Those little irritations in life!

We all have them - at least I hope I'm not the only one who have these little things that threaten to steal the joy out of my day. Well - in the early hours of this morning when I couldn't sleep anymore - I thought about some of those things and then all of a sudden, just as I was starting to feel depressed about it all, a light went on inside my head and I realised once again that behind each and every one of those irritations was a blessing!

1. My neighbours have an Alsatian dog. I'm sure if you have neighbours with an Alsatian dog I don't have to tell you that those dogs have the most irritating bark in the whole world. Don't get me wrong - I really, really, really love animals and I'm crazy about dogs - even Alsatians. I am however not so crazy about their non-stop barking, for no reason on earth, from 2 am to 6 am when I try to get my last bit of much needed sleep before I have to get up for work. As I lied in my bed getting more and more irritated by the minute I realised that the only reason why I have to listen to the barking is because I'm blessed with the wonderful gift of hearing! How dull life would be without it - no music, no sound of my kids laughter, no birds singing? I'd rather endure the dogs barking and enjoy all those other sounds than live in a silent world without barking dogs!

2. My house is a constant source of frustration. If it's not the geyser that doesn't want to heat up, it's the light fitting that falls out of the ceiling because the people who fixed the geyser stepped on it while they fixed the geyser. If it's not that it's the hinges on a closet door that breaks off and I don't have a clue how to fix it so the door stands on one side - always in the way and the closet is a gaping hole full of the kids' clothes sticking out of it. I have to get an electrician and a carpenter to come and fix these things - all in one week! Just 2 weeks ago it was a blocked drain ... and so it goes on and on! But you know what - I only have these "household" irritations because I'm blessed to have a beautiful home where I can live with my kids. A small price to pay for such a huge blessing!

3. My alarm clock - I just hate that thing! I seriously think that some day I'm going to throw it against the wall into a million pieces - I felt like doing so at least a million times. That's until I realise that hearing the alarm clock go off means that God has given me the gift of yet another day in which I can live, love, laugh. It also means that I'm blessed to have a job and kids to take care of and that's why I have to get up at 6 o'clock. It's a blessing to have a purpose in life!

4. My kids are at a stage where they are almost constantly fighting. They can get into each others hair about the silliest things! It's so frustrating and irritating for me to witness this constant fighting and yakking! The only thing that keeps me sane is the realisation that this is normal. They are normal! I would definitely not prefer them to be quiet, scared or sick kids who never fight. I know that they love each other dearly and that they're actually best friends. Thank you Lord for my healthy, normal forever bickering boys! :)