Sometimes God gives me a reminder of how great my life is. A few days ago I was talking to a friend who is going through a really rough time. It brought me back to my own alcoholic days when I would pray every night to die in my sleep and wake up every morning disappointed that I was still alive. The transformation God has led me through since then has been miraculous to me, so when I'm reminded of those dark, hopeless days I have moments of extreme gratefulness. So, I bought my daughter a card and some gel pens and wrote her a note about how much I love her. Then I got a chance to praise my youngest son for his outstanding grades at school. His chest puffed out and the smile on his face could not have been any bigger. My oldest son had some room for improvement on his grades so instead of a celebration time, we had some quiet time and read one of his favorite stories together. At five feet eleven inches, he's still my little boy inside and I love that he talks to me and still likes to cuddle.

It was one of those days that probably wasn't much different than any other day, but it seemed extraordinarily bright when placed on the dark back drop of my past.