I've been thinking.

This experience of having Matt gone for the summer has me thinking. It's what I do late at night when I can't sleep.

I've been thinking a lot lately. If my thoughts ramble, forgive me. I'm a little sleep deprived.

I have gained a new appreciation for single parents. How on earth do they manage day in, day out? I'm overwhelmed. I'm tired. I'm depressed.

And yet I carry on.

And then I think some more.

I think of the millions of people in America who are unempoyed by no choice of their own. I think of the family across the street whose dad just died unexpectedly. I think of the homeless. I think about those suffering from illnesses.

I think of the pioneers who walked from Illinois to Utah across the frozen Mississippi (that's 80 below) and through prairies in the heat of summer. They didn't have cell phones with unlimited texting. They didn't have email. They didn't have homes awaiting them. They weren't even sure of the destination. Many of them lost loved ones along they way - husbands/wives, parents, children, neighbors, friends.

And I realize again how blessed I am. We are gainfully employed. We are all healthy. We have an abundance of material possessions. We have a home filled with love.



I guess that's what I get for thinking.