Why me?

I woke up at 4:20 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. Something Pam talked about at the memorial service yesterday kept running through my brain. She said that she went to visit her mom at the hospital one day, after struggling with the question of why this was happening to her mother. She sat on Myrna's bed and asked if she ever asked herself the question "Why me?" "Why did I get leukemia?"

Myrna's answer was a profound one....a life lesson for us all! She told Pam that whenever she asked "WHY?" it was "Why am I so blessed?"

Why am I blessed with such a loving husband?

Why am I blessed with such a wonderful family?

Why am I blessed with such loyal friends?

Why am I blessed to have a knowledge of the gospel?

Why am I blessed with a nice house....good food for my family....the beauties of this earth....air in my lungs?!

The list is endless!

So here's what I've decided -- I am going to make the effort everyday to ask myself why I am so blessed with certain things in my life...and to share those questions here, at least on occasion, and/or to write them in my journal.

Here is my first question, one I have been thinking about for a week:

Why am I blessed with such an amazing daughter?

Perhaps this thought has been running through my head because I just had the opportunity to be with her at girl's camp, to see how she interacted with others, and to hear her bare her testimony. I watched her in awe...wondering what I ever did to deserve her. She is such a gift! She is such a light!....and always has been. I swear that girl was born smiling. The kind of smile that lights up her whole face...and the room.

She has a personality that draws people to her like a magnet....friendly and kind to everyone. One of the girls in her third grade class walked up to me one day and said, "Katelyn is the kindest person I know." She looks out for the outsider, the person hanging out on the fringes, and pulls them in, because she knows how bad it feels to be left out and doesn't want anyone else to feel that.

She has a strong sense of who she is and what she believes in....and she lives it! She doesn't let the opinions of others affect her standards. At a time when so many teenagers follow every fad, and give in to the slightest pressure from their peers, that is amazing! She sets an example others can follow...an example of kindness, compassion, modesty, and finding the joy in life.

And one of the greatest blessings is that she likes me! She enjoys doing things with her mom and isn't embarrassed by me. I know that not all moms of teenage girls are so blessed. I always had a good relationship with my mom growing up, and prayed that I would have the same with my daughter. Happily that is a blessing I have received.

I may never know just what I did to deserve her...but I will be ever grateful that I have been so blessed as to have her in my life!!!