30 Days of Thanksgiving

This is my second year of writing something I am grateful for every day in the month of November. I try to really give it some thought and not just make a list, but to give some explanation as to why. For those that I'm friends with on Facebook, you have seen these already, but this is for those of my family and friends who do not have Facebook.

I am hoping that everyone had a wonderful, happy, and blessed Thanksgiving. 

Love and hugs to you all.

30 Days of Gratitude 2012

November 1^st: I am so very grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who loves me and knows me by name. He provides for me exactly what I need at the perfect moment. At times life is not easy but He gives me challenges to help me grow and become the person that He needs me to be; and along with these challenges he provides me the strength and resources needed to make it through them. And I am truly grateful for these challenges (although at times I am not grateful for them until long after they are over).

November 2^nd: I am grateful for my loving Savior, Jesus Christ, and all that He has done for me. He has truly been through it all and has experienced everything I do and so much more. There are times in my life where I have felt very alone but as I look back at those times I realize that I never was alone because my Savior has always been there with me … through the darkest days of my life as well as the happiest times and everything else in between.

November 3^rd: I am grateful for the many family members, friends, and helpers in my life. These are the ones who make my life whole and complete. And these are the ones who help me along this journey of life. If it weren't for these loved ones who God has given me I would not have made it this far in life. Thank you to all who have touched my life in one way or another.

November 4^th: I am grateful for the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for the plan of salvation. I am grateful for the knowledge that families are forever and that I will have the opportunity one day to be reunited with loved ones who have gone before me.

November 5^th: I am grateful for modern technology that allows me to stay connected with family and friends … near and far. And for the opportunity that it has given me to reconnect with friends from the past.

November 6^th: I am grateful to be living in this country and for the many freedoms and privileges that I enjoy here.  I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to voice my opinion by voting for the candidate I believe is the best choice to help lead and guide this country.

November 7^th: I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to work with the Young Women in my Ward at church. They truly are an inspiration to me and are great examples. They face so many challenges and trials on a daily basis and are so strong and make correct choices.

November 8th: I am grateful for the power of prayer. Prayer changes things. It can bring comfort and peace to those who are suffering. It can bring comfort to the individual saying the prayer because at times that is all we can do for those who we love and care about. Prayer can help lead and direct our lives. Prayer is our direct line to Heavenly Father and He lovingly answers each and every prayer uttered. The answer could be yes, no, or not right now but maybe later. We may not always like the answer we get but our prayers are always answered. And for this I am eternally grateful.

November 9th: I am grateful for my job that I have to go to every day and for the wonderful company I work for. I also work with some amazing people. I have been fortunate enough to be with the same company for over ten years now. They have taken care of me over these years and have supported me through some of the hardest times of my life.

November 10th: I am grateful for my cat, Cleo. I am so glad that I adopted her earlier this year. She has brought me companionship and now I have someone to come home to. She can put a smile on my face by the silly things she does even on my hardest days.

November 11th: I am grateful for the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces … those who are currently serving and those who have served in the past. I am grateful for those  men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice and given their lives protecting my freedoms and privileges. And not only am I grateful for these brave men and women but I am also grateful for their families who also sacrifice so much. Thank you for all that you do; for the risks that you take, and for your display of courage, bravery, and loyalty. It is because of you and your many sacrifices that I have and enjoy the freedoms of living in this great land. Your service and sacrifices do not go by unnoticed.

November 12^th: I am so grateful to work for a company that is actively involved in the community in which they are located. My place of employment gives back to the community. We have built homes, school learning gardens, and playgrounds. We do food drives, school supply drives, and toys for tots. Not only do we do all of these things in groups but we are also allowed one day off (per year, with pay) to volunteer at any non-profit organization of our choice. What a blessing this is and how grateful I am to work for a company that recognizes the importance of giving to those who need help.

November 13th: I am grateful for clean water to drink and food to eat. These are basic things that I take for granted much of the time. There are so many in this world that do not have the basic necessities of life. So, today I am grateful for the water and food that I have to provide my body with the nourishment it needs.

November 14th: I am grateful to have a roof over my head that provides me with protection from the weather and provides comfort. I am also grateful to be living in a safe place. Again, as stated yesterday, I take these things for granted. There are many in this world that are surrounded by violence and that do not have a home to live in. I am so grateful that I have a comfortable and safe place to live.

