Tis The Season To Be Thankful

Today has been a day of reflection. I love this season! I have never been a big Thankgiving dinner fan. I just don't like the feeling I get after scarfing down tons of food, so thankgoodness that's not the real reason for the holiday. My visiting teachers came today and shared a message with me from Elder Eyring's talk O Remember, Remember. Here is an excerpt from the talk:

"I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done."
Here's the link: http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-775-24,00.html

I am going to try write down the "tender mercies" in my own life this week, in hopes that I will more readily see the hand of the Lord in my life. I have so much to be thankful for. I look back on the past year, probably the hardest of my whole life, and I can remember certain events, but the events that I seem to remember more quickly are those in which I was blessed. Like when I kept getting migraines and didn't know why. I went to the Neurologist and discovered that I had a cyst on my brain. I went through a series of tests, and discoverd that that was not the cause of the headaches. Soon after I discovered the cyst, the migranes stopped. The cyst is still there, and MRI's continue to be a twice yearly happening, but the migraines have stopped. Now I can see them as a blessing because it allowed me to discover a potentially dangerous situation.

It has been hard not living with same roomates that I have lived with for the past 4 years, but today I was really able to see the blessings that have come from it. Now when I see them, it is a little treat. I feel like we are better friends because we make time to see eachother and catch up. They are my best friends, and I do miss seeing their faces daily, but it has also been wonderful getting to know new girls and expanding my circle of friends.

I have been taking a Reading Recovery class (to help me teach my kids how to read better) and I am constantly in awe of how complex the reading process is and what a miracle any of us are literate at all! I am thankful for my ability to read, because it allows me to keep learning.

It has been such a blessing to have Kelsey here in Utah. We don't see eachother as often as I would like, but the times we do are special. I have so appreciated her help in my classroom! I am blessed with a great family. We have had our struggles (which family hasn't) but I couldn't imagine having any other family. I am blessed to have a great job where I have friends who are such a support system. I am thankful for my students and the time I get to spend with them each day. They keep me laughing and love me no matter what (that's why I teach 2nd grade). I am thankful for a roof over my head, a car to drive, a body that works in miraculous ways, food to eat, friends to hang out with, Diet Dr. Pepper (Yes, I am so thankful for that). This is just a brief list, and I could go on FOREVER!!! But for now, just know that I love this season and hope that others can see the good around them as well.