Grateful

by Michele Boy | January 11, 2024

Getting home after being on the road for so long feels incredible. I woke up in the middle of the night wishing I was home only to realize I was in my own bed!
A blizzard came through and while I love my daughter’s school I was grateful for the couple of days off. 
Grateful. That’s how I am starting the new year. 
On Saturday we were prepping my daughter's sheep to be shown at the National Western Stock Show. My nerves were high, the sheep was not cooperating, and everything seemed to be falling apart. I stopped and prayed with my daughter. I said God your will not mine. This is in your hands and I am releasing it. Basically it is what it is. 
Then the judge was late. I admit my first thought was what kind of judge shows up late. 
Then the announcer’s voice came over the speaker system saying there has been an accident. The judge was in a wreck and the car was undriveable. Just like that the things I thought were important were not anymore, and my selfish attitude made me sick. 
The show was delayed a couple hours so the judge could complete the police report, etc. My heart was filled with gratitude that a man I never met was safe. 
We put our sheep away in the pen for a little while and took a break. 
When the judge got to the show ring he apologized to everyone. He said a cement truck rear ended him. I was near tears. 
The show began and my daughter got Reserve Grand Champion Junior Breeding Ewe Showman at The National Western Stock Show! 
I was on top of the world. 
When I posted it to social media I was sure there were two reactions. Either people were going to be excited or they would think great, Michele’s daughter is going to be in the newspaper again - LOL.
After consulting with a few people who would give it to me straight, I decided showing and winning at a national livestock show was worthy of a story in the newspaper.
And, you are free to not read it if you like, but I am taking in the moment. All I had prayed for her was for her to see her hard work and perseverance pays off.
On the way home while I was basking in the joy of her win, my mind continued to gravitate back to the fact that the livestock judge was rear ended by a cement truck and walked away, and how grateful I was to God for these moments with my family. 
Life is short. Knowing that anything can happen can be frightening, but knowing anything can happen can be exhilarating too. Because sometimes that anything is good! 
The blizzard gave me and my family a rest day. I worked and napped and worked again. I stayed in pajamas all day. Our animals were safe, and there is moisture on the ground. 
Emergency crews were out working through the storm rescuing those who were stuck, restoring power to those without. I am grateful for them too. 
What are you grateful for today? 
Melody Beattie said,  “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”
I wrote this in the middle of the night having not slept. In the morning I was cranky toward my family, and I had to stir up the gratitude again. 
I'm a work in progress.