November 15^th: I am grateful for good friends who support me and are willing to help me when I need it. It is always hard for me to ask for help when I need it, but my friends are always there for me, more than willing to help when needed. Sometimes it is hard being in an area without family close by to help out by getting you places you need to go and helping care for you when you are ill. But I am so grateful for friends who are willing to step in and help when needed. I have the greatest friends in the world and the best friends a gal could ever ask for!!! Thanks to everyone who cares about me and offers that helping hand. It is appreciated more than you will ever know.

November 16^th: I am grateful for my congregation at church. They are like family to me and I am grateful for their love and support. So grateful for the wonderful Thanksgiving dinner we were able to have together tonight. I am grateful for the opportunity to fellowship with my fellow Ward members. Thank you for your love, care, and support!

November 17^th: I am so grateful for the children in my life. I have not been blessed with a family of my own, but I do have a lot of children in my life … I am so grateful for each and every one of them. They bless my life and bring me great joy and love. I am grateful for these families and for them allowing me to have the privilege of being a part of their lives. These precious children bring a smile to face and laughter and love to my heart. My life would not be complete without these precious little ones.

November 18^th: I am grateful to have a supportive and flexible management team at work. This past week has been a bit difficult due to pain from an infection in a tooth. My manager noticed right away on Wednesday morning that I was having difficulty and that something was wrong. She made me go to the dentist that very day to get it looked at and allowed me the flex time I needed to do so. Then on Thursday I was allowed to go and get a consultation and again was allowed the flex time to go. And now I am going to be having some oral surgery done this week and I am being allowed the time off needed to have the procedure done even though it is a crazy week and lots of people are off due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. I am grateful for a management team and an employer who recognizes the need for work/life balance and encourages you to be sure to take care of yourself and then provides you with the time and flexibility to do so. My manager and team leads under her have been awesome this week … very supportive and encouraging. For this I am truly grateful.

November 19^th: I am grateful for good music. Music can be an outlet for my emotions. It allows me to express myself in ways that nothing else can. Good music can calm me down and bring me peace. It can also make me laugh or make me cry. Good music is good for the soul!

November 20^th: I am grateful for the scriptures. They testify of Jesus Christ, my Savior. They act as a guide and they are the instructions to life. If we live our lives in accordance with the scriptures we will be led back to our loving Father in Heaven. The scriptures contain the Word of God and we cannot go wrong by following them.

November 21^st: I am grateful for the challenges in my life. To some this may be an odd thing to be grateful for, but I truly am grateful for them. It is my challenges that help me to grow and learn. God uses the challenges He places in my life to help mold me into the person that He needs me to be. While the challenges in life are not easy and are painful, they are necessary. God in His wisdom sees the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. He knows exactly what we need in our lives to become the best person possible. I may not always be grateful for the challenges in the midst of them and I may complain during them, but as I look back at my life it is the challenges that have strengthened me the most and helped shape me into the person I am today. I try to place my trust in God daily and accept whatever may come my way … from the late start to a day or the bad traffic or whatever it may be. Everything in our lives happens for a reason. We may not know the reason immediately or even in this life, but there is a reason, and I choose to trust that God knows what He is doing.

November 22^nd: I am grateful for Thanksgiving Day; a day to reflect and acknowledge the blessings in our lives. I am grateful for family and friends near and far. You all bring me great joy. I am grateful for those of my loved ones who have gone ahead of me to heaven. I am especially grateful for my Mom this day. She loved Thanksgiving (and Christmas, too). This was her favorite time of year. She loved having the family gather together and the precious time we spent together on this day. I miss you and love you so much, Mom, and although you seem far away at times, I know that you are in my heart and forever will be.

November 23^rd: I am grateful for good books. They help me escape from the stresses of life for a while. They help me to experience and fantasize of things that I would never know otherwise.

November 24^th: I am grateful for good and wholesome entertainment. I love to go to the movies or watch a movie at home. I love playing games with friends and family. I love the fun, laughter, and love that it brings to my life.

