What I'm Thankful For!

It's Never Too Late to Give Thanks!

Thanksgiving came and left pretty quickly and, while My Family and I had a WONDERFUL thanksgiving experience, I'm going to have to save my "thanksgiving Update" for another post.

But hey, who says you can only be thankful on thanksgiving? There are so many things to be grateful for each day that I can't imagine only being able to give thanks on "Thanksgiving".


Take today for example! I am so thankful that Cam and I Were blessed to go to a work Christmas Party! Complementary from KW.  We enjoyed meeting new people, eating a wonderful meal, listening to a comedian and, last of all, we won a 32" LED TV! Wow! Don't I feel blessed. Funny thing was that, right before he drew our name out of the bowl, the man asked "who needs a tv?" Jokingly, I shouted "woooh!"  I guess my shout was heard. I am so thankful for KW for the time they put into serving their employees and consumers.

Thanks to our wonderful friends who live close by, we were able to attend this Christmas party. We forgot to find a babysitter. Called them the same day and- although Husband/dad was working, Wife/Mom said yes! They are one of the only people that my 1 year old daughter will go to without crying. She not only doesn't cry, she actually has a ton of fun! My 3 year old loves it too. He gets to play with their kid who is his same age!

The First Snow of The Year! December 03, 2013.

Yesterday was the first snow of the season! What a beautiful Day! 

My list of gratitude was endless, from the moment I looked out the window until I snuggled into my warm blankets at the end of the day.  I quite enjoyed the simple, seemingly-meaningless things that filled me with so much gratitude.

As I tended my kids, then walked to school, enjoyed family time, made mistakes and just experienced my day,

here's what I found myself feeling sincerely grateful for:

"I am so grateful for the beautiful snow."
"I am so grateful to be outside with my kids, enjoying the beautiful snow"
"I am so grateful for my boots, my snow pants, my scarf, my gloves, and my EXTREMELY WARM coat (that is so warm I'm practically sweating in it while I walk to school). I love it when I don't have to freeze!"

"I am so grateful for the man in the car, who just smiled and waved for me to cross the street, so I didn't have to wait at the crosswalk. He really didn't need to do that."
"I am so grateful for the young man who I just saw sliding across the slushy sidewalk with a huge grin on his face. What a Great Idea!"
" I am so grateful for this large paved hill covered in slush that I am practically snowboarding down (without the snowboard).  It's so much FuN! I am so grateful I'm still a kid at heart."
"I am so grateful for the delicious Hot Chocolate and my husband who so lovingly made it for all the family to enjoy! I'm also grateful for these homemade, flavored, marshmallows that taste so good in the hot chocolate. I'm also grateful for the delicious toast that goes so well with Hot Chocolate and marshmallows, if you ask me."
"I am so grateful for my family, who is all snuggled up with me on our comfy couch, watching a cute Christmas movie."
"I am so grateful for the beginning of December, which is the beginning of The christmas season, the time to reflect on The Savior Jesus Christ in OUR lives."
"I am so grateful that My sins, folly's, setbacks and imperfections can be swallowed up through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and be replaced with His Joy that He gives to us all!"
"I am so grateful to be alive today."

Being Grateful When the Sun Doesn't Shine.

As I reflected on that snowy yesterday, I realized how easy it could have been for me to be negative and upset. I realized how much one's attitude towards life affects him and those around him, for better or worse. I also noticed how much easier it was to be grateful and happy when I was turning to my Savior and God throughout the day.

Yesterday, I was blessed with a heart full of gratitude. It was such a wonderful thing to be grateful.  Of all things, I was reminded that, even on a blizzard day, when the sun isn't shining in the sky, there is still room to be grateful!  Let us all choose to make room for "gratitude" each and every day, ESPECIALLY during this Christmas Season. It is so uplifting to see a grateful person and oh so gratifying to be GRATEFUL! What greater gift could we give back to our Savior than that-the Gift of Gratitude!