10 Things I am Thankful For

With Thanksgiving so close, I thought it was only appropriate to list the top ten things I am thankful for. I hope everyone will take time to remember all the blessings in their lives and give thanks to our Father in Heaven for them.

So here it goes.

1) My family. My parents and siblings. I am so grateful that when Heavenly Father sent me to this earth he gave me the family he did. I doubt any other family would have been as good for me as the one I am in.

2) Mike, of course. I still can't believe how far he has come from when we met. How far he has helped me come. I feel so lucky (yes...I mean it) to have him for my husband. I always put him as number one, but decided that today he would be second (his ego needed a little deflating).

3) The Gospel. I am so grateful that I was born into a family where the Gospel was such an important part of our lives. I feel so blessed to have been able to learn about the Gospel from the time I was little and have parents that set such a wonderful example for me.

4) Music. I love music. It is something that everyone can enjoy. It can invite the Spirit into a home, cheer up someone who is down, tell a story, and so much more.

5) Trials. Really. I am. The trials I have been through have given me the oppurtunity to become who I am. I have become a stronger person from them. They have helped to build my testimony to what it is today. Some have brought me closer to Mike. Others have helped me realize my weaknesses and strengths. That is why we are here. To go through trials and see how we will handle them and to learn and grow from them. Some trials are harder than others but every trial has helped me become who I am today.

6) Employment. In the current economy, I must say I am very thankful for being employed. And that Mike is employed. I know this could change at any time as we have learned in the past, but for now we are employed, able to pay all of our bills and not have to stress about money. Being in the line of work that I am I have seen how hard it is these days. I am very thankful that we are able to support ourselves and meet our financial responsibilities.

7) Friends. If there is any other support group that has helped me anywhere near as much as family, it has been my friends. Especially the Bolanders. Terrie and Cory were a very large part in Mike's re-activation, my testimony growing and us going to the temple. It was so wonderful that they were able to come and be with us when we went through the temple since they were such a large role in our getting there. They have supported us through our struggle with infertility and let us get our kid fix from their children. I am also grateful for many other friends. Too many to name. Everyone of them has been such a great support. Thank you all.

8) Freedom. I am very thankful to live in a country where we are free to worship the way that we choose. I know that I am very lucky to live here. And I am grateful for all those who fight to protect for those freedoms and to bring those freedoms to all of God's other children around the world.

9) Education. Ok, funny one for me to be thankful for. I took one college class and haven't taken another one since. I really am thankful for this though. I am grateful that I was able to get a good education in high school. Both from school and seminary. I am also grateful that there are so many ways to continue to learn new things. I have been lucky enough to take community classes, find books on subjects I am interested in, and that we have tools like the internet to help with research on different subjects. I have also found that bathroom readers provide some interesting knowledge that I have been able to wow people with. I think that it is important that we always be learning something. Otherwise, we are not making any progress.

10) My health. I know I am not the healthiest person. I could stand to lose a lot of weight, I have insulin resistance along with a load of fertility issues, but you know, I can still function, enjoy life and take care of myself. I have been able to take control of many of the issues I have. To date I have not had to have any actual surgeries (knock on wood). I have had it easy compared to so many people that I know. I am extremely grateful for that.

So those are my top ten. There are so many more things that I am grateful for. I hope that you all take the time to thing of the things you are thankful for as we approach this Holiday season.