A Look of Concern

Oh, that Julia.  Giving looks of concern for the last 5 years.

A Thankful Heart

November is a month of gratitude.  Lots of people have been posting things they are grateful for on Facebook this month, which I think is wonderful.  But for me, it's been a year of gratitude.  Way back on January 1st I decided to keep a gratitude journal.  I made it a goal, in fact, to have 365 things I was thankful for by year's end.  And I have been true to my goal.  I think back every night on the events of the day and find something I'm grateful for.  Sometimes it's silly (cheese!), sometimes it's obvious (family), sometimes it's seeing God's hand in my life that day.  Actually, often it's seeing God's hand in my life.  I don't think it's a coincidence that I started this journal, and 29 days later Clark lost his job.  I was NOT feeling very grateful on some of those days.  But I had made a goal, and I was going to keep it, gritting my teeth if necessary.  Being thankful helped me notice that we didn't have to make a single house repair while Clark was unemployed - not even 1 burned out lightbulb.  It helped me notice that the very week I was worried about feeding my family on a non-existent income, we received 3 dinner invitations, the contents of the fridge and freezer of a family that was moving across the country, and the CSA pickup of a friend who was going to be out of town.  And the RS president showed up with butter, pajamas, and encouragement.  Because I was writing this all down, I could look back at that week, and see miracle after miracle.  It was amazing.

So far I've had 10 months of gratitude, but it's been pretty much for my eyes only.  Lately, I have been feeling like I should really write a thankful post in this month of gratitude.  So here are the top things I'm grateful for:

1. Family.  Obviously, right?
2. Pie.  All kinds.
3. Employment.  Oh, how grateful I am for Clark's employment.  Heavy burdens have been lifted, and tears of frustration have been replaced with tears of joy.  What a blessing.
4. Being Veterans Day, I'm feeling especially thankful for veterans.   I wore my poppy all day, and thought of the men and women who have served our country.  We went to Cantigny Park tonight, and visited the First Division Military Museum.  They had luminaries set up all across a field, and there were soldiers keeping watch, even in the snow.  I may have shed a tear or two.  God bless our veterans.
5. I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and perhaps more importantly, for my testimony.  My religion is something I hold near and dear to my heart, and I don't think I've brought it up much on my blog.  But it must be said that I have a testimony that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer., and that through his atonement, I can be made whole.  I also believe with my whole heart that Christ's church has been restored on the earth, and that the Book of Mormon is true.  The power of that book is boundless.  By reading from it daily, I come closer to Christ.  How blessed we are to have it.  If you haven't read it, you should.  I'm sure you can even request a free copy from lds.org.  Or I can give you a copy.  I have a spare.

That should do for now.  Perhaps there will be a part 2 in a few days.