Thankful

This morning Spencer and I decided to do a little Thanksgiving craft. It ended up being mostly a fun thing for me to do and Spencer just ran around the table throwing the markers and crayons everywhere. I had to ban him from the project because he kept trying to rip the turkey and it's feathers off. But he still got to help a little bit. :)  I figured it would be good to talk about what we are thankful for. Spencer is grateful for Jesus, his family, his baby brother, and cookies!

I love Thanksgiving and am ready to eat some great food tomorrow! A lot of years Thanksgiving just flies by and I don't really take the time to appreciate the holiday and really give thanks for all the things I have. I am grateful for so many things. For today I will limit it to my top 5.

1. A loving Heavenly Father
This encompasses a lot of things. I am grateful that I know that there is a God and that He loves me and will help me in my life. And with Christmas right around the corner, I am especially grateful that my loving Heavenly Father sent His son to earth so that I (and everyone else) could return to live with Him again someday.

2. My wonderful husband
I always dreamed as a little girl of being married and of what it would be like. It, of course, was all about love and romance and everything going according to plan. While marriage isn't exactly like what I pictured, being married to Bryce in the temple has been and will forever be the greatest blessing in my life. I am grateful for his patience and unconditional love. I am grateful for the things we have gone through together and the lessons we have learned. I am grateful for the good man that he is and all that he does for our little family.

3. Spencer and this new baby boy in my tummy
I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a mother. I love being a mom and I especially love Spencer and this new baby boy. It isn't always an easy thing, being a mom. But it is one of the greatest blessings in my life. And just because this fits in the best here, this is a video of our walk this morning. Spencer is such a great kid and I love being able to do things with him. Even if it means taking an hour walk around the block and picking up every acorn we see.

4. My family

Parents, siblings, in-laws. I am so grateful for my family. I can't go through and name everyone and why I am thankful for them because there are way too many. But each member of my family has had a significant impact on my life. I have never been the best daughter or sister or granddaughter or niece or so on. And I'm sure I don't show my gratitude enough for my family. But I love each one of them and am grateful for their examples.

5. Good people

There were a lot of things I could have put for my number 5. It took me a while to narrow it down. And this may seem like a weird one. But I really am grateful for all the good people in the world. I am grateful for the impact a random strangers smile or simple act of kindness has made in my day. And I really hope to be one of those people. Someone that leaves others with a smile on their face. I have a long way to go, I know.

So there's my list. We all have so much to be thankful for. Even when it doesn't seem like it. President Monson gave a talk on gratitude this past conference. And something I really liked from his talk was this:

"We have all experienced times when our focus is on what we lack rather than on our blessings. Said the Greek philosopher Epictetus, 'He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.'  Gratitude is a divine principle. "

For Thanksgiving this year I am trying to rejoice in what I have and not grieve for what I don't have. It's easy to wish my life was easier and that we had this or that. But it is important to give thanks and show gratitude to God for all He has blessed us with. And I have truly been blessed.