I was cleaning my classroom after Day of the Dead festivities one day.  My desk had been buried for weeks with worksheets and things I wanted to get to…but you know how it goes.  I finally found time to rid myself of some of the clutter, and unearthed my desk-size family photo book underneath a large, scary pile of French papers.  Thumbing through the pages, I smiled to myself:  “My children are so beautiful.” 

Then, I stopped and quietly stared at the baby pictures of my youngest daughter.  She had such a traumatic time coming into this world- kidneys that weren’t working properly and nerve damage leaving her left arm limp.  Seeing her at 3 days old again in those pictures made feelings like a melancholy gratitude well up inside my chest.

I am so thankful. 

Now she is almost four years old, so active, so daring, climbing everything in sight, giggling, talking, and ALIVE!!  Thank GOD. 

When troubles come, how can I be downhearted?

When doors close, how can I be disappointed?

When temptations come, how can I be distracted?

When things don’t work out, how can I be dissatisfied?

I have so much right here, right now, despite the shortcomings in my life.

As the Cindy Morgan song says, “How Could I Ask for More?”