Counting Fingerprints and Blessings

 Raising kids is difficult. Maintaining a household with kids is difficult. Balancing work and a home life with
kids is  difficult.  Today, it got a little easier.

I am a mom of a 2.5 year-old little man and a 13 month-old little lady. They are awesome kids with stellar personalities.  I've  always said, "I know how lucky I am".  It's one of those things I would say, but  not really process.  I processed it
today.

You can see my patio doors from the counter in my  kitchen. Making lunch today, I looked out and couldn't even see outside,
the  fingerprints were so dense.  Tiny little fingerprints, handprints, and yes, a  couple of mouth prints (courtesy of my little lady).  I thought, "Oh my  goodness, I JUST cleaned this window yesterday and it's covered again!".  I  grabbed my Windex (eeshk, I know, chemicals...but I like my Windex!) and paper  towels and headed to the door.  It seems like I clean that window daily (don't  even get me started on how much I vacuum...I swear there is more food on the  floor than in their mouths)  As I was cleaning my children's DNA off the window,  I began to think.  I began to think and I
began to process that statement that I  mentioned that flies off my tongue without thought.

I am lucky to have little fingerprints to wipe off patio doors.  I am lucky to have to vacuum crumbs off the floor 3 times a day.   I am lucky to pick up toys off the floor.  I am lucky to do multiple loads of  laundry filled with little clothes each day.  Lucky is not a strong enough word.   I am thankful, I am blessed, I am loved.

Too many people in this world do not have what I have.  Too many people are dealing with infertility.  I have close friends who  have struggled for years trying to conceive.  Fertility drugs, IUI, IVF,  miscarriages.  I have seen these friends give up, defeated by
their own bodies.  I couldn't imagine wanting a baby so badly, trying everything to make it  happen, and be forced to accept that it's never going to happen.  I cry for my  friends and their struggles.  I, myself, didn't have to deal with infertility.   I was able to get pregnant easily both times.  I know how lucky I  was.

Today, while looking at those fingerprints on the  patio door, I realized how truly blessed I am to have tiny fingerprints to wipe 
off.  To have crumbs to vacuum up multiple times each day.  And to do countless  loads of laundry each day ( Seriously, I could laundry in the Olympics).  There  are too many people out there who would give ANYTHING to wipe fingerprints,  vacuum constantly and wash tiny outfits.  I need to remember this.  I need to  remind myself of the blessings that I have created that cause my daily chores.   I no longer look at them as chores.

So today, I am thankful for little handprints on patio doors.  And it is now that I truly know how lucky I am.

Meagan Duetta

Blessed mother of two little blessings who teach me more than I could ever teach them.

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