Friday, November 18, 2011

Thanksgiving Post ... A Week Early.

In the spirit of thanksgiving being next week, I want to let the world know how grateful I am for my life. Sometimes, it's hard to remember to keep that spirit of gratitude with me, but I'm learning.
I really am grateful for everything in my life, including my room (in my house), my tie quilt, music, the internet, food (particularly brownies and Yogurtland), books, scriptures, the Gospel, temples, clean clothes, a bed, dance, shoes, cute jackets and boots, snow, driving at night, and rain.
However, as much as I love all of those things, I feel like the reason I am as blessed as I am is because of the people in my life, not the things.
I am grateful for my mom. She is the best mom a girl could ask for. She understands me in a way no one else does; she knows when I need the extra push to get things done, but she also knows when all I need is a little encouragement. She makes me want to make her proud and that is the biggest motivation. I love her and I know she loves me; that's one of my favorite things to know, here at college.
I am grateful for Jon. He doesn't even know what his example and friendship means to me. If you've ever met him, you know why I would look up to him so much. He has such a happy outlook on life, even though he struggles with a lot of things. He never gives up on life or on people. He's so patient; even when he doesn't want to talk to someone, he will, because he knows it will mean something to them. He shows me everyday what Christ-like love is. He's my best friend and I love him.
I am grateful for Eric and Alison. Eric has always been there for me. For as long as I can remember, he's looked out for me. It meant the world to me when I was younger that he would include me with friends and when he wrote me on his mission. Every single one of his letters, it seemed, answered a prayer or helped me with a problem in my life. Him marrying Alison was such a great thing; she is such a great sister for me, exactly what I always wanted when I was younger. She does 'sister things' with me all the time and did even before she and Eric were married. I love them both and am so grateful that they are so close right now.
I am grateful for the times we can all be together, especially for dinner. It's not only nice to see everyone, but there's an extra special feeling in the home when everyone is together. And I like it a lot.
I am grateful for my extended family, every single member of it. I am grateful I get to see them as often as I do, for our family parties. There's something special about them. I love the advice and laughter and games and love we share.
I am grateful for my friends. I am so glad I have best friends with whom I can laugh and play. Itzel is the best friend to talk with; she tells the funniest stories and I simply feel at ease with her. It's easy to let go and laugh when I'm around her. She came into my life at just the right moment, my own personal miracle, and has stayed ever since, making my life better in a thousand different ways.
Katelyn is basically one of the best things that ever happened in my life. Meeting her and us becoming friends was not chance. I know the Lord put us in each other's lives for a reason and I am so grateful for everything she's done for me. It makes me think of Thanksgiving last year. We were in the same seminary class and we did an activity where every person in the class stood up to tell about one person they were grateful for. Katelyn and I talked about each other; I remember I couldn't even really talk, that's how hard I was crying. Katelyn did much better. I will never forget the feeling of love we shared at that moment.
I am so grateful for my cousin Jeremy. If we weren't cousins, we probably wouldn't have been friends in the first place. I would hate that; I can't even imagine my life without him. He is everything a best friend should be. He confides in me and I in him, we talk over all our hard and happy times, share laughs, act silly together, go to activities with each other, and annoy each other like no one else can. I am so proud of him, too, for going on a mission. His testimony is an example to me and I know he'll do so great serving the Lord. I'll miss him, because he's my best friend, but we'll still talk and it'll be wonderful. I love him so much and am so grateful the Lord made us cousins so that we could become best friends.
I am grateful for one of my newer best friends Ben. He is my hero, a lot like Jon. He is so patient with people also and just accepts them as they are. His whole attitude towards life makes me want to be better. He is such a great friend; he makes me smile every day and goes out of his way to make my life better. My life is so much happier because of him and I don't know if he even realizes it. I am so grateful to have him in my life, though.
Lastly, I am so grateful for the Lord. As you can tell from this post, He blesses me so much more than I deserve. He's always there for me, ready to hear my complaints and my thanks and waiting to bless me more. One of my favorite parts of the Gospel is knowing that the Lord loves. I do know he does and it's such a sweet thought to me; sometimes, it's the only thing that gets me through. I love him too and am so grateful for the opportunities I have to show him how much.

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