Enjoy  these inspiring stories of people conquering what may have seemed unconquerable. We do not need a traumatic event to unlock the empowering celebration principles. Resolve to embrace the gift of life and create a life filled with joyful moments.

 

May you feel hope when life seems hopeless and experience a joyful and joy-filled life in spite of difficulties and trials. I invite you to take your life to a new dimension by living in more gratitude and joy.

E-mail your story to CelebrateWithJoy.@gmail.com.

 

Stories of Celebration! 
Susan
 

Baby Milo 
Born June 21, 2008 
Celebration Story Written by his Father

 

Sue's water broke at 3:10pm on Saturday the 21st. After having been to the hospital twice before for this pregnancy, we were a little cautious about running off the hospital again. I was asking Sue if she was sure she was sure. I had been working in the yard and to the dump and was completely covered in dust and dirt. I felt I needed to rinse off quickly before we could go.

[I realized later that if Sue's amniotic sack had ruptured completely as 99% of them do, our delays in getting to the hospital would have guaranteed that Milo would have been dead before we even arrived at the hospital.

 

We got to the hospital within about 10 minutes and walked to the labor and delivery area. The nurses put us in a room and did all the normal things, such as attaching monitors, to get Sue ready for a normal delivery. She asked for an epidural. An anesthesiologist named Vince administered it and was more professional than most of the staff we had at St. Luke's.

[Having the epidural when she did, allowed Sue to remain calm while Milo's cord was being pinched. This more than likely helped keep blood flow open if mother stresses, the umbilical cord can constrict, which would have shortened the time that Milo had.

 

The nurses, Yvette and Amy, attached blood tubing instead of the normal IV tubing that is standard. They did this because it "was a good idea" not knowing what lay in the minutes ahead.

[Having the blood tubing already attached helped save time in the O.R. If the nurses had just done the minimum, this may had cost Milo more time.]

 

The nurses also put Sue on oxygen and she was on it for 15 minutes prior to the discovery to come. They did this because it "was a good idea" not knowing what lay in the minutes ahead.

[Having Sue on O2 for 15 minutes before the prolapse was detected, sent more highly O2 saturated blood to Milo's brain. This is a significant factor and just may have saved his life; if not his life, it may have saved him from being severely brain damaged.]

 

The nurses also took blood draws to send to the lab, when this is normally done much later. They did this because it was a good idea not knowing what lay in the minutes ahead.

[Having blood draws done already was another factor that was helpful for the hospital staff to have all the info already on hand to make the best decisions for Milo. So it seems that the nurses made several decisions that may have directly led to saving Milo's life.]

 

Amy then came into the room and administered a urinary catheter. She decided at that moment after it was complete to check Sue manually. When she did so, she said something didn't feel right and called Yvette in to check. When Yvette checked, she said "I've got a handful of umbilical cord; honey, you're going to have a C-section!" She called code for the O.R. to get ready and we hurriedly unhooked her from the wall and wheeled her into the O.R. When Yvette noticed the problem, she immediately pushed further in. In order to allow as much blood as possible to reach Milo's brain, the nurse has to reach past the cervix into the uterus to try and hold the baby up and away from the opening of the cervix. The goal of this is to try and create as much of a space between the head and the cervix (where the cord is going through) to reduce constriction on the cord. It's possible that when Sue was catheterized, that the bladder emptying caused there to be space and led to the umbilical prolapsing. Yvette was in this position on the bed until Milo was actually pulled out of Sue in the O.R. As Sue was rolled into the O.R., she was calm as a butterfly. There was a lot of panic and commotion around her. She had a nurse's arm in her uterus and she was being rolled to the O.R. in an emergency, and she was calm. The doctor used Yvette's hand position in Sue's uterus as a marker for where to cut.

 

Doctor Isbell, who was the off-site, on-call doctor arrived at the hospital in his gardening clothes. He arrived just as Sue was wheeled into the O.R. He attempted to get changed, but Yvette yelled to him that he needs to CUT NOW! He still didn't want to go in unsterile, however, Yvette knew perfectly well that Milo was on borrowed time and convinced him that waiting for him to change would be a big mistake. He then put on a gown and gloves over his gardening clothes and cut Sue open. Yvette said that she lost a heartbeat in the cord as they were beginning the C-section. Everyone in the Women's Center was in the O.R. with Sue and Milo helping. The entire floor was a ghost town and I was alone in the delivery room that Sue was taken from. I just sat quietly not wanting to bother anyone or take a chance that I was distracting someone from helping Milo. From the time that Yvette made the call to do a C-section to the time Milo was brought out of Sue, was 12 minutes  this included the time it took the doctor to get here. It was only 30 seconds after that he was fully intubated.

