Thanksgiving

Gratitude is the most amazing thing, it helps us step outside our aches and pains, our rants and fits to maybe look at the things in life that just keep us going.

I neglect to notice.

We all know that I love my husband and children with a white hot passion that never ebbs only flows...

I am grateful for the gift of friendships...I have the best friends in the world. No matter where I go I find new people to love, from my gifted writing friends to the sweet elderly women in the temple I love them all!  I have friends from childhood, friends from my older children's childhood and friends from my younger children's childhood.  They laughed with me, cried with me and hugged me when I thought raising children would do me in!!  And those friends who cried with me when we sent them off to missions and college.  I have friends from casinos, church, catering, neighbors and a wrong number at Christmas time.

I don't have many hobbies, just my books and my plants, but I love them both...if I need a boost in life I go to a bookstore or a nursery.  I am grateful for authors who write amazing books for me to read.  And a big shout out to Heavenly Father for His 4th day antics.  (the fourth day is the day He created plants )

I am grateful for the doctor who operated on my daughter Ashleigh so she can move about without pain. I am grateful to the pilots who will bring my son Mikey home to us on Wednesday.  I am grateful to Kacy for loaning Emma his car so she could drive home safely tomorrow.  I am grateful for interesting topics Trey and I can dissect. And I am grateful to Raymond for never wanting to give up, but to keep striving to achieve his dreams.

I am grateful for my beliefs.  They give me strength, answer my questions, and make me better than I would be.  They have grown over the years, sort of like Aslan in Narnia, he got bigger....

I am grateful for peace.  You know that is the only emotion that cannot be counterfeited?  Peace is what I strive for each day, some days I am good at it, some days not so much.  But I am always searching for peace.

And finally I am grateful for my pillow....it is the greatest pillow, squishy in just the right places.  Every night I thank my heavenly father for a comfortable bed and a squishy pillow.

And now it is time to embrace my squishy pillow and thank my Heavenly Father one more time for the wonderful life He has given to me.  In his words, "I knew where I planted you and it has brought forth much fruit"  I love His garden metaphors..

Goodnight dear friends, thank you for reading!!