Counting my blessings

I have to say, through all of the craziness, my biggest blessing I think has been my dog.  There is not a day that goes by that she doesn't make me laugh and smile no matter how bad things get.  I am just constantly thanking God for her.  She is such a blessing to all of us.  She makes my son and husband smile as well.  She is such a good dog too.  Right now, she is sleeping under my desk, under my feet.  She is such a calming presence in my life.  One of my favorite & funny things:  She hides her dog biscuits (under furniture, in the laundry, in a plant pot, under blankets, etc.)  She will always find them later and eat them.  But she stashes them for later.  And it is comical watching her run around the house looking for that perfect hiding spot.  Now that Spring is here, I think it is helping.  David has been able to go out to play a little more.  Paul is beginning to do yard work, which always helps him feel better.  And the fact that there are moments when I am in the house ALONE, just helps.  Due to the recent episode across the street with the mentally challenged guy and the toy gun, I cannot allow David (at least for a while) to go over there to see his friends.  I am too afraid that that man will cause trouble.  His harrassment of children has been an ongoing problem over there, but the kids harrass him all of the time due to his mental status.  I just feel like David is a magnet for trouble.  Sometimes he asks for it, sometimes it just happens.   Paul has been working slowly but surely on the basement.  We got the Saniflo upflush toilet, which hopefully my next door neighbor will help him install.  We looked at some flooring and tile.  I am praying that it is all done enough by Christmas that I can get the pool table and pinball machine.  Then, all of David's friends have a place to come and play here and have a good time.   I went to the Y today and did 35 min on the elyptical machine and 30 min of lower body weights.  My Monday night Aspire class at the Y is pretty interesting.  We have been talking on the binge cycle and recognizing strengths and our learned umbrella.  Our learned umbrella is basically like our coping skills that we learn to deal with stress, etc.  It is our self protection.  But it is not always a good thing.  We also took a questionnaire to learn our strengths.  Here are my 5 top strengths according to my questionaire: 1)  Gratitude:  You are aware of the good things that happen to you and you never take them for granted.  Your friends and family members know that you are a grateful person beause you always take the time to express your thanks.2)  Kindness & generosity:  You are kind and generous to others and you are never too busy to do a favor.  You enjoy doing good deeds for others, even if you don't know them well.3)  Fairness, equity, and justice:  Treating all people fairly is one of your abiding principles.  You do not let your personal feelings bias your decisons about other people.  You give everyone a chance.4)  Capacity to love and be loved:  You value close relationships with others., in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated.  The people to whom you feel most close are the same people who feel most close to you.5)  Citizenship, Teamwork & loyalty:  You excel as a member of a group.  You are a loyal and dedicated teammate.  You always do your share, and you work hard for the success of your group. Funny thing is, this is no surprise to me at all and is both a blessing and a curse.  My umbrella spoke that most applies to me is "A fix it all mentality" where I am trying to fix other people's problems, help others out at the expense of myself, etc.