The Silver Lining

Despite the previous post, the only emotion I have been feeling all week is an overwhelming sense of how blessed I am.

* I'm so glad that ONE of the mercury things stayed in tact. I might not have EVER known that the house was contaminated.
* I am so glad that we didn't lose MORE stuff, and that as far as we can tell, nobody has suffered any ill health effects from having the mercury in the house.
* Just last week, I was thinking that I would like to get to know my neighbors better. There is nothing like two fire engine ladder trucks and a huge blue "Emergency Response" truck from the Department of the Environment to start a conversation.
* Those neighbors are amazing. I have had at least three people offer to give me their washing machines, and several have said that we can come over to their houses during the day. Everyone is asking what we need and what they can do, and I am amazed at how much these people who barely know us want to help.
* I have great friends and family who have showered me with love and pants.
* Most of all, as I read my scriptures tonight I was thinking about how these little temporal things compare to the eternal things. The greatest miracle of all is the one we celebrate during this season -- that a baby was born -- but more importantly that the baby grew, and died, and saved us all.