[If Amy had not elected to be proactive and do a check on Sue just after the catheter was administered, it may have been several minutes before anyone realized there was a problem. Normally the baby monitor would indicate there was a problem. The fact that Amy decided to check, quite possibly saved Milo's life; if not his life, then it saved him from suffering more severe brain damage. Sue and I will be eternally grateful that these two nurses were with us at this time, as they did everything they needed to save Milo, even before they knew there was a problem. I know that they were being guided to do things like give Sue oxygen, and check after catheterization, because normally those things would not have been done. Also, the calmness that Sue had during the moments from the prolapse discovery to when she fell under the anesthesia, were unnatural to say the least. Anyone else would have panicked about what was happening. The significance of that is when a mother is stressed, the baby's umbilical cord can constrict. In this case, this symptom could have reduced Milo's chances. Also if she had been stressed, it would have made it hard for Yvette to keep her hand where it was in the uterus to make room for the umbilical cord.]

 

[Dr. Isbell told us later than when he was paged, he was on his way down his hall to take a shower in another few seconds he would not been able to hear his pager.]

Vince who was the anesthesiologist, who gave Sue the epidural, was going to leave early to go to a baptism and he had called Nate in early to replace him. Nate arrived at the women's center the moment he was needed in the O.R. Vince was helping Sue, and because Nate arrived he was also able to help. Normally there would only be one anesthesiologist at the hospital which meant if Nate wasn't there, someone less qualified would have had to intubate Milo. At the moment the code went out there were two anesthesiologists in the women's center.

[Anesthesiologists are the most qualified to intubate babies. It was a miracle that not only was the one anesthesiologist in the women's center already instead of having to be paged from across the hospital, that there were two here and they were both available exactly when they were needed. Nate told us later that he rides a motorcycle and he had sped to work. He hadn't received a code, and he said he rarely speeds, but he said today he just felt like speeding. All of these circumstances combine to have made the situation as favorable as possible for Milo to survive unharmed.]

When Milo was extracted, his APGAR was 0. This means that he was limp and lifeless. He was technically stillborn, but had just recently lost consciousness. Dr. Isabel said that he had regained an APGAR of 6 within 10 minutes. He also said that if you are a 3 or lower at 10 minutes then the baby is really in trouble. So this means that Milo recovered very quickly from being unconscious. He was bagged for the 30 seconds following extraction and was intubated. The nurses said this is very quick and hardly ever occurs this fast. The fact that the second anesthesiologist was here, possibly saved seconds or minutes that Milo didn't have to spend. Milo also had a pH blood oxygen test done on his umbilical blood. This test came back as a 7.15. On the logarithmic scale a 6.9 or lower means likely brain damage. A normal reading is 7.25. The nurses said another baby was born normally that day that had a score of 7.15 also which is low for a normal baby, but it puts the reading in perspective.

[Another miracle that occurred is the neonatologist that took care of Milo was a Dr. King that was visiting from Primary Children's Hospital (about 4 hours away) and had only been here once before. The nurses told me that in his field, he is the best of the best. They also said, that if you were at Primary's you would be very fortunate have him as your baby's doctor. So here we are in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and one of the best neonatologists in the nation just happened to be here when Milo needed him. Dr. King did many things to help Milo including inserting arterial catheters in his umbilical arteries to so the staff could monitor his progress and administer antibiotics and fluids. This is a highly specialized procedure.]

Milo was on the ventilator until 4 a.m. Sunday morning, then had his umbilical catheters removed around 10 a.m., then he was off of oxygen at around 2 p.m. He spent the next night in an open crib with no need for the isolette any more.

Dr. Jenkins came in the room Monday afternoon and told us his prognosis. He said that normal babies actually have a 4-5% chance of having developmental issues later in life due to birth trauma. He put Milo's chance of the same at 4-6%.

Both Amy and Yvette were emotional about their participation in the miracles with Milo. They both came into the recovery area to hug Sue and told us that Amy had broken down and cried after her shift was over. Yvette said she had to leave the O.R. when Sue was being sewn up to regain her composure. It really meant a lot to Sue and I that our nurses would allow themselves to be touched by the circumstances. They both testified that they knew that God was watching over Milo and that the things that happened today were not and could not be coincidences. In fact, everyone involved were quick to observe that there was definitely a divine power watching over Milo and that he is meant to be here.

