giving thanks

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." — Melody Beattie

It's Thanksgiving Day and I am sitting here as I do each year thinking about all that I am thankful for. The list keeps getting longer as I ponder so I thought I would spare you and keep the list to the five things that pop into my head first when I sat down to think about it.

1. The Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This Gospel is True. I know it, and I feel lucky to know it within the depths of my heart. It provides me happiness, peace, and understanding. That's amazing to me and the Gospel is facsinating. I can't learn enought about it.

2. People. This will include first and foremost my family. My ancestors, aunts, cousins, uncles, parents, siblings and thier posterity. This also includes friends..old and new and people who I don't know personally or haven't met in person yet, but admire from afar. I am influenced so much by brushing shoulders with others and I really am so blessed to know so many wonderful people all around the world. I have wonderful examples to follow.

3. Stability. In this economic time I have to say that I am extremely grateful to have a job, and one I enjoy at that. I have been fortunate to find families to work for who provide me a way to accomplish what I set out to do financially. I am also very thankful for my education. I love learning and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to go to a University that expanded my mind and challenged me to get better at things.

4. Opportunities. I have been extremely fortunate to be provided with so many opporutunities to grow. Whether through traveling or jobs or school my opportunities have seemingly become limitless. I know that I am blessed to have this. I am blessed to have choice in the things that I do and a way provided every time I set my mind to do something. I find that remarkable and I don't know why I am so lucky.

5. Talents. Ok, so I am not going to sit and write here about my talents but I am thankful for them because they provide Me with a means to be Me. They define me. Talents help me help others which is the most important reason to be thankful for them. But they also bring light to my own life. I love working on my talents, trying to become better. The best is when I try something new and can forsee that I will have some talent in it. That's like a double bonus right there.

I hope you all have a Wonderful Thanksgiving full of Turkey, Family and Love. Everyone deserves that, and I am grateful for it! Below is a video put out by the LDS church in "The Spirit of Thanksgiving". Enjoy!