More blessings!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'm now home with the fam, diggin' the snow and 9 degree weather. I have to admit, I think the Blizzard warnings for Utah were a bit dramatic yesterday, but I am grateful for the safety we had by heeding them. And leaving a day later gave me extra time to work on my thesis last night. I've got almost 50 pages now, if you count the appendices. :) Life is good.

Today's note includes yesterday's gratitude mention, und zwar: I am grateful for Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, which is in my #1 favorite Christmas book of all time. If you haven't read this book, you NEED to. Tell me who you are and I'll buy you a copy for Christmas. It's that important to me that you read it. I promise you will be changed for the better.

As for today's measure of thankfulness, I am grateful for protection from weather--housing, clothing, heated automobiles. I can't imagine conquering snowy mountain passes in a covered wagon or on frozen feet. I am thankful for the comforts of my life. 

Good Stuff!

Tuesday, 23 Nov. 2010

I am grateful, so grateful, for country music. You can laugh if you want to, but I'm serious. I. LOVE. COUNTRY. MUSIC. end of story.

Monday, 22 Nov. 2010

I am SO grateful for my truck, which finally got fixed yesterday. It helps me move people and things and go grocery shopping and to the temple and to visit people and on both short and long road trips. It makes me smile and turns bad days good, just by driving it because it's so fun. Yes, it's older than me. No, it can't fit more than two and a half people. And Yes, it does sometimes make embarrassing noises while stopped at red lights. But hey, it will probably last another fifteen years, and for that, it's all worth it. In addition to having my truck, I'm grateful for my grandma Cindy, for selling it to me. Thanks Cindy!

Wisdom for Life

"The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness." Proverbs 15:14

"All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast." Proverbs 15:15

"[Those who murmur] know not the dealings of that God who [has] created them." 1 Nephi 2:12

The Savior of the World

Today, as always, I am so grateful for the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ. He is known by many names: Redeemer, Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Son of God, Son of Man, Mighty God, Holy One, etc. The name I love Him most by, though, is Savior, Brother, and Friend. I have a testimony that Jesus Christ is the living Son of the living God. He came to earth to fulfill a plan set by our Heavenly Father to atone for our sins and overcome death. He suffered unimaginably in the garden of Gethsemane, suffering which caused him, "even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that [He] might not drink the bitter cup and shrink" (D&C 19:18). He did that because He loves us, and by so doing, He prepared the way that "we might not suffer if [we] would repent" (D&C 19:16). I am so thankful for His atoning sacrifice that makes it possible for me to change, so that I don't have to be the same person tomorrow that I am today. I can be better. I want to be better. I am grateful for my Savior whose association (sought through scripture study, prayer, and pondering) helps me to be better. I love Him.

Saturday, 20th Nov.

I am grateful for a big, wonderful, eternal family to share food and laughter and movie nights and sob stories and embarrassing moments and embarrassing questions and memories and holidays with. Sometimes they drive me crazy, but my life would be so empty without them.

Friday, 19th Nov.

I am grateful for my job, which keeps me from thinking school is all there is in the world, and helps me pay my bills.

Temples and Roomies

Thursday, 18 Nov. 2010


I am grateful for Temples, and the peace that fills their walls. This morning I took an early morning trip to the Provo Temple. Best morning ever.



Wednesday, 17 Nov. 2010

I am grateful for roommates who inspire me. I love coming home, because I know when I do, the time will be filled with laughter and uplifting conversation and deep talks and prayers and bpoyd's. Wish I had a picture to show you how beautiful my roommates are. Soon though.

More about Gratitude, Rejoicing

Some quotes from President Thomas S. Monson of the LDS Church about gratitude:

"Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love."

"When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives." (actually quoting Pres. Hinckley)

"Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings.

"This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teachers who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways.

"We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."

"How careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!" (Joseph F. Smith) "A prayerful life is the key to possessing gratitude."

"To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven."

