Turn Around and Tender Mercies

My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions....He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh......And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me.

- 2 Nephi 4:20-23

For the past five weeks, Aaron has been working turn around.  Turn around is where the refinery needs to shut certain units down for cleaning, maintenance, etc.  Since the refinery doesn't make as much when units are down, everyone works like crazy to get it done as fast as possible, which means Aaron has had to work 12-13 hour night shifts, 13 days on/1 day off.  It has been really hard.  Aaron is exhausted, I am burnt out, Hannah has had a hard time with Aaron working so much and has been acting up a lot, and Hazel has been sick (and has not been sleeping).  Needless to say, I think we're all very done with this turn around thing.  

That being said, I'm not sure if it's because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (hopefully only one more week!) or because Aaron has been able to take a few days off this week, but I am feeling a lot of gratitude tonight.  So many things have happened that that remind me that god is very aware of my circumstances and that He cares about my problems, however first-worldish they may be.  He has sent "angels" to help me in the form of a visit from a friend or a phone call or a text from a family member.  I'm recording a few of the tender mercies I've received this past month so that I won't forget.

• Several days before turn around started, my friend gave me a "survival kit" full of everything from chocolate and crafts for me to activities and snacks for my kids.  Not only has it gotten me through some very long days (and nights), but it made me feel so loved.

• My parents have called and done a lot of FaceTime to check in on me and my girls.  They're always so good to help me remember that I can do hard things.

• Another friend brought me flowers, soup, cinnamon rolls, and herbal tea because I was sick.  A few weeks later, she brought me chicken tacos from Chipotle because she remembered they were my favorite.

• Several wonderful people have had me over for dinner/play dates.  It helped so much to get out of the house and be with another adult.

• With Aaron working so much (sometimes up to 95 hours per week), it was an absolute miracle that he was home and saw Hazel crawl for the first time.

• Someone anonymously left balloons tied to my door on Valentine's Day.

• My sweet friend dropped off dinner, cookies, and a huge box of other goodies for my kids.  

• My sweet mother-in-law has sent so many encouraging texts and is always checking in to make sure we're doing ok.  

• My friend from Utah (who I miss so much!) FaceTimed with me for over an hour one morning.  Just seeing her face really lifted my spirits.

• Within a 24 hour period, I got packages from my parents, in-laws, and my sister.  Each one made Hannah so happy and I am definitely a happier mom when my kids are happy.

• My sister has let me call her whenever I felt like I was going to have a meltdown, even at 11:00 pm her time.  She always knows just what to say and helps me stay positive.

• My sweet visiting teachers brought me dinner and stayed the whole evening so I wouldn't have to be alone.

• On one of his nights off, Aaron cleaned up the whole house, fixed the vacuum, etc, etc, etc, while I was sleeping.  And he's the one who has been working his tail off!

I know there are so many more that I'm forgetting.  Thank you to anyone to has helped me or my family these past few weeks.  I hope you know how much it means to us.  This has been a hard way to find out how lucky we are to have so many thoughtful and caring people in our lives.  Thank you!