Life is Good!

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." James 1:17

My lovely sister-in-law Karen asked how we're doing. That poor girl has heard more than her fair share of my woes, complaints, tears, etc. I'm really glad to say that lately, everything is just plain good. Life isn't perfect, but it is filled with so many blessings.

You know life is good when:

1. You have an amazing spouse and a wonderful marriage. I love my husband more now than I ever have. We might have a disagreement here and there but we do not fight. We don't yell, we are never cruel to one another. There is so much fun and laughter and peace in our home. God is at the center of our lives. I always feel loved. Can it be any better than this?

2. We have jobs. And good ones too.

3. We can pay our bills every month. Without stressing!

4. We own our home. We own our car. They're both small...and kinda old. Are we fancy? Ha! Not at all...but it's ours, and that gives us a lot of peace and joy.

5. Our families are awesome. We have family close by for support, family dinners, birthdays and holidays. We always (and I mean always) have fun together.

6. We have a great church! And a close-knit small group of church friends that we play softball with, do bible study with, go to ball games with, have dinner with, etc.

7. We have two adorable cats to come home to every day that really seem to love us. How can you not feel happy with a sweet, soft kitty curled up in your lap purring with contentment?

Almost 5 years ago, we were not that happy. We were newly married, lonely, recovering from a long deployment to Iraq and a move to a new city where we knew nobody. We struggled with unemployment and just being able to pay rent was a struggle for a long time. We prayed for a long time to find a church home, good friends, a sense of belonging. I am thrilled to see all of those prayers answered.

There are still struggles and sad times even today. But I can honestly say that overall we are HAPPY! We feel God's love every day through the many little blessings we encounter. I praise God that we are going through these days lately with contentment and peace.