On this Sabbath Day, I feel totally overwhelmed by my blessings.  Ever since my recovery three years ago, the Lord has opened the windows of heaven.  I feel like Job after his trials.

My greatest blessing, of course, is the atonement of Jesus Christ.  Through it, I have been enabled to manage my bi-polar disorder, to heal relationships damaged by years of illness, to relearn the skill of writing and surpass my own abilities, and, of course, to be forgiven of my sins and have the prospect of a life with my Savior and Heavenly Father.

Next, comes my family.  I have a husband who is totally without hang-ups (though he does have interesting eccentricities) who has been loyal through terrible trials.  He is brilliant and spiritual and very in tune as a patriarch.  Our family has weathered the storm of my long illness because of his calm and steadiness.  My children never knew me until three years ago.  David had lost the woman he married.  But he made up for my lack and stuck with me through it all.  If you want to read his side of the story, check out our book Deliverance from Depression: Finding Hope and Healing through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

My children are all independent and devout.  They have been protected in this economic downturn.  My sons businesses are thriving, and my son-in-law has an excellent job with a prosperous legal firm.  We draw closer as a family all the time.

I have a beautiful grandson who warms my heart and allows me to appreciate toddler-hood that I couldn’t appreciate with my own children because of my illness.

I have a career that I love and a publisher that appreciates me, supports me, and encourages me.

My friends are a fantastic blessing.  My “old” friends from college and high school are gems in my life, having known me before I was ill.  My friends who saw me through my illness cannot be overvalued.  They are pure gold.  And then there are all my new friends I have met through Storymakers.  They are so unbelievably generous and without guile, so supportive and helpful. I have never known writers with these qualitities.

For all these blessings, I thank the Lord today.