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When the baby spits up for the tenth time that day, help me to be thankful.

When the toddler misses the potty once again, help me to be thankful.

When I am running on an unbelievably low amount of sleep, help me to be thankful. 

RELATED: To the Tired Mom in the Middle of the Night

When my husband leaves his coffee cup unwashed on the counter no matter how many times I ask him not to, help me to be thankful.

When the laundry continues to stack up, Lord, help me to be thankful.

When I can’t think of what to make for dinner, help me to be thankful. 

When I’m feeling stressed, underappreciated, and overworked, dear God, please help me to be thankful.

Because one day, I will look around and my life will be drastically different than it is today. My kids will move away. The house will become quiet and organized. There will be less laundry. It will even be acceptable to eat cereal for dinner more nights than not. 

RELATED: I Had a Taste of the Empty Nest, And It Is Bittersweet

I will reminisce over photos and mementos. And I will give anything to go back to when they were little even if just for a day. To feel their little, chubby bodies against mine. To hear their youthful voices call my name. To have the house filled with the sound of their playfulness. 

So today, God, please help me to be thankful. 

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

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Kamrie Smith

Kamrie is a rancher’s wife, a mom of two girls, and an EMT. In her free time she enjoys horseback rides in the Montana mountains, coffee walks with friends, playing with her girls, and jotting down thoughts to share with others.

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