Let me tell you something, these past couple of weeks and especially these past couple of days have been very trying on the Pedersen household. Work is crazy and our furnace went out in 20 degree weather. Needless to say, I was wearing the dogs as shawls. During this time, I really began to question my outlook on life. Let me give you a little bit of a background.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but I work with some pretty bad people-the past couple of weeks two cases of murder came across my desk. It is up to me to grade mental health test and type up a  report. Although it doesn't sound very taxing, listening to the horrible graphic details of what people can do to you can wear very thin on you sometimes. It makes you question your own life choices and thoughts about people. One thing that I took from the past couple of weeks is how precious life is. How, in a split second, it can be taken away from you. In a matter of minutes you being gone can leave someone's heart very heavy. I also thought about the person committing the crime. Their life-no matter what you think should happen, is gone too. Two lives that could have been saved in some way, changed in less than a hour. I went home these past couple of weeks and wept for the loss and for the people in their lives.

The more I concentrated on these cases, the more I began to think of how absolutely precious life, every little detail of it, is extraordinary. How nothing should ever be taken granted. Even our hardships should be celebrated. They make us stronger and wiser.

I'm not gonna say that I will always wear rose colored glasses or that I'm not going to get down-cause I know I will. I will get wrapped up in my own world and forget the lessons that life is trying to teach me. I know myself too well. What I am going to try to do is be more thankful for the people and situations in my life. I will learn to cherish them more. I will hug and kiss my family and friends more. Let them know that I care and make the best of my situations.

Now, I know what you are saying....great Pam, super, what's the lesson from your broken furnace? Well....be prepared and be thankful for what you have, but really, really be prepared. It's friggin' cold outside. And snuggling is the key to warming the body and the heart. So see, smarty pants. I did learn something mind blowing from the broken furnace. HA!


Well, now that I have talked your ear off and given you some food for thought, I will end with this....Happy Thanksgiving and give thanks and love to those around you. Be happy and feel warm and fuzzy because you are loved.