Month of Gratitude

A friend of mine challenged me to send her a text everyday this month of something I was grateful for....she had several of her friends do this and every night she sent out an email of all of our anonymous 'gratitudes'. I found myself so looking forward to that email everyday. It was a great way to fill such a crazy, busy and otherwise normal month into an exciting and humbling experience. I am truly so blessed in many ways.....here are the thoughts that I shared:

--Today I am so grateful for a healthy body...although imperfect it allows me so many blessings and opportunities. So grateful.

--Today I am thankful for the beautiful weather (abnormally warm fall)....we are surrounded with the beauty of nature and I am so grateful for one more day I don't have to drag littles around in the snow and cold.

--So grateful for parents that raised me with so much love and compassion and taught me to love and accept all different people from all walks of life. I have been so richly blessed by friends acquaintances and strangers because of it.

--Grateful for my testimony of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.... it is my rock and the constant in my life. All of the blessings in my life stem from it.

--Thankful for freedom.....Freedom to be educated, practice religion, travel and raise my kids to live their dreams.

--Grateful for happy children, they make me laugh and smile every day ;)

--I am grateful for women. Womanhood is a powerful force....what a blessing to be surrounded by righteous, serving, loving, courageous women that continually put their love of their families before themselves. Not only am I grateful for the women that I associate with daily but I am so thankful for all the women in history that have had the courage to stand up for what is right and speak with their words actions and examples on behalf of goodness, love, virtue and strength. Lets face it, being a woman and a daughter of God is awesome and so powerful in influencing mankind for good.

--Thankful for my Mom. She is such a beautiful soul....Strong beyond belief, faithful, funny and determined. She is one of my greatest blessings, best friends, biggest supporters and the first to catch me when I fall.

--Grateful for random acts of kindness, someone shoveled my driveway and brought in my garbage cans today :) made me smile and feel so loved.

--So grateful for my best friend and eternal companion....He makes me laugh every day, he's determined and detailed when it counts, he is a dreamer and encourages us to dream big and work hard...most of all he makes me want to be better in every aspect of my life...Plus he puts up with all my kookiness ;)

--I am enormously grateful for nap time. For my kids, but mostly for me. I love when I get to take a nap!! Especially if its a rough day...Nap time is like my reset button :) Feels so good!

--Thankful for the convenience of modern life. I love the options, ease and access, it allows me to spend more time doing things I love and learning is limitless!

--So grateful for my snugly, smiley, drama-free little baby boy! He eats, sleeps(a little) and poops....easy peasy!!

--So grateful for friends and family that love me and accept me despite my faults and quirks

--grateful for diet caffeinated beverages that allow me a bit of energy when I've been up all night.

--I am grateful for a living prophet...I love the peace I feel when I hear his voice and the power I feel when I read his words. What an honor it is to be led by a man who truly knows my Savior.

--Today I am grateful for play places and hand sanitizer in mass quantities. They make winter bearable and nap time more likely.

--So thankful for my older sister. She is one of my rocks. She is so faithful and unwavering in her belief in and love of our Savior. She believes in me and encourages me to reach my goals....even the silly ones :) She is always willing to make sacrifices or me, her family, our mom, younger sister and brother, but would never in a million years expect or ask for credit. She isn't afraid to fail or try new things. She is forgiving and looks for the best in others...and keeps me in line when I don't. I am so grateful for her love, friendship and loyalty....she is truly the best.

--Thankful for the strength and energy to do so many things. To run, exercise, work , play with my kids and take care of my family. Something I take for granted far too often but I am so blessed to have. I work with and see so many that physically cannot so these things.

-Grateful for good food. It is so good. Thanksgiving is so full of love and tradition and I thoroughly enjoy preparing the food while reminiscing on my memories, thinking of my loved ones and looking forward to the time we'll share and new memories we'll make. Such a great holiday!

--So grateful to live close to family. It gets crazy and overwhelming at times. But having the support, love and being able to be together on holidays is so wonderful.