As you can see from reading this, if any one of these many circumstances had been different, the outcome could have been entirely different. The chances of having a prolapsed umbilical cord are about 5 in 1000. The chance of not having the cord come out when the water breaks is equally as rare.

When Sue arrived and they checked the amniotic sac, they could feel a silver dollar sized hole in it. Neither of these nurses have heard of or seen anything like this. When an amniotic sac ruptures, it rips like a balloon. If the sac had fully ruptured and the cord became prolapsed at the house, there is almost NO chance that Milo would have been alive when we arrived at the hospital. There was no medical conclusion that anyone could make about why the sac did not completely rupture. I cannot imagine the guilt I would have felt after taking a couple of minutes to clean up, and asking Sue if she was sure  if we had arrived at the hospital and had a dead baby to deliver.

But, he's not dead; he's here and appears to have made a miraculous full recovery. Those who have witnessed God's hand in their lives can not deny it. I do not deny it and am humbled that I am being allowed to raise Milo. This has been a truly sobering experience. 

Scott, Idaho

Senator Mike Crapo, Idaho
 

As a two-time cancer survivor, it is a priority for me to help raise public awareness about early cancer detection and the importance of regular health maintenance. I was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in late 1999 and underwent surgery (a radical prostatectomy, removal of the prostate) in January 2000. Five years later, in February 2005, the cancer returned. I started an eight-week regimen of radiation treatment at John Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, for prostate cancer recurrence. My doctors recommended that I undertake the treatment following a series of test results that indicate cancerous cells may be present. As I have so often advised others, I had undergone regular check-ups and testing since the surgery in January 2000, and it was through those tests that the concerns were discovered.

Once again, it has been brought home to me how important it is that we follow doctors' advice and take advantage of the early detection and diagnosis options available. I continue to have regular check-ups and so far the results remain positive.

United States Senator, Mike Crapo, Idah0

 

Miracle of life
 

July 4, 1996 started out like any other Independence Day. It was hot and we decided to go up to the canyon and then home for a barbeque. The propane tank for the barbeque was nearly empty so we got the tank filled and took it with us for the ride up to the mountains.

About 5 miles up the canyon, the overflow release valve on the tank released and the propane started leaking into the vehicle. We could hear it hiss and see the mist. I pulled the Jeep over and got my wife and father-in-law out of the vehicle. I ran to the back of the car and opened the lift…. and the gas inside exploded.

In an instant, my life changed. Life flight was called in and I was flown to the burn unit of University of Utah Medical Center. I had 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 30% of my body. Skin grafts were done where necessary and debreeding of the burned areas and many months of hard rehabilitation followed.

Thanks to the doctors and staff, and the miraculous healing ability of the human body, I am fully recovered and have a totally normal life.

That day showed me that life can be very fragile, and can change or be snuffed out in the blink of an eye.

I look at sunrises and sunsets as more glorious and really appreciate and love those who are dear to me.

I hope that some of you can relate to my experience. I am humbled by what many of you have gone through. My injuries can't be compared to losing a child or becoming disabled. I wish you the best every day and always celebrate my reawakening on July 4.

Lynn ~ Utah

 

Miracle Of Modern Medicine

 

 

It has now been 4,642 days (but who's counting) since a very talented surgeon implanted a new stainless steel St. Jude's mechanical aortic heart valve in my heart. Even though time has helped soften the loud click that could be heard across a room, it still clicks and I still hear it and that's a good thing! It has also been 4,642 days since that same talented surgeon discovered during my heart surgery the two inch aortic aneurysm, which would have ended my life in a matter of seconds if it had ruptured. Four inches of my ascending aorta was removed and four inches of surgical tubing was sewn in to take its place. I'm a lucky guy and am still amazed (and thankful) that such technology was available to help keep me around so I could enjoy my two daughters and now my grandkids. Over the past 12+ years some of the sweetest words ever spoken to me have been "Grandpa, I can hear you ticking!". My response is always "And that's a good thing!"

Kevin ~ Idaho

 

Life is Precious!

 

I have been diagnosed with very severe depression. I was placed on a critical care list because of several suicide attempts. In order for me to be healed I have had to dig up all of my past. All the hurt and hatred was brought back to the surface. The difference now is, instead of hiding it inside of me, I am removing it and tossing it out.

There have been some positive events in my life. I have removed over 50 pounds from my system. I am taking violin lessons. The lessons are fulfilling a dream I have had since I was a child. Another dream starting to take shape is my daughter and I am working to open our own photography business.

