Air Travel

I'm grateful for safe and quick air travel that brings children home to see us!  DS1 has taken some time this month to travel to Europe.  It’s something he has wanted to do for a while, and since he has just completed a rigorous program of study to complete his PhD, and has the resources to do so, he is on his way.   He flew in today to spend a few hours with us, and will fly out tomorrow to begin his adventure.  We’re proud of him, we love and appreciate him, and we’re grateful for safe and quick air travel.

Central Heating

Gratitude Day 6: I'm grateful for central heating.

 

When the house gets a bit too drafty I can just turn up the thermostat and stand in front of the heat vent!   I'm grateful to live in a time and place where I don't need to be chopping and hauling wood or keeping the home fires burning (literally, that is).   I love being warm and toasty when the temperatures outside are below freezing.  The summer weather is definitely over for this year, so we can look for the good things about the cold weather season!

 

Good Citizens

Gratitude Day 5: I'm grateful for the privilege and the responsibility to vote.

Today was election day, and I voted.  It's a practice a try to follow every chance I get; every first Tuesday of November.  My dear parents have set the example and have been involved in community meetings and elections throughout their lives.  Today there was not a large ballot in our voting district, but the issues that were presented for vote were very important and widely discussed and debated in our local community.  It's been said that our local community elections are where we can make the most difference and where our vote truly counts.  Sometimes we might feel that our vote doesn't make a difference, and that is likely true in may elections, especially on the national level, but I'm grateful that I still have the opportunity to cast my vote and make my voice heard.

I'm also grateful to all of the wonderful citizens of this country who believe in freedom , including those who were born elsewhere and have come here and worked hard to help make this country a better place to live, including my wonderful dear Uncle who passed from this life earlier this afternoon.  He was from Armenia, was not a religious man, but was one of the kindest, happiest, most hardworking and generous men I have ever known.  In his retirement years he was a supporter of many causes that he believed in, trying to make this country and the world a better place for all.

We all have ancestors who have sacrificed and courageously come to this country, seeking a better life for themselves and their families.  Sometimes we forget that there are many people here in this country today who are currently courageously seeking the freedoms that citizenship in this country offers to so many.  They sacrifice, work, study, and do everything in their power to provide these blessings for themselves, their own families, and in doing so make things better for us all.

God Bless America, and her people too!

Homemade Cookes

Gratitude Day 4: I'm grateful for delicious cookies, and for daughters who volunteer to bake them!  Yesterday I had the assignment to bring a dozen cookies to a meeting.  I also wanted to attend our church choir practice and needed to make dinner for the family, so DD3 graciously volunteered to make them for me.  They were wonderful, and I am grateful!

 

Gratitude Day 3: Hymns

I am grateful for many kinds of music.  I love to sing and I enjoy listening to uplifting music being performed, both choral and instrumental.  One of the great blessings of attending church services each week is being able to listen to, sing, and be uplifted by inspired hymns.  Here is the second verse of one that we sang this morning:


When dark clouds of trouble hang o'er us
And threaten our peace to destroy,
There is hope smiling brightly before us,
And we know that deliv'rance is nigh.
We doubt not the Lord nor his goodness.
We've proved him in days that are past.
The wicked who fight against Zion
Will surely be smitten at last.
--William Fowler

We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet, verse 2

Feeling a little bit blue?  Then go and sing or read or listen to a Hymn!

Gratitude Day 2: Photos

 

I'm grateful to live in an age when we have a plethora of photos that allow us to remember and re-experience the beauties of nature, and wonderful times with friends, family and loved ones.  Old photos can be easily restored and digitized and shared with many.  Thanks to all of the talented photographers in my life!

Gratitude Day One: Eternal Life

Gratitude Day One: I'm grateful for the knowledge that life continues after death, and we can one day be with loved ones once again.

They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has broken the bands of death.

 Mosiah 15:23
The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