I'm baking pies today. I have the bread for the dressing ready. All of tomorrow's meal ingredients are in the fridge or on the counter. The table cloth and decorations are ready for the table. The rolls are ready to be picked up at Shirley's this afternoon. And the house will get cleaned today, well, presentable enough for guests tomorrow.
Before the real hubbub hits where I am actually doing the things on the to-do list, I want to list some things I am thankful for this year, in no particular order.
My mom. I love my 82-year-old mother. She has suffered some life setbacks the last three years but she is still here, still happy and still a joy to be around.
Riley. He is my best friend, my anchor, my favorite person to spend time with, my sweetheart and eternal date. He makes me laugh, holds me when I cry, makes life interesting and sees things in the world I don't see unless he points them out. He truly has a sense of wonder.
My children. I love being a mom. I love the memories I have of each of my children as they've made their way through life. They are remarkable people with gifts of intelligence, humor and love.
The gospel of Jesus Christ. The older I get the more I love the teachings of my Savior. I have a believing heart and know that even though we don't have all the answers here, we will someday and I will remain true and faithful so I can receive all the blessings that are in my personal little box on a shelf in heaven's closet.
My sister, or sissy. We have lots of memories during my lifetime. I'm glad I had an older sister to play with, borrow clothes from, laugh with and love. We've been through hard times and good times together, each making us stronger women. She is my friend.
My brothers. Although they live in different states, we talk or email several times a month. They check in to see if I am still sane. They offer support and listen to my occasional rants. Each holds a different place in my heart with different memories through my life. I love each of them.
My brother-in-law, sisters-in-law, my nieces and nephews and their kids. I love being an aunt and great aunt to so many cute kids! I love that some live nearby but that others stop through on their way to someplace else or that we keep in touch by social network or snail mail. My life is blessed by each of them.
My job. I love working at The Daily Universe at BYU. It's so fun to work with bright, young minds. It's wonderful to feel the spirit of each student as they decide what to do with their lives. I have more than 500 new friends from my years in the newsroom - some just brushed my life for a moment, others have become lifelong friends. And my co-workers are easy-going, helpful, humorous people who I enjoy being around. I'm blessed to have a job, or another home, to go to every day.
Food. I love food. I love it so much there's more of me to love these days. Sigh. I love the pecan pies that just came out of the oven and the pumpkin pies that are baking now. I love turkey and dressing. I love sweet pickles and rolls. I don't love vegetables but I like them and will eat them because I know they are good for me. I love bagels, strawberry jam, Hawaiian pizza, enchiladas, chocolate, licorice, ice cream, taco salad and omelets. I love eating out. I love when people feed me. I love potlucks. And most of all, I love eating good food with friends. Maybe that's why I love food so much - it's not really the food itself but the venue and company that goes along with it.
My home. We've lived in this home for more than 12 years now - the longest we've ever lived in any home. We've owned two homes during our marriage (not counting the mobile home which I loved too) and as soon as I walked into both of them, I knew they would be ours. I loved our Texas home on Bill Hughes Road where we lived from 1992-1999. This home in Provo, though, is probably where we'll spend the rest of our days. I love the airiness of the kitchen, living room and sunroom. I think it's an inviting place, a great house to host parties. Eleven years ago we hosted Thanksgiving the day after my dad's funeral. We had 36 people that year! And the kitchen opens up onto a patio where we've had birthdays, graduation parties, barbecues, scout and young women activities, neighborhood get-togethers and more. Riley and I enjoy our TV room with the 52" TV and dual recliners - some gifts we gave ourselves the past few years. I like our Tahitian-themed bedroom and my Wizard of Oz kitchen. Our walls are adorned with mementos of travels to Taiwan, Mongolia, Sweden, Denmark, Paris, Argentina, Australia and Tahiti. Whether there is a group of 36 or just me, I enjoy being in my house.
Memories - I am thankful for so many wonderful memories. I love my childhood - it was magical. I loved being a teen-ager and the friends I had in high school. Kelly and I played a few shenanigans back then and we still reminisce and laugh. I'm grateful for friends I made at college - we get together with a group from our days in the early '80s at USU twice a year. We lived in Provo from 1983-1988 and made wonderful friends in Rivergrove 3rd ward - another group I call once a year or so to have lunch and catch up with. Our years in California and Texas brought more friends into our lives, especially our 10 years in Texas. I have memories of meals shared, trips taken, traditions started, church events and our children growing up with good lifelong friends made in Texas, some at my old job at Purchase Power. Even the years here brought new faces and fun to my life - girl's camp, our neighborhood, having family nearby, having friends who are really more like family nearby, getting reacquainted with my great aunts and cousins and those I've worked with at Canyon Crest Elementary and BYU. My cup floweth over!
