Count Your Blessings

Blessings are everywhere even during your darkest moments

The image you are seeing here is a (love) note from my 8-year-old son. Isn’t it precious? 

When he still went to school regularly before the lockdown, I would sometimes write him a note and stick it in his lunch box. It would always be something about the good qualities I see in him or some words of encouragement. 

But never had I expected to get one back! That’s because he didn't like writing much! Awww. 

Julian Andrew Kinyao Ross came to us during the darkest times in the lives of my husband Andrew and I.

If you have read my story, you would know our lives were turned upside down after Andrew suffered from a stroke in an overnight bus when we were traveling in a remote part of China.

On the bus (I was pretty oblivious about what exactly was going on but sensed something was wrong), I said to myself: "If we come through this, I want to have a child with him." 

Little did I know I was already pregnant with Julian at that time! For 15 years we had been married, our first and only child came during the toughest times.

So, we gave Julian a Chinese middle name that signifies the gratitude we felt and the strength it took to overcome the challenges of the time.

Kin means strength, determination and perseverance. 

Yao is blessings.

Even in your darkest moments, there are blessings around if you look for them.

Here’s what I saw during those times:

• The birth of Kinyao

• The speedy recovery of Andrew

• The kindness, help and support from family, friends, work colleagues and my former bosses. (I remember how a taxi driver and a total stranger was trying to console me when I was crying and telling him what happened to my husband when he was being hospitalized in China. A friend of a work contact checked in regularly with me to offer help.)

• A kind, reliable and responsible nanny was there for us and help us during Kinyao’s first three years of his life, while I worked in a high-pressure media job.

What blessings can you count today?

These days, my husband and I continue to be blessed by Kinyao’s presence. He is comical, funny, mischievous, smart, affectionate, sensitive, shy, imaginative, creative and more!

Kinyao and I talked about values the other day and I asked him to rank their importance. Here’s what he chose:

1) Love

2) Kindness

3) Patience

4) Calmness

5) Perseverance

Last week, I grabbed him in the middle of the day. 

Me: I got something to tell you, Julian.

Julian: What? That you love me?

Me: No matter what you do, I won’t stop loving you. 

Guess what was his reaction?

None. 

Me: Hang on. Are you going to say anything back to me?

He walked away.

LOL!

Keep laughing and happy weekend! 

Count your blessings.

Many blessings to you ❤️

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