I was about to close down my laptop and not turn it back on until Friday morning when I have to get back to work - but then I thought "Hey, you've got a truckload of stuff to be thankful for. On this one day dedicated to gratitude, you sure as hell better be listing it out."
Truthfully, I have a lot to be grateful for. Not just because it's 2015 and this has basically been one of the best years in recent memory. In fact, when it comes time to do my Final Reckoning in about six or seven decades, I hope my posterity notes this year as being in the Top Ten Years of my life. And not just because it followed on the heels of the crapstorm that was 2014 - though goodness knows being better than last year is not a tough hurdle to clear.
Anyway - inspired by this post, here is my considerable list of things to be grateful for (in no particular order).
1. As ever, I am thankful for my family - they're the ones that have put up with my craziness for thirty years and they still answer my phone calls (mostly).
2. I am thankful for food, clothing, shelter, and that all my temporal needs are met on a regular basis.
3. I am beyond thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ - for the Atonement that means my sins can be forgiven, my troubles and pains and disappointments are taken care of in the eternities. I know the power of the Savior's sacrifice is as real as anything I've experienced. There's no other reason that I've been able to pull myself through some of the things I've dealt with without His grace and mercy.
4. In that same vein, words cannot express my gratitude for the knowledge that I have a loving Heavenly Father that's been looking out for me. When I had no clue what in the world I was doing with my life, He knew what He was doing with it. He was making things happen that I only recently knew were going on and I'm sure that He's still doing that same thing.
5. I am grateful that I have a fantastic man that's asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. All those lists I made in Young Women classes about my future husband - he's checked off every bullet point on the list, plus a few that I didn't even know I needed/wanted. I'm thankful that we're going to be sealed as a family in the Holy Temple in February and that he's worthy to go there with me. Again, Heavenly Father knew what He was doing.
6. I'm thankful to have a super-awesome job that I never in a million years dreamed I'd be able to have. I've been blessed with amazing bosses and a wonderful co-worker and other great associates in my career field. I'm finally getting to make a living doing something I only ever did as a hobby before and I've had a blast doing it.
7. I'm thankful for all my friends - whether we've met face-to-face or just online. My friends that I've known since college, my friends I've known for a few short years, my friends that I podcast with. Can't imagine life without them.
8. I am thankful for a car that works properly and can get me where I need to go. I've had enough cars break down on me that I know to be grateful when I have one that does what I want it to do.
9. I'm grateful for technology and to live in an age where we have so much information available so easily. Even if I do freak out when Facebook goes down (if I didn't depend on it for work...)
10. I'm grateful for all my fandoms and the joy they bring me - whether I'm having a good day or a bad day, they never fail to make me smile.
11. I'm grateful for stinking adorable niece and nephew. I'm grateful that I'll get to add to my niece/nephew totals come February :)
12. I'm grateful for hot chocolate made with milk. I rarely drink regular milk, but when it gets chilly and the leaves start falling, I buy milk by the half-gallon and stock up on Swiss Miss. That stuff is HEAVEN.
13. I am grateful for cozy hoodies - especially the Utah State Alumni one that Mom bought me when I graduated in 2007. When God made the perfect hoodie sweatshirt, that's the one He made. And He made sure I got it (thanks, Mom).
14. I am grateful for the blessings of the temple - for the covenants I've made with God and that I get to return often to remember those promises and to remember the love God has for me. I can't imagine my life without being able to participate in temple worship.
15. I'm grateful for eBooks and a iPad that can hold a bajillion books. I may never get through all of them, but I'll never want for something good to read. That's important.
16. I'm thankful for family history and learning the crazy stories of my ancestors. At least I know that my own nuttiness is a little bit genetic.
17. I am grateful for warm socks straight out of the dryer.
18. I am thankful for glasses and contacts, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do half the things I do on a daily basis.
19. I am grateful for peanut butter M&Ms. Delish.
20. I am grateful for trucks with 4-wheel drive so I can get home for Thanksgiving.
21. I'm thankful for the blessing of living in a country where I can speak my mind, agree or disagree with others, get an education, have a voice in local, state, and national government, and even when the people/things I vote for lose, there's still a chance to fix things later.
22. I am thankful for the scriptures - the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, continuing revelation from living prophets. I am grateful that God continues to communicate His will to us through these channels, as well as personal communication through the Holy Ghost. I can't imagine living in a world where I thought God had closed the door to His children and said "Okay - you all scramble and figure it out yourselves." Yeah... no. Not doing that.
23. I am grateful for cuddly teddy bears.
24. I am thankful that the time Jared asked me out wasn't actually someone playing a really rotten joke on me (as was my initial reaction when I got the Facebook message on April Fools' Day).
