thankful thursdays 12/31

Dec 31, 2009

December 31. The last day of 2009. I can’t believe this year is over and we are going to greet 2010 tonight. I remember as a child thinking the year 2000 was sooooo far away. I was sure we would all be blown up by the warheads pointed at us by the Russians during the Cold War long before the millennium arrived.

And yet, here we are ten years later.

So much is different.

Computers, iPods, cell phones, talking cars, high-tech washing machines, ATMs, GPS systems, surgery done with lasers…out-patient style, You-tube, gender-neutral clothing, and so much more. It is a different world than when I was a child.

So much is the same.

The joy of snuggling up and reading as a family, the delight of sledding down a hill, the magic of Christmas that brings out the best in us, the desire of mothers to gather their families and feed them delicious food, the never-ending pile of laundry, the concern for loved ones, the goodness and generosity of humans, and the hopes for a better tomorrow. Human nature doesn’t change. The desires for love, peace, and harmony stay the same. The simple joys of togetherness, good food, and honest affection will never go out of style.

I have so much to be thankful for this day…and every day, really.

* Family. I am so thankful for my birth family, my husband’s family, and our family we are creating. Each of these learning environments have taught us much and have been the source of our greatest joys and happiness. I am grateful to have family to lean on, to rejoice with, to laugh with, to eat with, and to serve with. Families are God’s greatest invention, don’t you think?
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* A working body. I am so thankful to have legs to walk, run, jump, and balance, hands to prepare food, wipe away tears, sew a creation, hold a book, drive a car, and write a letter. A brain to think with (it does pretty well, most of the time), a strong back to carry heavy loads, arms to hold a baby, breasts to feed warm milk, a uterus that grows babies, eyes that see beauty, and ears that hear “I love you.” What a gift our bodies are!
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* Friends make all the difference. A good friend of mine who has had a year full of trials said to me “I can go through anything if people care.” Its true. A smile, a hug, a commiserating phone call, a dinner for those hectic days, an understanding heart, a face full of love, and tears shed together can make the difference between despair and hope, depression and joy. I have been blessed with amazing friends. They have loved and served and blessed and given and listened and hugged and given some more. They are a great blessing in my life and I want them each to know what a difference they have made in my life.
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* Pictures. It is so wonderful to be able to look at a photograph of the past and be taken right back to that moment. It is good for the soul. It helps us remember the love, the humor, the hard times, and the joy of the moments of our lives. It helps us go on, trusting there will be more of those moments to be caught on film (or in gigabytes!) in the future.
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* Brilliant minds. I am so thankful to be surrounded by heaps of books written by people who have dedicated themselves to studying and then sharing their findings with the rest of us so we can learn, grow, and understand. What a blessed day we live in where information is so readily available…now the hard part is discerning what is good and true and what is all a bunch of malarkey!

I gathered up all the unused items I have in my house from Deseret Book and returned them so I could get some things I really wanted. Thanks to coupons, discounts, and $100 in returned items, I was able to gather up a pile of fabulous finds. I cannot wait to spend my early morning hours devouring Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Wendy Watson Nelson, The Hidden Christ by James Ferrell, Women of the Old Testament by Camille Fronk Olsen, Sacred Walls by Gerald Hansen, and Scripture Study for Latter-Day Saint Families: The Old Testament by Dennis Leavitt. What treasures! They are a gold mine of information that will enrich my mind and enlarge my heart.
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* My children. I have been blessed to bring four children into this world and they teach me every single day. They help me become a better person – to become who God wants me to be. They are each strong spirits who have great things to do in this life and I have been entrusted to help them on their journey. What an awesome responsibility motherhood is. I am so grateful to have this opportunity.
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* My husband. (He is not listed after my children because he is less important. He is MORE important, this is the order my heart is writing in and it has nothing to do with a hierarchy of importance!) He loves, serves, comforts, listens, laughs, encourages, comes to the rescue, holds, kisses and flat out adores me more than I ever imagined was possible. He teaches me what love is every single day. You know that song about being a diamond in the rough? Well, I am his diamond and I was – and am – very rough. He has loved me and slowly the rough spots are worn away. He sees who I can be and believes it so strongly that his vision has changed who I am.
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* My Savior who loves me, teaches me, comforts me, redeems me, and walks this journey of mortality by my side. It is impossible to express my love for Jesus Christ. I am thankful to know of Him and hope to become like Him as I learn to love, serve, and forgive in the way He would have me do.

Thank you each for being in my life. Thank you for your love, support, and encouragement.

Goodbye 2009 and hello 2010. Let’s hope it is a year full of faith, growth, friendship, service, and most all, love.

Love is the most powerful force in the world.

Let us make it true in 2010 by learning to love in God’s way.