30 days of gratitude

This will be an ongoing post this month. While I could post simply as Facebook statuses as many others are doing, if I blog instead, it all ends up in the same place.

1 November 2012. I am grateful for life. My life is good! :) It may not be perfect. Things have not happened the way I imagined. There are things I still desire and hope for. But I am reminded regularly that my Heavenly Father knows and loves me, and that He has a plan for me. His plan, though I may not understand it or be able to see it all clearly yet, is greater than I could imagine for myself. My righteous desires will be fulfilled in His time. I have faith in this and continue to find happiness as I trust in the Lord. I am grateful for the opportunity to be alive, to learn and discover and hopefully to fulfill His plan for me.

2 November 2012. I am grateful for sunshine. Sometimes in the summer heat I forget how much I love the light. I have been enjoying the Indian summer days since our first snowfall. I thoroughly enjoyed the warmth of the sun on my shoulders and the crunch of the autumn leaves under my feet as I walked home from work today. And the light that comes from the sun is a source of happiness. It is also a reminder of the Son, Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world and the only source of true happiness.

3 November 2012. I am grateful for my heritage. There are so many things and especially people who have contributed to who I am and where I am. I spent a little time with my maternal grandparents this evening, over dinner. I am grateful to them for having the courage to leave their homes and build a new life in America. I am grateful to earlier ancestors in my paternal line who joined the church, immigrated to Nauvoo, and crossed the plains to the Salt Lake Valley. The traits that define me came from these and other ancestors. Also part of my heritage is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the American dream. I have the freedom to practice my religion, to worship my God. And I have the freedom not only to dream but to strive for and accomplish my dreams. I hope and pray that I will always enjoy these freedoms, and that I may also leave this great heritage to my children and grandchildren.

4 November 2012. I am grateful for fasting. Yes, I know it sounds crazy. Some might interpret it as "I'm grateful that I have to starve myself once a month." But fasting done right isn't about starving. In fact, it's easy to forget physical hunger when you focus instead on feasting on the word of Christ, on inviting the Holy Spirit into your mind and heart, on strengthening your testimony of the gospel and specifically of fasting. Each month, I have the opportunity to focus and exercise my faith more fully. Each month, I am reminded how much more powerful the Spirit of the Lord can be in my life when I make a small sacrifice to come nearer to the Lord. Each month I have the opportunity to donate generously on behalf of others, in place of eating two meals on Sunday. Each month I feel my testimony strengthened as I fast and as I hear others' testimonies. For these and other reasons, I am grateful for fasting.

5 November 2012. I am grateful for liberty and for agency. I am grateful to live in a country that was established on principles of freedom. I am grateful that this means I have the right to vote, to raise my voice and cast my ballot. I have already mailed my ballot this year; in the past, I have also voted in person (well, at the machine set up at the polling location). Either way, I feel grateful to be a small part of the political process. I feel especially grateful to the many who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice so I can enjoy liberty and opportunity, including the opportunity to vote. I love my country!

6 November 2012. I am grateful to be an American. I'm feeling disappointed right now, but I am still so grateful for the freedoms established by our founding fathers and by so many since then. I am grateful for those who have given and continue to give their all so I can enjoy these freedoms, including the right to vote. I still love this country and am grateful for our Constitution. I will continue to support the laws of the land and fight for the freedoms so many have already sacrificed for, and I will continue to pray for the United States of America.

7 November 2012. I am grateful for parents who taught me the gospel and to love God and country. I have been reading and listening to some of President Benson's words this evening. I was only 4 at the time he gave the conference talk--younger at the time of the other clip. But I'm pretty sure I heard those words, even if I didn't have the ability to understand it all, because my parents have always made the gospel a priority. One of my earliest memories is of attending a conference (while we lived in Texas, I believe) where President Benson spoke. I know it stuck with me because the gospel was important in our home and my parents emphasized the importance of hearing from a prophet of God. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your teaching, even when you may not have realized how much of an impact it had at the time and has had since.

8 November 2012. I am grateful for a good job. I know there are many people who are unemployed and others who are not satisfied with their jobs. I feel blessed to have a job where I enjoy what I do and have the opportunity to work with some great people. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and progress in my job and for the trust that is placed in me. I may occasionally complain about getting up early or about trying to keep up with everything, but I do enjoy my work, and I am grateful to be where I am today.

