Grateful

Beba SchlottmannOther Writings 4 Comments

When I was younger, I would spend hours dreaming.  I dreamt about musicals and movies, traveling around the world, becoming a star and marrying prince Charming.  I can’t complain, I have great parents who allowed me the freedom to be creative with my imagination and to climb trees and run through the pineapple farms and scab my knees from playing tag and hide and go seek with my cousins.

As much as I loved to dream, the things that seemed most important to me were usually tangible and very present, like the people and things that made up the circle around my existence.  Things like making my parents laugh with my funny jokes, and playing house with my sisters were always highlights.

One of my favorite memories is of a time when my parents had remodeled our kitchen and we begged for them not to throw away the old cabinets and sink because we wanted to use them for our play house in the backyard.  I remember we had an old chicken coop and we designated it as our individual bedrooms (we were small then, so it was quite roomy).  It wasn’t rare for my parents to come get us out of the chicken coop were we had fallen asleep several times.  To this day, that is one of the happiest memories of my childhood and one I am forever grateful for.

There are a hundred more stories like that I could share, where my heart swells up with joy.  I find a warm cozy feeling whenever I think of how blessed I feel to understand the true joy of being part of a loving family. Our journey wasn’t perfect, but each bump on the road made it remarkable to me somehow.  I wouldn’t trade those early memories and the shaping of the woman I would later become for anything in the world.

I do feel a great deal of gratitude for the many memories and experiences that are imprinted in my mind for ever.  I have very real feelings of nostalgia and joy about specific trips I’ve been able to take around the world.  I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting beautiful people with fascinating stories that make my life seem simple.  I’ve tasted food, you only see in magazines and some I wish I had never been introduced to.  I’ve watched beautiful sunrises and sunsets and gasp every time I stare at the beauty of the ocean.

I’ve prayed many times, asking God to make me bold so I could go sky diving or parachuting, because I figure the world must look glorious from up high.  But thankfully God only hears some prayers (the ones we really mean).  I can’t complain about the rough spots in my life; the failures and disappointments have molded me and taught me so much about myself and others.  Life is good!  Honestly, life is good.

Funny, but every year Thanksgiving comes around and my list becomes more and more limitless.  God has been so good! I have a sneaky suspicion that my steps have been ordered even from birth and here today I am sensing no regrets, no sadness, and no fear of what’s to come. 

Simply grateful.

Comments 4

  1. Beba my sister that was beautiful I like the part where you mentioned the chicken house haha that’s funny…We use to play like real kids. Kids today do not know how to enjoy and play like we did back then, Gacias mi hermanita Beba te amo,
    Vivi

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  3. Beba,

    Thank you for reminding me about what a wanderful childhood we had and how much God loves us. I give thanks to my God for the ups and downs in my life because like you said, It moldes me and teaches me about others and myself. Thank you God and thank you Beba for letting God use you with the gift of writing.
    Te amo mi hermana.
    La yama

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