Here's the thing...

Here's the thing. It was a crappy week right? We are all tired and not feeling wonderful and we are running a range of emotions... BUT. We have it pretty good.  I spent a few days feeling sorry for us, sorry for Josh, sorry for me, sorry for our family, but this morning I was walking the dog and I passed a man sleeping on the cold wet ground, I saw a woman who was sitting on the corner asking for change, and as I made the final turn to head home I saw a young man being arrested. As I finished the last bit of our walk I looked at our situation with new eyes.

Things could always be worse. In the grand scheme of things even the hardest things we have faced as a family are first world problems. Yes; even the stroke and heart problems. Here's why; we are situated in a city that houses the best children's hospital in the country, second in the world. Our teams of doctors are the top medical minds, the same minds that train doctors from all around the globe. We don't have to wait for someone to travel overseas to see us, we don't have to pray bombs don't destroy our hospital today, we don't have to worry about the impending bill that is inevitable in some countries. We don't need to worry if our insurance thinks a procedure is 'elective'.

Sometimes putting things in perspective allows you to see how great you have it, instead of thinking about the crap you are going through. That was me this morning. I woke up still tired, but as I walked past the man sleeping on the cold pavement I was reminded that I slept in a warm bed last night. I grumble A LOT if I don't have enough coffee; but as I passed the woman asking for change I realized that I had coffee in the house, I didn't need to ask people for the change it would require to go buy it. I thought about the health concerns, impending surgery, the fears and I remembered a night in the ICU with Josh when a doctor from the states was telling me that the procedure that had literally just saved Josh's life was actually considered 'elective' in the states and insurance would never have covered it there.

It (for me) is a daily struggle to take time to put things into the right perceptive, this week has been no different. Life sucks sometimes BUT it can always suck more so I need to be thankful for what I have, remember the things that could make this harder, count my blessings that my kids are safe, alive and have amazing care when they are not well.