Susan, I celebrate life everyday. I am very grateful the attempts I made to take my life were always interrupted. With therapy and counseling I am learning life is indeed something to celebrate.

Leeon ~ Colorado

 

                                          One of My Favorite Love Stories of All Time. Better than a Fairytale!

 

Steve was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease in his early 20's. He had high blood pressure and was put on medication. PKD has no cure; the only option is a kidney transplant. Each case of PKD progresses differently. He had only occasional problems through the years. Then 2-3 years ago the symptoms seemed to be a bit more frequent. Linda (Steve's wife) asked our 4 children to fast as a family for their dad every other month. Linda was sure that he could go on and be okay, we could avoid kidney failure or transplant for years or maybe completely. Heavenly Father is much wiser and had a plan for us. In April 2004, Steve went to our family doctor for a check-up; he had been having more pain, stomach pain, acid reflux etc. Dr. Baker was very pointed and forceful in telling Steve that he must see the Nephrologist, Dr. Stinson, in Salt Lake City. (We had seen him 5 years earlier.) Dr. Baker sent us for an ultrasound also. Steve's kidneys were so large they could not see them all on the ultrasound screen. They were 5 times larger than normal. We made an appointment with Dr. Stinson for May. Steve's creatinine was 5.0 (normal is .8-1.0). Dr. Stinson set up an appointment to go to LDS Hospital Kidney Transplant Clinic. He said Steve needed a transplant within 6-9 months. He said possible donors are siblings, relatives, close friends, spouses, and cadaver list. The transplant list is 2-3 years wait. Linda told the Dr. that she and Steve are the same blood type and she would like to be tested. Of course at first we couldn't believe this was happening to us, although we knew it could happen "someday", it came so soon. We went to the transplant clinic in June. We met the nurse coordinator and surgeon. The surgeon, Dr. Belnap, looked at Steve's CAT scan and said that his kidneys were so large that he would need a nephrectomy (removal of his kidneys) before the transplant. This is not usually done. They almost always leave the old kidneys in place and put the "new" one lower in the abdomen. This meant an additional surgery, healing time and dialysis before the transplant. We spent the rest of the summer going through a series of tests to monitor Steve's health and testing Linda for a possible match, also to make sure Linda was healthy enough. I have never wanted anything so much as to be able to donate a kidney to Steve. He is so unselfish and has given me so much. I want to be able to give back to him, to see him feel well again. When I knew I could possibly be a match. I prayed more earnestly- not just to be a match- but to be able to accept God's will for us if I was not. As I prayed and fasted the assurance did not come at once. I struggled with wanting something so much- but knowing I must not fret but be willing to accept God's will. The wait was hard, but I began to feel at peace. We found out I was a good match and healthy. What joy and gratitude filled my soul. Steve continued to feel worse. Yet as we found out later, with less than 10% kidney function, Steve should have had worse symptoms. He was spared more suffering. I believe this was because of our family's years of fasting and prayer. We are so grateful for this blessing. On August 24, 2004 Steve went to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake for a Bilateral Nephrectomy. This was a very difficult surgery for him. His kidneys were so large they had caused acid reflux, scarring, and pressure on other organs. He suffered from pancreatitis after the surgery. He also started dialysis while at the hospital. When the doctors said Steve's blood count was very low and he needed a transfusion, we got pretty discouraged as this could jeopardize our compatibility for a transplant. Again we needed to trust in God. He received the transfusion and we would know of any problems after 6 weeks. Through prayers and faith the transfusion had no adverse effect on the transplant compatibility. One particular evening in the hospital, I believe Steve was ready to give up. He was depressed, he wasn't getting better. The next day the doctors were going to put in a feeding tube. I felt at that moment that he could not take another procedure right now. We voiced our concerns and ask that he be allowed to try eating something. He ate a little and I know we were directed by God. Steve started to feel a bit better. We left the hospital after ten days. Steve continued dialysis in Idaho Falls three times a week. He never really felt very well. During this time Steve said he developed a great respect and love for those who are on dialysis for the rest of their lives. Steve was having mixed feelings about letting his wife donate a kidney to him. As you can guess, all the worries came up. He didn't want to risk my life and health. On October 14, Steve and Linda went to LDS hospital in Salt Lake for a kidney transplant. Steve was in a lot of pain the two days prior. He was running a fever on the day of surgery. Linda went in one hour before Steve to have her left kidney removed. The surgeries went well. Steve walked into Linda's hospital room the second day after surgery. He looked good and said he felt good; much better than she did. We are both so humble, grateful and amazed at this miracle we have experienced. Linda's thoughts- We know there were many prayers offered. Although Steve suffered, we know he was spared other symptoms of kidney failure. We know that even though at first we certainly didn't want to go through this, God has a plan for us. Steve feels better than he has in years. It is interesting that Steve has always been an organ donor and he always said I should be but I said I wasn't sure about it. How ironic. It has certainly changed my mind. I am so blessed to be able to give to Steve. Steve and I have always had a very special relationship. One of love, respect, kindness, understanding, and a longing to be together. We miss each other when we're apart. So we have always been such a good match. We know this is a gift for both of us. Steve's thoughts- Some people have a life changing event happen that changes their perspective, this is mine. I now have seven grandchildren and another one on the way. Life itself becomes precious. Holding a newborn baby is just the greatest thing, the only thing greater is being here to enjoy holding them. When we understand how great a life is, we embrace it with all our soul. Can I ever repay my wife for doing such an unselfish act? The answer is found in the life of the beholder. Is this story a celebration of life? I hope everyone who reads this story will embrace their trial with love, hope, and faith as I have, that their life will truly be one of celebration.

