Grateful for the things I miss

Does that sound strange to you? But it’s true.

I miss my husband, Jim, my best friend and soul-mate, a west Texas cowboy from El Paso. But I’m grateful for the almost twenty-six years we had together.

I miss being married. Miss having a loving, warm body to snuggle up with. But I’m grateful he was there to hold me and comfort me when I needed it.

I miss the house we shared together in Las Vegas, but I’m grateful for the warm home he created for us.

I miss Las Vegas, too. But I’m grateful for the thirty-three years I lived there, with its warm—no, make that hot—dry climate. And I’m grateful for the great job the Lord provided for me, a newbie to town, which is where I met Jim.

I miss my two cats, Bubba and Puffers,  my fluffy, purring pillow companions after Jim passed away three years ago this coming October.

I was broken-hearted when I lost these two special buddies last fall within six weeks of each other. But I am ever so grateful for the twelve years of kitty love they gave me.

I miss my birth family: Mom, Dad, sister Marty and brother Bob, all of whom have gone on before me. But I am eternally grateful that God placed me into a Christian home in which to grow up, and I know we'll be together again soon.

Yes, I miss so much of my past, but I have wonderful memories to cherish now. The love, fun, laughter, adventures, misadventures, tears, some regrets, and, yes, even the losses.

But I am so very grateful for having had them.

Now, back in Wisconsin, near my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, I am making new memories. Maybe not so much for me, but for these precious ones who surround me.

I’ll be counting my many blessings, past and present, from here to Heaven.