25. I am grateful for a sense of humor. I kind of need it in my line of work.
26. I am grateful that I can be friends with people I disagree with on matters of politics and/or religion. I am also grateful that I can enjoy and appreciate the creative output of those with whom I would disagree with on the same subjects. Not everyone can say that.
27. I am grateful that I acquired a taste for cold water that's been chilling in the fridge for several hours. Yum.
28. I am grateful for Chinese and Italian food - especially from really good restaurants.
29. I am grateful for the Sea Island Cotton scent from Bath and Body Works. Similarly, I am grateful for the smell of the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store.
30. I am grateful for those few weeks back in March when I was so upset about the direction my life was going, that I made that "30 for 30" and God basically said "This is a good list - but I have something better in mind for you" (I'll have to elaborate on that story later - it's a good one).
31. I am grateful for Burt's Bees lip balm. When I developed an allergy to regular ChapStick, that was the only stuff that worked that also didn't taste like I was smearing the medicine cabinet on my face.
32. I am grateful for that one polka-dot dress I found at DownEast Basics last spring. Everything else I've tried on from there does fit or flatter my figure. That was a complete and total fluke. But it looks adorable with the red shoes I found.
33. I am grateful that I'm slightly oblivious to certain things and that, even though I knew a marriage proposal was coming eventually, it still surprised me when he formally proposed.
34. I am grateful my future mother-in-law likes football. Even if she is a Patriots fan (well... something's gotta keep her from being caught up into heaven).
35. I am thankful that I kept my grandmother's earrings in my jewelry box all these years so I can wear them with my wedding dress. It'll be like Grandma's there in spirit.
36. I am thankful that my brother found a girl that is absolutely perfect for him. We were worried there for a while.
37. I am thankful that my relationship with my mother has improved over the years.
38. I am thankful I've had stellar roommates for the past three years. Life in close quarters kind of sucks if the people you're living with don't particularly like you.
39. I am grateful for bedside lamps, alarm clocks, and nightstands big enough to hold everything I need so I don't have to get up right when I wake up in the morning.
40. I am grateful for chocolate.
41. I am grateful that I have so much to be grateful for that I could go on for hours and not even make a dent in listing my blessings. I will have to write more later, but I am getting tired and need sleep now.
42. I am grateful that I have a warm and comfortable bed to sleep in. Good night, and Happy Thanksgiving.
Truthfully, I have a lot to be grateful for. Not just because it's 2015 and this has basically been one of the best years in recent memory. In fact, when it comes time to do my Final Reckoning in about six or seven decades, I hope my posterity notes this year as being in the Top Ten Years of my life. And not just because it followed on the heels of the crapstorm that was 2014 - though goodness knows being better than last year is not a tough hurdle to clear.
Anyway - inspired by this post, here is my considerable list of things to be grateful for (in no particular order).
1. As ever, I am thankful for my family - they're the ones that have put up with my craziness for thirty years and they still answer my phone calls (mostly).
2. I am thankful for food, clothing, shelter, and that all my temporal needs are met on a regular basis.
3. I am beyond thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ - for the Atonement that means my sins can be forgiven, my troubles and pains and disappointments are taken care of in the eternities. I know the power of the Savior's sacrifice is as real as anything I've experienced. There's no other reason that I've been able to pull myself through some of the things I've dealt with without His grace and mercy.
4. In that same vein, words cannot express my gratitude for the knowledge that I have a loving Heavenly Father that's been looking out for me. When I had no clue what in the world I was doing with my life, He knew what He was doing with it. He was making things happen that I only recently knew were going on and I'm sure that He's still doing that same thing.
5. I am grateful that I have a fantastic man that's asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. All those lists I made in Young Women classes about my future husband - he's checked off every bullet point on the list, plus a few that I didn't even know I needed/wanted. I'm thankful that we're going to be sealed as a family in the Holy Temple in February and that he's worthy to go there with me. Again, Heavenly Father knew what He was doing.
6. I'm thankful to have a super-awesome job that I never in a million years dreamed I'd be able to have. I've been blessed with amazing bosses and a wonderful co-worker and other great associates in my career field. I'm finally getting to make a living doing something I only ever did as a hobby before and I've had a blast doing it.
7. I'm thankful for all my friends - whether we've met face-to-face or just online. My friends that I've known since college, my friends I've known for a few short years, my friends that I podcast with. Can't imagine life without them.
8. I am thankful for a car that works properly and can get me where I need to go. I've had enough cars break down on me that I know to be grateful when I have one that does what I want it to do.