Steve and Linda ~ Idaho

 

                                                                                    MS Miracle

 

Just as my oldest child was leaving home and my youngest was in school, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The timing was perfect, really. MS is a potentially debilitating disease that can rob one of a busy lifestyle. Women with Multiple Sclerosis and with young children at home must have an incredibly hard time of it. When I went into the emergency room because my legs all of a sudden would not function right, I was surprised at some of the questions they asked me: "Are you tired?" "Of course I'm tired! I have children!" I just thought that all parents were as tired as I always was. But then I thought about those times when I just couldn't get up off the couch to turn on a light - it was way too tiring. So it was not a big surprise to the doctors when my MRI showed lesions on my brain and my spinal cord. It was obvious to them. I was immediately put on medication - a weekly injection I would give to myself. This would cut back on symptoms and slow down the frequency of exacerbations. Although the medication would make me sick enough to stay in bed for 24 hours, I was intensely grateful for these injections. Right after my diagnosis my sister-in-law became a runner. She told me that because I couldn't and she could, she felt she would be ungrateful if she didn't use her body in this way. I promised her that when the day came that I could run again, I would train and eventually run with her in a 5k. I knew that although modern medicine says there is no cure for MS, I would one day be cured. And I also knew that it would be prayers and faith that would get me through this ordeal. I was surrounded with supportive friends and family. People around the globe began praying for me. My faith increased and my knowledge that a Higher Power was in charge gave me peace. If He thought this was best for me at the moment, then it must be. Although I knew deep down that I would someday be rid of this disease, I had no idea how long it would last. But because of innumerable prayers, I was given the faith and the optimism to get through the tough times. I have learned that "faith" is an action word. It is more than belief. Faith in truth motivates us to act. I became more thankful for the blessings I had. I tried harder to be a healthier person, improving my diet and getting the exercise I could. I learned to say "no". I found that taking care of me improved my ability to take care of those I love. It was my faith that empowered me to do all of this. Two and a half years after my diagnosis I decided to see if I could run. One of my legs was a little lazy, so it was slow going. I needed to make sure I would not trip. I have never been a runner - never liked any aspect of jogging. But I was determined to make good on my promise. That spring morning I ran once around the track. I had mixed feelings - elation that I could run, but a strong dislike for that activity. For a week I ran each day once around the track. Each week I increased my run until 3 months later I was ready for a 5k. I traveled to my sister-in-law's home and she set up a Fun Run for me. We had sponsors and t-shirts and everything! Although she was a fast runner, she slowed her pace and jogged beside me the entire way. This was a physical sign of the support and love and encouragement I received from so many people. That month my MRI came out completely clean. My MS is gone and I am a better person for having experienced the disease. I wake up each morning grateful for a new day, with new challenges and new rewards.

Denalee ~ Alaska

 

9/11 Miracle

 

(I met Michelle on a train in New York City six years after the Twin Towers disater. She shared her experience.)

 

 

On that now historic day, September 11, 2001, I was at work on the 66th floor of the World Trade Center. The alarm rang and as I had been trained, I made my way to the elevator to go to the designated place on the main floor. As I approached the elevator, a voice inside me said "take the stairs". I continued making my way to the elevator when that voice once again prompted me to "take the stairs". I obeyed this time, got to the main floor and exited the building. Ten minutes after I got out of the building, it collapsed. I am full of awe and gratitude and thank God every day that my life was spared.