9 November 2012. I am grateful for snow. It was fun watching it fall all day, and it's fun to look out to see the world covered in white. I'm also grateful for babies. Hannah and I had a good evening, even if she spent a good portion of it very angry. I even got to hear her call Christel "Mama" for the first time... but Christel missed it. (She'd been crying, but as soon as she saw Christel again, she said "mamamamama.")

10 November 2012. I'm grateful for slow cookers and for ice cream. (Not together. I don't like ice cream soup.) I have some nice chicken for the next few days. And yes, I do still enjoy ice cream even when it's snowing.

11 November 2012. I am grateful for veterans and for those currently serving or preparing to serve our country. I am also grateful for their families. So many people have sacrificed much, and some have sacrificed all, so that I can enjoy the liberties I have today. Freedom is not free. Many continue to pay the price of freedom, and I am so grateful to them for their love of liberty over life. On a less somber note, I am grateful for rides to church, Sunday afternoon naps, and hot chocolate.

12 November 2012. I am grateful for a flexible boss (I left work at 11 today to finish a school assignment, promising to work 9-hour days the rest of the week) and an understanding professor (my computer died, and the old one that is still functional tends to freeze and take several minutes to respond again, so the professor offered a little leniency). Really, it's wonderful how understanding people are when you speak up honestly, act appropriately, and ask for understanding. I feel like today has been a successful (if long) day.

13 November 2012. Did I say I am grateful for my boss? I am. I'm grateful that he backs me up when I occasionally tell people no. I'm also grateful that he is back at work this week, so I don't have to be the only go-to person when something goes wrong. All in all, I'm just grateful for a really good boss who doesn't micromanage and yet is involved and aware. Today I am also grateful for warm things: hat, scarf, mittens, heater, hot water, hot chocolate, rice bag straight out of the microwave, fuzzy socks, and a warm bed.

14 November 2012. I am grateful for yarn and crochet hooks and excuses to make cute, fun things. It's so relaxing, I love discovering new patterns, and it really is amazing what can take shape from a bunch of different kinds of slip knots. I am really grateful for a soon-to-arrive niece, who will get a number of soft, warm, cute things.

15 November 2012. I am grateful for customer service reps who are kind and helpful. I called Office Max about my broken computer, and the manager will talk to the service warranty people if I take my computer in. He will also help retrieve stuff from the hard drive. (Yes!!!! Even if I decide I don't want to send the computer in again, at least I know I'll have everything, including what I did in the last month and didn't get a chance to back up. Now I know what I'm doing after work tomorrow....) I also called Sprint to clear up a minor problem on my bill. It took longer than I would have liked, but they were very helpful and it has been fixed. It's nice to talk to people who really do want to help. :)

16 November 2012. I am grateful to have a smart phone that does almost everything my computer does. It makes a weekend without Internet access somewhat more bearable when I can still check Facebook and email, check in on the discussion board(s) for my class, and look up the crochet patterns I had been working from. On that note, I am also very grateful for Google and for "the cloud." It's amazing to me that anything tied to my Google account can be accessed from any device that can access Google.

17 November 2012. I am grateful for beautiful productions to get me in the Christmas spirit--and friends and family who join me. Savior of the World has become a tradition for me: I love going, and I love sharing it with other people. I'm grateful for the family and friends who came--those who planned to come from the start, as well as those who joined us last minute. It was a beautiful afternoon and a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

18 November 2012. I am grateful for the opportunity to partake of the sacrament each week, to ponder on the atonement and to renew my covenants. I am grateful to attend church and leave behind the cares of the world briefly to study the gospel with others and to be spiritually renewed and refreshed. I am grateful for good friends who make life enjoyable.

19 November 2012. I am grateful for laughter. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time; an hour later I'm still on a "high" from laughing. Thanks Sue, Ashlynn, and Sheldon! I am especially grateful for Sheldon's laugh. It is soooo cute and contagious. I am grateful for family and for excuses to get together. Whitney's baby shower was fun, and now she has lots of cute things for baby Amanda, and everyone had a good time together.

20 November 2012. I am grateful for amigurumi. Yes, it's a word. I've recently discovered all these fantastic patterns for crocheted animals and other toys, and it's FUN. Plus, they're cute. I love trying out new patterns and seeing the results. I am also grateful for my bed. It's nice to know that I have a warm, comfortable place to sleep after a long day.