9. I'm grateful for technology and to live in an age where we have so much information available so easily. Even if I do freak out when Facebook goes down (if I didn't depend on it for work...)
10. I'm grateful for all my fandoms and the joy they bring me - whether I'm having a good day or a bad day, they never fail to make me smile.
11. I'm grateful for stinking adorable niece and nephew. I'm grateful that I'll get to add to my niece/nephew totals come February :)
12. I'm grateful for hot chocolate made with milk. I rarely drink regular milk, but when it gets chilly and the leaves start falling, I buy milk by the half-gallon and stock up on Swiss Miss. That stuff is HEAVEN.
13. I am grateful for cozy hoodies - especially the Utah State Alumni one that Mom bought me when I graduated in 2007. When God made the perfect hoodie sweatshirt, that's the one He made. And He made sure I got it (thanks, Mom).
14. I am grateful for the blessings of the temple - for the covenants I've made with God and that I get to return often to remember those promises and to remember the love God has for me. I can't imagine my life without being able to participate in temple worship.
15. I'm grateful for eBooks and a iPad that can hold a bajillion books. I may never get through all of them, but I'll never want for something good to read. That's important.
16. I'm thankful for family history and learning the crazy stories of my ancestors. At least I know that my own nuttiness is a little bit genetic.
17. I am grateful for warm socks straight out of the dryer.
18. I am thankful for glasses and contacts, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do half the things I do on a daily basis.
19. I am grateful for peanut butter M&Ms. Delish.
20. I am grateful for trucks with 4-wheel drive so I can get home for Thanksgiving.
21. I'm thankful for the blessing of living in a country where I can speak my mind, agree or disagree with others, get an education, have a voice in local, state, and national government, and even when the people/things I vote for lose, there's still a chance to fix things later.
22. I am thankful for the scriptures - the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, continuing revelation from living prophets. I am grateful that God continues to communicate His will to us through these channels, as well as personal communication through the Holy Ghost. I can't imagine living in a world where I thought God had closed the door to His children and said "Okay - you all scramble and figure it out yourselves." Yeah... no. Not doing that.
23. I am grateful for cuddly teddy bears.
24. I am thankful that the time Jared asked me out wasn't actually someone playing a really rotten joke on me (as was my initial reaction when I got the Facebook message on April Fools' Day).
25. I am grateful for a sense of humor. I kind of need it in my line of work.
26. I am grateful that I can be friends with people I disagree with on matters of politics and/or religion. I am also grateful that I can enjoy and appreciate the creative output of those with whom I would disagree with on the same subjects. Not everyone can say that.
27. I am grateful that I acquired a taste for cold water that's been chilling in the fridge for several hours. Yum.
28. I am grateful for Chinese and Italian food - especially from really good restaurants.
29. I am grateful for the Sea Island Cotton scent from Bath and Body Works. Similarly, I am grateful for the smell of the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store.
30. I am grateful for those few weeks back in March when I was so upset about the direction my life was going, that I made that "30 for 30" and God basically said "This is a good list - but I have something better in mind for you" (I'll have to elaborate on that story later - it's a good one).
31. I am grateful for Burt's Bees lip balm. When I developed an allergy to regular ChapStick, that was the only stuff that worked that also didn't taste like I was smearing the medicine cabinet on my face.
32. I am grateful for that one polka-dot dress I found at DownEast Basics last spring. Everything else I've tried on from there does fit or flatter my figure. That was a complete and total fluke. But it looks adorable with the red shoes I found.
33. I am grateful that I'm slightly oblivious to certain things and that, even though I knew a marriage proposal was coming eventually, it still surprised me when he formally proposed.
34. I am grateful my future mother-in-law likes football. Even if she is a Patriots fan (well... something's gotta keep her from being caught up into heaven).
35. I am thankful that I kept my grandmother's earrings in my jewelry box all these years so I can wear them with my wedding dress. It'll be like Grandma's there in spirit.
36. I am thankful that my brother found a girl that is absolutely perfect for him. We were worried there for a while.
37. I am thankful that my relationship with my mother has improved over the years.
38. I am thankful I've had stellar roommates for the past three years. Life in close quarters kind of sucks if the people you're living with don't particularly like you.
39. I am grateful for bedside lamps, alarm clocks, and nightstands big enough to hold everything I need so I don't have to get up right when I wake up in the morning.
40. I am grateful for chocolate.
41. I am grateful that I have so much to be grateful for that I could go on for hours and not even make a dent in listing my blessings. I will have to write more later, but I am getting tired and need sleep now.
42. I am grateful that I have a warm and comfortable bed to sleep in. Good night, and Happy Thanksgiving.
