I was driving north yesterday to do some Christmas shopping at Toys R Us. I was kid-free as I had taken the day off work.

The night before, Little One decided to stay up partying all night. :) He had gotten sick all over his pjs, etc a little before I came up to bed. I cleaned him up and put him back to bed. He must have thought nighttime was over and was up literally almost every hour, wide awake and ready to go. No sickness, just done with sleeping. I would keep trying bottles, bed, anything, nothing worked. He would sleep for a little bit, then wide awake again. Needless to say I was a little bit tired, and feeling quite sick myself by morning. As I knew we had quite a day after my full day of teaching (3pm meeting with a DCFS investigator who is investigating Little One's former foster mother, 4pm gymnastics for Olivia, some kind of dinner, 6pm Daisy meeting for Olivia, occupying the boys for an hour, then picking Olivia up at 7 to head home), I knew there was no way I would make it sanely through the day. I called in sick.

I slept the morning away, then did some housework which a single mom of three can't always seem to fully finish (vaccuuming and putting away the clean clothes!). I still had some time before I needed to pick them up, so I decided to drive up the half hour it takes to now get to our nearest Toys R Us, since ours closed down. Olivia and Braeden's Christmas was already pretty much taken care of (I am an early shopper type - I hate how stores get as the holiday approaches - it takes a lot of the spirit out of it for me.) Little One of course still had nothing and I figured this would be one of a few times with no kids.

On the drive there I thought about something that had caught me that morning. While working on the computer and doing laundry, The View was on in the background. I wasn't really watching, but something they said made me start thinking of my past relationships. Not only romantic, which there haven't been a whole lot, but others as well. The fact that none of these "worked out" the way I may have liked at the time. The fact that my hometown did not have the pull on me to keep me there.

Due to these, I was able to step out in faith to return to school for my teaching degree. Due to failed relationships, I was able to step into the unknown to take a teaching position in a town I had never heard of. If it hadn't been for these "failures", I would not be the person I am. But most importantly, I would not know, or be parenting, the most important things in my life. My children.

So, thank you. I say thank you to those failed relationships. Those times of hurt and confusion. I thank the fact that I was not too scared of the unknown to take a leap of faith and try something new. I thank God for guiding me along the way. And I thank all those family and friends who have been my support. Who have moved with me in spirit through my different physical and emotional places in life. Thank you.