Giving Thanks

It is November and with a bag full of Halloween candy sitting in front of me, it is time to be grateful. While I do believe it is best to be grateful all year long, I’m proud to live in a country that makes time for us to contemplate our blessings and feel gratitude for their abundance at least once a year.  As part of this annual exercise in thankfulness, I’ve made my list below (in no particular order).

1.  A healthy body.  I’m grateful that I can run (in theory) and play and get around.  I’m grateful to be able to have children and that I have energy to take care of them.  I’m a good sleeper, have no chronic pain and am able to use all of my senses.  It may not look exactly how I want it to look but it does what it needs to do and that is an immense blessing.

2.  A home.  I spend a lot of time in my home and I’m thankful that it is warm, safe, comfortable, relatively clean and a place to take care of my family.  

3.  The opportunity to change.  What a blessing to be able to develop new habits, be forgiven of past mistakes and move forward in a better direction.  

4.  Children.  I’m especially thankful for my children but I’m grateful that there are children in this world.  They demand that we be our best and they help remind us of the importance of humility, obedience, genuine love and pure goodness.

5.  The ocean.  I love sitting on the beach watching  the ocean.  It is my very favorite place to be.  I love watching the waves break and then return to calmness.  The ocean reminds me of how big the world is and how beautiful.  It makes me feel like God loves me.

6.  Good food.  I have to be honest here and admit that I really do love good food and I’m so thankful for it every day.  Eating is such a pleasure and sharing the experience only makes it better.  I love ice cream, warm soups, spicy enchiladas, cheese,  chewy bagels, buttered popcorn, sweet strawberries, fluffy pancakes, juicy steak, and homemade bread.  Really, there are very few foods that I don’t like (i.e. mushrooms because they are fungi not food and slimey seafood) but I’m grateful for all of the wonderful things in this world to eat. 

7.  Trees.  There are so many different kinds but they just make me happy.  Palm trees mean fun, evergreens mean Christmas and the bright autumn colored deciduous trees are outside artwork.  I am grateful for shade in the summer under a big tree and the blossoms of spring time are such a welcome sight after the drab of winter.  

8.  Warm showers.  This may sound funny but go a few days without one or take a really cold one and then you too will be grateful. There is something about human dignity that goes hand in hand with being clean.

9.  Books and the ability to read.  I've written about this before but I love good books and value the opportunity to learn, have an adventure, enjoy a new perspective, and escape into a new world all within a book.

10.  Nice smells.  I have a super sniffer and I must say that good smells make my life more pleasurable.  I appreciate it when my home and children are clean and smell good,  I love the smell of fresh cut grass, fruity lotion, when bread is cooking, laundry, Christmas trees, and my man, especially when he’s wearing cologne.  

11.  Holidays.  I am grateful that we get to celebrate!  I love BBQs and fireworks, turkey dinners, covering my house in red and pink hearts, carving pumpkins, hunting eggs, making delicious and seasonal food (see #7 because these two go hand in hand), creating traditions and being with family.

Of course the greatest blessings in my life are my husband, children, parents and siblings, my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the holy scriptures, my dear friends, the atonement of Jesus Christ, a living prophet, my education, and the freedoms I enjoy in this country.  I'm also grateful for gratitude. As I genuinely feel and express my gratitude to others and especially to God, it has made me happier and brought peace and contentment to my life.

What makes you feel grateful?