And my personal favorite:

"As I close this morning, it is my prayer that in addition to all else for which we are grateful, we may ever reflect our gratitude for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His glorious gospel provides answers to life’s greatest questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where do our spirits go when we die? That gospel brings to those who live in darkness the light of divine truth.

"He taught us how to pray. He taught us how to live. He taught us how to die. His life is a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved.

"Ultimately, He stood alone. Some Apostles doubted; one betrayed Him. The Roman soldiers pierced His side. The angry mob took His life. There yet rings from Golgotha’s hill His compassionate words: 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.'

"Who was this 'man of sorrows, . . . acquainted with grief'? 'Who is this King of glory,' this Lord of lords? He is our Master. He is our Savior. He is the Son of God. He is the Author of Our Salvation. He beckons, 'Follow me.' He instructs, 'Go, and do thou likewise.' He pleads, 'Keep my commandments.'

"Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His words. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude."

Today, though it's still early in the day, I am grateful for living prophets, called and ordained of God, on the earth to lead and guide those who will listen to their words. Like Adam, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Peter, and Paul of old, I know that there is today a prophet--President Thomas S. Monson--on the earth who holds the keys to commune with God and tell us what we need to do to make it through the challenges and trials we are faced with, to get back to the presence of God. I know that we were there before (Jeremiah 1:5) and we can return to live with Him again.

To see President Monson's whole talk, click here. To read what he says, click here.

Thanks J5

Today I am grateful for stress relieving one/two song dance parties and the friends who join me in them. Also for the Jackson Five, who made tonight's possible.


Dang MJ. You were cute as a kid.

that's what I'm talkin' about!

This is a great video. 

This is one I love even more.

Doesn't the skateboarder kid just get you?

Yesterday I was grateful for great friends. More than 30 of them filled my living room and ate my cookies last night. Yay for people!

Get a 'tude

Dear everyone,
On the fourth Thursday of this month we will (hopefully) all gather with family and friends and get the opportunity to express thanks for some of the things we're grateful for. Recent events in my life have caused me to question though, why this list must be held back until Thanksgiving itself occurs. Why not start making our list now? After talking to several friends, I have realized that there is a whole slew of people who feel the same way I do--facebook and blogs all over the internet are filled with Gratitude-countdowns, where the author lists something they are grateful for each day of November. Well, I'm late; November is already almost half-way gone, and there are only a couple weeks left till Thanksgiving. Until then though, I am going to take a shot a posting at least once, each day, about something that I am grateful for in my life. As I do so, I hope you take a second to ask yourself what you're grateful for that day, and then, if you would be so kind, please comment and let me know what it is you're thinking of. Gratitude is the best attitude, and my experience says it can change your life. So are you ready for this experiment or what? I am! Ready, get set, go-->



Today I am grateful for prayers and scriptures. Specifically some scriptures that answered my prayers today. This is what happened: Remember when Peter felt horrible after he denied Christ three times and the Cock crowed? Luke 22:62 tells us he "wept bitterly." Today I was reading that and empathizing with Peter. I know what it feels like to feel bad after making some dumb mistake you knew better than to make in the first place. After reading about how bad Peter felt today though, I asked myself, okay, so what did he do after that? Obviously he didn't dwell on his mistake and feel that he could never "make it up" to Jesus. He didn't just write himself off as a failure disciple and miserable sinner. He didn't go home and dwell on his mistakes or choose only to rhapsodize about the "good old days" with the Savior before he forsook and denied him three times. No! Fast forward to 1st Peter in the New Testament. He became a great prophet and advocate of the Savior Jesus Christ--he used his past mistakes to keep him humble and bore a powerful testimony of repentance and the power of the atonement to change and make weak things strong. So, this is what I'm grateful for today. The example of a prophet who learned to trust in God and change. I know I can do the same.

Now, what were you grateful for?

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"To pity distress is but human. To relieve it is Godlike."

Horace Mann 1796-1859