Grateful Friday

What a week!  I refuse to believe this is just life and how it is.  Instead I keep thinking this is a busy time that will be gone soon.

Hope springs eternal.  (Delusion springs eternal?)

(Also, some of the big things that have been keeping me busy are ending for the summer.)

So what do I have to be grateful for in the midst of all this nonsense?  My family.  They have been super helpful and supportive.  They have listened to me wail and received tirade texts from me when I was frustrated.  (Just FYI, Emma is the best person to text if you need to rant.  She replies with things like "Oh no" and "Savage" and then I just feel better.)

Braeden and Adam are co-counselors for my mental health.  Emma is this rock I can rely on who just quietly shows up to help and brings me Rancheritos.  Mark is my everlasting MVP sidekick.  He joined me on a Herculean shopping trip because I was in charge of the food for our big Relief Society garden party.  He also cleaned the bathroom.

Emma's favorite is staying home where the people aren't, but she asked me if I wanted her to go to Relief Society with me last night.  I had to go 1 1/2 hours early.  She asked, "Would you rather have me go help you set up or go to the party or both?  What would be the best for you?"  I told her I wanted her to come with me.  So she did.  She helped me with the decorations and the schlepping of all the things and sat by me at the dinner which is my favorite.

I asked her to text Adam and Mark (Braeden was at his EFY training) to see if they would come and help us at clean up time.  Then I looked up and Adam and Mark were striding in and carrying a ladder (because we'd hung a bunch of stuff up high in the trees.  Adam and Mark and Emma became everyone's helpers.  Whenever there was something heavy to be carried, there was Mark.  He would stuff whatever food he'd nabbed from the food table into his mouth and then haul whatever needed to be hauled.

You can't underestimate how much all this means to me.

I appreciate these people.