I could probably write many more paragraphs about other things I am thankful for - having an organized mind (could be a curse too ...); loving to make indelible, sometimes crazy memories; being able to make things happen (like the SHS band playing for my mom's 80th birthday); winning contests; my dad who I miss; warm jammies; Riley's amazing job and our opportunities to travel the world; being close to mountains and desert; knowing I'll be a grandma in 2012! So many blessings, so many things to be thankful for.
Now for that to-do list ...
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
A prophet in person
I don't go to the BYU devotionals very often. I usually watch them in the newsroom on a big screen TV. Riley goes every week (unless it is some dance thing) and sits in the same area. He saved me a seat this past Tuesday so I could be in the same room with our prophet, Thomas S. Monson. While I was still quite a ways away from him, I could feel his spirit. I could feel the Spirit. In a room that large with probably 20,000 people, I could still feel the Spirit. It was uplifting.
President Monson is a jovial man. He tells stories. He must have hundreds of stories, some of which we've heard several times. Tuesday he told three stories I've never heard before. One was of a man who went to Oxford to continue his education. He decided he wanted to read the Book of Mormon again to know for sure it was true. He had read it seven times before, all at the request of someone else - seminary teacher, mission president, etc. This time it was his decision. His schedule was busy but he decided to devote an hour from 11 p.m. to midnight every day to reading the Book of Mormon. He lived in a drafty, cold building built in the 1400s and had just a small space heater in his room. He would kneel in prayer before reading and after, to ask about the truthfulness of the book. He said as he neared the end of 2nd Nephi, he got the most encompassing, warm feeling in his room. He was overcome with a realization the book was true. He received an answer to his prayers.
Another story told of a Catholic woman who used to be a Morman basher. She wrote President Monson to make him aware of two wonderful LDS men who cared for her sister as she lost her husband. The neighbors of this sister brought in meals and the men cared for the man who was dying. She was amazed at the love and care these men gave her sister's husband and commended our church.
The third story was about a young missionary serving in Canada. He grew ill and had to have surgery. He was placed in a hospital ward with six beds, one man to each bed. As he laid in his bed he taught the other five men about the gospel. On surgery day, the young missionary was taken away. A hospital worker brought breakfast in to the remaining five men. One by one they said they weren't eating that day or they weren't hungry. The woman stood before them, hands on hips, and asked what was going on. The men responded they had been taught by the young man about prayer and fasting and were fasting for him as he had surgery. The young man survived the operation.
I love our prophet. I love his gentle ways, his faith promoting stories and his love for all people, not just Latter-day Saints. He leads the Church on earth and receives guidance from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help us all be better people, to be more Christ-like, to be good stewards of this earth and most importantly, to return to our Father.
Being in the same room with a modern day prophet helped my testimony grow. I'm glad I made the effort to actually be in the building that day.
President Monson is a jovial man. He tells stories. He must have hundreds of stories, some of which we've heard several times. Tuesday he told three stories I've never heard before. One was of a man who went to Oxford to continue his education. He decided he wanted to read the Book of Mormon again to know for sure it was true. He had read it seven times before, all at the request of someone else - seminary teacher, mission president, etc. This time it was his decision. His schedule was busy but he decided to devote an hour from 11 p.m. to midnight every day to reading the Book of Mormon. He lived in a drafty, cold building built in the 1400s and had just a small space heater in his room. He would kneel in prayer before reading and after, to ask about the truthfulness of the book. He said as he neared the end of 2nd Nephi, he got the most encompassing, warm feeling in his room. He was overcome with a realization the book was true. He received an answer to his prayers.
Another story told of a Catholic woman who used to be a Morman basher. She wrote President Monson to make him aware of two wonderful LDS men who cared for her sister as she lost her husband. The neighbors of this sister brought in meals and the men cared for the man who was dying. She was amazed at the love and care these men gave her sister's husband and commended our church.
The third story was about a young missionary serving in Canada. He grew ill and had to have surgery. He was placed in a hospital ward with six beds, one man to each bed. As he laid in his bed he taught the other five men about the gospel. On surgery day, the young missionary was taken away. A hospital worker brought breakfast in to the remaining five men. One by one they said they weren't eating that day or they weren't hungry. The woman stood before them, hands on hips, and asked what was going on. The men responded they had been taught by the young man about prayer and fasting and were fasting for him as he had surgery. The young man survived the operation.
I love our prophet. I love his gentle ways, his faith promoting stories and his love for all people, not just Latter-day Saints. He leads the Church on earth and receives guidance from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help us all be better people, to be more Christ-like, to be good stewards of this earth and most importantly, to return to our Father.
Being in the same room with a modern day prophet helped my testimony grow. I'm glad I made the effort to actually be in the building that day.
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