A Time For Thanks

Well believe it or not, Thanksgiving 2008 is upon us.  I'm more on the not believe side, because I still feel as if 2008 just started, but alas, it is only in a few short days.  As I look back on my life I realize that I have SO much to be grateful for.  I have been blessed with so much, and I'm not always aware of why I have been this blessed, but I do know that I have a great responsibility to do everything I can with the bounteous things that I have been given throughout my life.  I was pondering random things last night as I waited to drift off to sleep.  As I thought about my situation with not going home for Thanksgiving and what not, missing old friends, and reflecting on times of the past I was overwhelmed with such a grand sense of gratitude like I had never experienced before.  As thoughts of unfairness about my inability to travel home started to take over, my mind began to think of my life in general and how amazingly blessed I have been.  My mind as never worked that way before.  It was almost as if someone had taken my brain and picked certain events and memories from it and showed them to me as if I were watching a movie of my own life.  I watched myself go through so many happy times with my best friends, leaders I have looked up to, warm times with my family, and other fun things I have had the opportunity to experience in my life.  It was a perspective that I have sadly not thought of before.  I realized that the Lord has blessed me with such amazing people in my life.  Whether I am still in contact with them now is insignificant, the point is that I was blessed to have them in my life when I most needed them.  I'd like to reflect on a few things I have been grateful for this year specifically, and then other things that I am grateful for in general.  They are in no specific order because I am so grateful for everything I have in my life.  

2008:

1. I have had a lot of good times in 2008.  Unfortunately I have had a lot of really hard, depressing times as well, so it took me a long time to realize that I have had many good times as well.  I did a lot of fun things with my old roommate, Charissa, and my friend Barbara.  They are and still are very dear to me and I am grateful for the fact that I can be myself around them no matter what the circumstance and there is never a dull moment when I am around them.  

2. I had the opportunity to travel home to St. Louis twice so far this year.  Once in April, I surprised my family by driving home with my friend Barbara.  And the other time I flew home to visit for a week in August.  It's always so fun to be able to spend time with those that I love the most.  

3. I was put into a new ward at the beginning of this year, which was the BYU 245th ward.  I was extremely blessed to have an amazing bishopric that really took an interest in me.  I am still in this ward and I still feel so blessed to work my bishop and his counselors.  They are so sincere and loving and I just love to be around them every Sunday.  

4. My roommates this year have been a true blessing in my life.  I haven't had the best of roommates in general and was finally blessed with amazing ones this year.  I love having late night talks with my roommate Hilary and going out with my other roommates Heidi and Michelle on a regular basis.  I have really enjoyed getting to know them better and become true friends with them.  

5. My grandparents are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and it has been such a blessing to have them as examples in my life.  We had a family celebration for the event in August, even though their actual anniversary is in December.  I loved to hear the stories of how they met and got married and the many sacrifices that they have gone through over the years to raise 8 kids on a farm.  I was amazed and realized that happiness really does come from doing what is right and being with your family as opposed to having material things in life.  

6. I have an amazing job that I just started this year.  I work with 4 mentally handicapped adult men, as many of you know.  I am so glad I have this job because prior to it, I was always uncomfortable around people with mental handicaps.  This has taught me to know that they are loving people and I really enjoy going to work.  I also have great coworkers and have made many friendships while working there.  

7. I was called as relief society president this semester, and wow has it been incredible.  Yes it isn't always the easiest calling to magnify, but I have found that as I truly try to magnify it to the best of my abilities, the Lord has made up for the rest and blessed me beyond my capacity.  I have been blessed to get to know so many amazing girls in my ward, especially my counselors who I am so grateful for every single day.  They truly help me with whatever I need and I don't know where I would be without them.  

8.  It was election year this year, and it was my first time to be able to vote for the president.  I am so grateful to be living in a country that has such a smooth running government.  I am grateful for the opportunity to vote and that my candidate won! :) haha.  Not only that, but I am grateful to live in a country that doesn't break out into war whenever there is an change in power.  It's a greater blessing than many of us realize.  

In general:

1. I have truly been blessed with an amazing family.  My mother has truly become my best friend as I've grown up, and I'm so grateful for the relationship I have with her.  I can tell her anything and she is one of the few, if not the only person that knows me well enough to know when something is wrong in my life.  I can confide in her, and I am grateful to finally be old enough for her to confide in me as well.  

2. My father has also been a great blessing in my life.  He is such a hard worker and does everything he can to support me and my family.  He also is a great example to me of spiritual strength and I am glad to have him as a priesthood holder in my life.  I have a very healthy, strong relationship with him and I know he loves me very much, as I love him.

3. My younger brother, Parker (Pooky) is another person that I absolutely adore.  He is such a compassionate, loving person that I learn so much from.  He constantly stands out from his friends by choosing the right and sticking to what he knows to be good.  He is kind to everyone and is hardly ever judgemental of other's faults.  He is also a great role model for my youngest brother, Ethan, and I am glad he is there to help him along.

4. My youngest brother, Ethan, who has so many nicknames it would take a whole blog entry to write them all is such a joy in my life.  Although it saddens me that he is starting to grow up, because he will always and forever be a baby in my eyes, he has been such a blessing in my life.  He always has the capacity to cheer me up no matter what.  I love going home because he has such an outward expression of love towards me that shows me how much he misses having me around.  He wants me to spend a lot of time with him and vocalizes it.  

5. I have been blessed with so many other amazing people in my life that have shaped who I am today.  The Leimburgs are one of the first people I think of.  Kerry has been such a great "second mother" to me and I always enjoy her company.  Sally and Danny are also a joy to be around and I have loved having them be close family friends of mine.  

6. Although I'm not in contact with all of them anymore, I have been blessed with a lot of very close friends over the years.  Not many people have the opportunity to get to know so many people on such a personal level, and I am so grateful to have had that opportunity.  To name just one - my friend Elizabeth has been such an amazing friend to me for over 10 years now.  She is such a positive influence in my life and we remain close no matter how much time passes between us seeing each other.  That is what true friendship is all about.  

7. I guess this is a 2008 and in general one, but I am so grateful to be the granddaughter of Papa Joe.  He passed away this past March, which was a great tragedy for me, but I still have loved visiting with him and seeing him on various occasions through out my life.  You never doubted his love for you and he was the kindest and gentlest man I think I will ever know in my life.  

8. I am so grateful to have the gospel in my life.  I don't know where'd I be without it.  It blesses me with so much: the scriptures, the opportunity to serve others at church, the knowledge that God loves me and that through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, I can repent of my imperfections and become a better person, the knowledge that I will see my loved ones that have passes on again, the gift of prayer, which gives me the opportunity to kneel down and pour my heart's desires out to a loving Heavenly Father at any time during the day, a living prophet that leads this church and gives amazing counsel that will guarantee make my life better and happier, and the opportunity I have to be sealed to my family for time and all eternity.  

Gratitude really is a key to being happy.  As I have considered my many wonderful blessings, I have realized that I should never have any reason to feel sad or depressed.  Although I will feel this way at times, if I can remember to count my many blessings, those times will become more far and in between the great times in my life.

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.