Mariposa Kisses (aka Dianne's Blog)

We take so many simple blessings for granted. It is really easy to focus on what we do not have or the struggles that entangle us instead of the strengths we possess or the magnificent attributes that fill our days. I feel especially thankful to be married to a faithful and loving husband, who values my dreams and goals. He is likewise a fabulous father to our children. I marvel at God’s kindness to have blessed us with two amazing children and one on the way.

Likewise, I am appreciative of the house that we have owned for five years now. It is a humble house of three bedrooms with two baths, but it is made a home by our thriving garden on the side-yard, and the paints we hand-picked for each wall. Likewise, we have replaced fixtures and blinds to make it our own. There are still projects that remain unfinished due to busyness and limited finances; however, we dream of what we might do to our house some day…to add more ceiling fans, to put in wooden flooring, to redo our kitchen area, and to possibly do an add-on off of the back of our house. We are so blessed that we get to dream about what we might do to our house, for it is our house.

I am so incredibly grateful for my five senses. I think it is really easy to take these for granted, as we simply have not known life without them. But imagine if you didn’t have them…how different would your life be then? Oh, to smell my children as I kiss their heads after a hot bath, or to smell one of the roses or strips of basil from my garden while passing by. And I would surely miss all my stops into the lotion and bath stores to smell the wonderful new scents of the season. Oh, how I especially enjoy the smells of pumpkin and cinnamon during the fall. And what pleasure the smells bring when something delicious is baking in the oven or while the crock-pot is simmering all day long on a cool day. And isn’t the fresh smell of grass so overwhelmingly pleasant after the lawns are recently mowed? To smell…it is a true gift from the Lord.

What about the gift of hearing? Can you imagine all the music you would forego if you could not hear? I would especially miss wonderful praise music and the sound of my kids’ laughter. I’m forced to smile when they giggle at one another…usually for a very silly reason. The birds’ chirping would be a mere memory, as would the sound of running water in a creek-bed or raindrops hitting the windows. I would so miss the sound of the wind blowing through the trees and my husband’s calming voice when he reads to me on occasion before bed.

To see is such a gift as well. I can’t imagine not being able to see my daughter’s pouting face when she’s upset, for her facials so easily cause me to laugh. I love looking into my son’s beautiful blue eyes, knowing we’re connecting when I tell him, “I love you.” I can’t fathom the loss of being able to breathe in a beautiful sunset at the beach as the oranges and pinks swirl together like an impressionist piece off into the night. Seeing the beauty all around us is so easily taken for granted. We can pass by a beautiful cloud on a walk and think nothing of it, unless it was the last cloud we would see…or the last blade of grass we would gaze upon…or the last slice of orange we would be able to see while cutting. Colors would be mere memories and darkness and varying shades of light would become the norm. How lucky I am, that this day, I am so blessed with the gift of sight.

The gift of taste is phenomenal, especially during the fall when everyone starts baking again and the blessed treats of Thanksgiving and Christmas come upon us. I would likely wear a smaller skirt size if I did not love my sense of taste as much as I do; however, it is worth it when I consider all of the delectable foods I get to enjoy because of the gift of taste. It would be so tragic to give up even the simple things we eat daily… such as a fresh piece of sourdough toast with warm butter melted on top and a hot cup of coffee with vanilla creamer in it. The gentle and soothing flavors of our staple fruits, such as bananas, apples, and oranges, would be so missed. Oh, how I would pine for one more taste of my husband’s sweet kiss or one more drop of a romantic glass of merlot on a special date. I am truly thankful this day for my sense of taste. I think dinner will taste especially good this evening.

The gift of touch is so marvelous. Can you imagine not being able to feel the soft covering of your blanket on you at night? I am appreciative of my husband’s soft touch as we hold hands. And while in my third pregnancy, I am tremendously blessed when my two children put their hands on my belly to feel their sissy moving inside of me. Even feeling my daughter inside of me is such a gift; however, at times it is uncomfortable when she gets kicking wildly like a mule deer (but a reminder nonetheless that a life is growing inside of me). Even the touch of water on my body as I glide through the water during my swim workouts is so pleasant; I would greatly miss the gentle and relaxing touch of its drops on my skin if I did not possess the gift of touch.

Some days, I marvel at these amazing blessings with a proper perspective, of thankfulness and awe. However, most days, these wonderful gifts from the Lord go unnoticed or less appreciated than they should. It is my goal to become more grateful for my many blessings and I hope that you will as well. Join me in thanking the Lord for all that He has given to us. "Oh holy Father, thank you for all of the terrific ways in which you have blessed me and my family. You are good and it is good that I should give you thanks!" --Amen