Michelle ~ New York

 

The Miracle of Life

 

 

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I never really understood what that meant until I become a surrogate mother. My family was complete. My husband and I had been blessed with a wonderful son and daughter, both in perfect health and happy. We wanted to instill in our children the fulfillment that comes with a totally unselfish act. So, as a family, we decided to undertake this journey called surrogacy.

After an eight month search, we found a couple with values and goals the same as ours who were not as fortunate as us in regards to fertility. Age, miscarriages and cancer had stifled the dreams of a large family for this couple and our family was able to help. Together, along with doctors, nurses, lawyers and specialists, we brought two beautiful children, twins, into the world.

This act changed the course not only of their future, but my family's as well. We sacrificed to enrich their lives, and it brought us closer together as well. None of us will ever be the same again.

Rayven ~ Florida

 

I loved meeting Zebiba and discovering her determination to celebrate the lives of her fellow countrymen.

 

Success, much like beauty, rests in the eye of the beholder. To some success is amassing wealth; to others it might simply be surviving from the daggers of war. I have survived wretchedly atrocious war during my childhood years in Eritrea, East Africa.

For a person of my background amassing wealth is meaningless if it is not combined in helping to alleviate those who find themselves in a wretched condition, a condition from which I have successfully escaped. I have seen despair and lived through the verge of the abyss.

I am not one who will surrender to the despair or to the abyss that I witnessed in the world. I am one who believes in fighting it to the end. After escaping the ravages of war in East Africa I had the opportunity of living in the Middle East, Europe, and America. This opportunity gave me a multifaceted international background, characterized by extraordinary survival skills; skills that helped me survive when pitted against daunting political and often life threatening odds which I believe has prepared me for this type of rewarding calling.

My company, Healing Bridges, plans to implement a project that would help single mothers become self sufficient. We at Healing Bridges will tailor the micro-lending project to fit into the African context.

I slept. I dreamt that life was all joy. I woke, and saw that life was but service. I served, and discovered service was joy.

Love,
Zebiba~ California

 

To discover how you can help with the great cause in Eritrea, visit www.healingbridges.org.

 

 

Celebrating Marriage

 

On the way home from our anniversary celebration dinner I reflected over the past fourteen years of married life. My husband and I began discussing 'marital blahs'. We weren't unhappy, but we knew that we were not really as happy as we knew we could be. And then, as if directed to me straight from heaven, a thought popped into my head. I shared the thought with my husband. He was very receptive and agreed that we should get started immediately.

Here's the thought. Let's start a Marriage Gratitude Journal for each other. On the drive home from our dinner out, we stopped and purchased two journals and two pens to begin this process. This was our anniversary gift to each other. We set the parameters. I suggested writing five things a day about him and what he had done that I was grateful for. He wanted to write three. I was fine with that, so we agreed to write the things about each other that we were grateful for each day.

Since that day, we have made the Marriage Gratitude Journals available to the other to read at any time. We have only missed a few entries, but those entries that have been recorded have propelled me into wanting to be a better wife, mother and person. Isn’t that how compliments work? Rather than rest on our laurels, we want to become even better. It is fun to go back and look at past entries.

Don't misunderstand; we still have our moments that we need to work through. But even on those days we can still find something we can write about the other one that we are thankful for. On the 'not so good days', I may write "Tomorrow is a new day". Some days it is simple things and some times there are big things that are entered. This new process helps us focus more on the 'positives' rather than the 'negatives in keeping with the law of attraction, what we think about, we attract to us.

I also discovered another benefit. It is difficult to go to bed angry after writing five nice things about my husband. As a busy mother of six children under the age of eleven, there were many nights when I would feel totally overwhelmed and discouraged especially if I felt like I needed more help or things were not just the way I needed them to be at home.

We try to come up with original things to record that we are grateful for. But sometimes it is the repeated kindnesses that are top priorities on our list.

 

Some entries read:

 

• Kiss on the forehead that meant a lot

• Not reacting the way I thought you would react

• Helping with the kids

• Trimming the yard

• Washing dishes

• Calling to say I love you

• His smile

• His cute body

• Helping meet the kids' needs

• Being unselfish

• Taking care of him

• Being kind to his family

•  

We look forward to reading the entries. It is a unique way to share our deep love and appreciation. We started the journal idea almost a month ago and our marriage has been blessed with an abundance of love and appreciation. I am so grateful that we discovered a method to remind ourselves and each other of why we chose to say "I do" 14 years ago.

Annonymous