November 25^th: I am grateful for modern medicine. Modern medicine has allowed us to fight disease and has extended life. I am especially grateful for pain relievers. After having oral surgery earlier this week it is the pain relievers that helped me through. Modern medicine is miraculous and a blessing from God.

November 26^th: I am grateful for reliable transportation. It gets me to work and then back home again. It gets me to the places that I have to go. And it allows me to take long trips to visit family and friends without worry or concern about if I am going to get there.

November 27^th: I am grateful for my body. It is far from perfect, but my body is a true gift from my Father in Heaven. It allows me to walk, talk, and speak. It houses my spirit and it holds my thoughts and emotions. It allows me to experience the five senses of touch, sound, sight, taste, and smell. What a beautiful gift.

November 28^th: I am grateful for sunrises and sunsets. Sunrises signal the fresh start of a new day; a chance to start anew. Sunsets signal the end of a day and announce that it is now time to rest. And that tomorrow will soon be here and a chance to start over and a chance to do better than I did today.

November 29^th: I am grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have been blessed to be a member of the church my entire life. I am grateful for the missionaries who taught and baptized my parents. I am grateful for missionaries throughout the world who sacrifice so much so that they can serve our Father in Heaven and teach others of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for their service and for their example.

November 30^th: I am grateful for the Christmas Season and for the opportunity that I have to celebrate the birth and life of my beloved Savior. I would be nothing without my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is everything to me and I am eternally grateful for His life and divine sacrifice. He has opened the door for me to return to live with Him and Heavenly Father again one day. It is only through Him that this is possible. May we take this special time of year to truly celebrate our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to recognize all that He has done for us.

This morning as I have been trying to catch up on some things I am working on a personal progress project for church. It is one for the value of faith. Part of the assignment was to journel on a personal experience of faith. And as I thought about it I began to think about my move here to Texas and it dawned on me that it has now been just over 4 years since I moved here. Here is the journel entry I created for this value experience:

" I believe that my biggest demonstration of faith is when I moved here to Texas. I remember the Town Hall meeting at work when it was announced that they were going to be closing the Chicago office and merge with the Fort Worth office. I was in shock. I did not know what to do or what to think. I could not imagine leaving my family and friends to go to a place where I did not know a single person; a place where I had never been before. I remember calling my Dad from the car on the way back to the office from the hotel where we had the meeting. I don’t remember what he said at that time, but I do remember feeling some comfort knowing that my Dad was there for me and am grateful for his support. As the days and weeks went by I had to make a decision as to if I was going to move with the company or lose my job. I was completely overwhelmed and my initial reaction was not to go. As I talked with family and friends they all encouraged me to make the move. I remember praying a lot and going to the Temple often so I could receive the promptings from the Holy Ghost as to what my Father in Heaven would have me do. After some time I received confirmation that I needed to move to Texas. This was not the confirmation I was hoping for. I had great fear when I thought of moving and leaving the only place and people I had ever known. But I kept receiving promptings that I needed to go. So, in the end I made the move to Texas. It took lots of faith and prayers … not only from me but from all of my loved ones to take this big step. I am so grateful that I made this move and I am eternally grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who wants only what is best for His children. I now see the wisdom that Heavenly Father had in having me move to Texas. I have so many wonderful people in my life that I would have never met if I did not make the move and I have grown so much on so many different levels; again because I moved. The people and experiences I have had in the last 4 years have been wonderful and are opportunities I would have not had if I stayed in Illinois. Now, I will admit things have not always been easy since I moved … I have actually experienced some of the most difficult times of my life in the past 4 years, but I am grateful for them because they have helped me become a better and stronger person. Faith at times is very difficult for me to exercise, but I am so grateful that I took the chance and exercised my faith by moving to Texas."

I truly am grateful that I am here in Texas and I am grateful for the many blessings that have come into my life because of that move. I have met so many wonderful people that have brought such joy and happiness into my life and who have helped me to become a better person.

Now, don't get me wrong ... I do miss my family and friends back in Illinois terribly. But I also know that Texas is where Heavenly Father wants me to be at this time in my life. Texas truly has now become "home" for me ... whoever thought that would be possible!

Thank you to all of those who have supported me throughout my life but expecially these past 4 years ... I never would have made it this long without all of your love, support, and prayers.

Love and hugs to all of you!