21 November 2012. I am grateful for express buses and carpool lanes. It made the ride to Orem much more reasonable. I am also grateful for family close by willing to pick me up from the bus... and for a nephew who decided it was worth getting in the car when he was told that they were going to pick up "tia."

22 November 2012. I am grateful for the ability to laugh at what might otherwise be considered a disaster. And I am grateful for people ready to serve in strange ways--like offering their oven when the one needed for Thanksgiving dinner had broken. I think Tom got frustrated, especially when the apartment manager's fancy oven shut off while the pies were baking, but Whitney and I couldn't help laughing. I am grateful not just for the Thanksgiving dinner we enjoyed but for the memories we created. I am also grateful for quiet neighbors. It's rare that I hear mine, but the upstairs neighbors at Tom and Whitney's stomp around a lot.

23 November 2012. I am grateful for the excitement of childhood. It's fun to see how much Jacob is learning and how much more he is talking. Sometimes it's clearly Spanish (Coco [comida]! Quiero coco!) and sometimes it's definitely English (The bear! The hat! The hot [hot chocolate]!) and often it's a very adamant Nnnnnnnnnnno! (drawn-out "N" and quick "O"), but it's fun to hear him say more and more each time I see him and to see how excited he is about learning new things.

24 November 2012. I am grateful for computers--and grateful I decided to order a new one. As many frustrations as computers can cause, they make library work much more feasible for both librarians and patrons. They also make it possible for me to be working on a degree at an out-of-state university while also working full-time. In spite of occasional agony, it's amazing what we can do with technology!

25 November 2012. I am grateful for gifts that "keep on giving." I finally used the last of the Amazon gift card I got last Christmas and got myself a cookie press. It was a lot of fun trying it out today, and I now have many cookies to share. Plus, I can look forward to using the cookie press many more times in the future. It's a lot of work, but I feel happy now. :)

26 November 2012. I am grateful for Family Home Evening. It's nice to have a time to get together to hear a brief gospel message and to enjoy the company of good friends (since I don't currently live with family). Of the many activities and other pastimes I can choose from each week, FHE is one that I have learned I need. It's a blessing to be a part of a church that encourages us to spend time as families not only to learn the gospel together but also just to have fun.

27 November 2012. I know I've already said it, but I'm grateful for a good boss--a boss who doesn't yell. In other dealings today, I heard a manager yell at an employee, "I'm busy, leave me alone!" - "But there's a young lady waiting..." - "I know she's here!" [Let's just say, once I'm done with this warranty stuff, I think Office Max really has lost my business.] I feel really blessed to have a pleasant work environment where I get along with my coworkers and my boss and can feel comfortable at work each day.
I am also very grateful for the power of the Holy Ghost. I was thinking about a friend, Jenn Tolman, this morning. For those who follow my blog, you may remember this post. Jenn posted later this morning on Facebook: "8 months...feels like forever to me." In other words, today marks eight months since her brother's unexpected death. I don't believe it is coincidence that I thought of her this morning, even before I saw her post. I am truly grateful that the Holy Ghost can bring things and people to mind and guide us in small ways to offer help and support to those who may need it.

28 November 2012. I am grateful for a great ward and especially for a wonderful bishop and bishopric. The bishop wanted to see me tonight just to find out how I'm doing. I am so grateful to know that the bishopric and their wives are genuinely concerned about individuals in the ward. It's really nice to feel loved and appreciated.

29 November 2012. I am grateful for new life, especially for a beautiful new niece, Amanda Lorraine Stevenson. I am sooo excited to meet her tomorrow. I am grateful for unseasonably warm weather. And I am grateful for a new computer! I just got it set up. I think I'm going to like it. :) And once again I'm grateful for the cloud. It's amazing how much Google can do; just by setting up and signing into Chrome, I have all my favorites back.

30 November 2012. I am grateful for Cheerios. It sounds silly, maybe, but it's something I was able to eat today. I'm also grateful for a comfortable bed, and for books and movies to keep me entertained when I'm not up to anything else. I'm especially grateful for the comfortable bed; it seems like I've spent the whole day either reading or dozing. And I'm grateful for health and that I am normally pretty healthy. It's easy to take it for granted until I get sick, but I really am grateful to be generally healthy and hope this bug goes away soon.