parasite and would be sick for days. Because we had to buy our drinking water from the store in Guatemala, often times we would find ourselves drinking more soda than water, because we needed to conserve our water for other things. I am so grateful for the water that comes from the tap and for our Brita! What a blessing it is to have clean water in our homes.
I am also so grateful for door knobs. In Guatemala, all we had were gates and latches/ locks. Anytime we went in or out of the rooms in our home, our door would lock. We had to tie a string to the inside of the door so we could open the door without having to unlock it every time. It was a little bit complicated and didn't look very pretty. I am grateful to live in a home that has door nobs.
I am grateful for a washer and especially a dryer, even if I have to pay for it. ;) At times I remember having to wash my clothes by hand and there weren't many dryers in the town we were in so we air dried our clothes on a clothes line. It was a day, sometimes two day, long process. It is such a blessing to be able to have our clothes washed and dried within a few hours.
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| Awww...look how little she is ;) |
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| Guatemala Power lines |
I am grateful for electricity. We had electricity in Guatemala, but nothing like here in the U.S. Our internet down there was also, so slow that we would have to pause netflix every so often to let it load...it's so nice to have fast speed (well in my mind fast speed) internet!
The power would also, either go out or be shut off often and randomly. And with no electricity, that meant you also didn't have any water...we are so blessed!
I'm grateful for my bed! Oh man, this one I look forward to every single night! We slept on a twin mattress for 5 months, me and my husband...together. Some people have thought I may be a little silly for making a big deal out of this one, but it really was hard sleeping on a twin mattress with 2 of us trying to stay on the bed at night. I was also pregnant at the time so it made it especially difficult. So far in the course of our marriage, I have slept on an air mattress for over half of each one of my pregnancies and as most women know, pregnancy isn't always the most comfortable thing so...yeah...I am so so soooo grateful for my queen sized bed!!
I'm grateful for comfy blankets! Anyone who knows me well, would know that I can't be without a comfy blanket, especially at night. The country of Guatemala doesn't have many comfy items around and I had a difficult time adjusting to the fabrics there. I remember one night, we stayed in a hotel and when I saw they had soft towels, I cried, because it had been so long since I had felt anything soft. I am so grateful for comfy things!
I am grateful for privacy. Oh boy, do I treasure privacy. We basically didn't have any for 6-7 months. Our home was 3 rooms straight off of a patio area. The people in Guatemala sure did know our whereabouts. ;) Plus, you had to be very quite or write down certain information so that others could not hear. The people were very good at ease dropping down there and would make very good use of the information they received. ;)
I am grateful for an oven. All we had in Guatemala was a gas stove with 2 burners. It made it hard to cook all the things we were use to eating. We had to learn a whole new way of cooking, but we survived. I am also, so grateful for a microwave. We have had one for almost a year now and it has made life so much easier. Cooking can be done without one, but it sure does make it a whole lot easier! ;)
Lastly, I am so grateful for our car! We went 2 years without a car before getting the one we have now. The day we got a car was a beautiful day and every day I thank Heavenly Father for the great blessing of having a car. It's not the perfect car, but it gets us around and I am so grateful for that blessing in our life!
My experience in Guatemala and the memories I've made during that time, has helped me to keep gratitude for these simple things alive in my heart. We have been blessed with so much! Each day I try to always remember those blessings and recognize the new blessings that come my way! It's the little things that make up the big blessings! Take a moment and look at the little things in your life that make up the big things. Your life is so good and you are so blessed, just look around! :)
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