Gratitude Journal - November 7

I went with the Relief Society president to visit a sister who recently moved into our ward.  She is a young married, with a 15 month old son.  Her husband is not a member, but often attends with her.  I really enjoy visiting with the sisters in the ward - it is one of the fun parts of working in the RS presidency.  I am grateful for my calling and the blessings I receive from serving.  I hope that someone else will be blessed because of my service.

Gratitude Journal - November 6

It was my turn to teach the Relief Society lesson on Sunday.  Our goal for the month is service, so that is what the lesson was about.  I like to teach, but I especially like preparing a lesson.  I get to read and look up talks and search for stories and think about my own life experiences and then pull it all together in a lesson.  The sisters in our ward are so willing to share and participate in the lessons, so that makes the teaching even more fun.  I am grateful for being able to teach.

Gratitude Journal - November 5

It was such a beautiful day today!  The sun was shining - the temperature was cool, but not cold - and the leaves are at their peak.  I saw some trees that had the reddest leaves I have ever seen!  I am sure that is because the sun was shining on them just right.  Today I am grateful for the beautiful fall weather and the glorious beauty of nature.

Gratitude Journal - November 4

I babysat with the grandchildren for a few hours so Lisa could get some time away while David was out of town for the night.  We had tons of fun.  I am so thankful for Ashby and Brooks!  They get cuter everyday.  The cutest playtime was Ashby pushing Brooks around in the little car.  He loved it!  Every time she laughs, he laughs, too.  When Mommy got home, Brooks was so excited, he was kissing her over and over again - with his trademark "mouth wide open" kiss.  He was so excited that Grandma got some kisses, too!  Love those grandkids!!

Gratitude Journal - November 3

Bill rarely has to be out of town for work, but last night he was in Hoover, Alabama, where he had a two-day job.  Having him gone, reminded me of how grateful I am for such a great husband.  He works hard to provide for us; he serves willingly in his church calling; he loves our children; he dotes on our grandchildren; and mostly, he puts up with me!  We recently had our 44th wedding anniversary, and I am grateful for him.

Gratitude Journal - November 2

I spent most of yesterday working on genealogy.  I had gotten into something the night before and I was compelled to work all day!  I am grateful for my ancestors.  They were interesting people who left home, crossed an ocean, and started life anew in America.  I have been greatly blessed because of it.  The most recent immigrants were both of my grandfathers - one came from Denmark about 1903, the other from Sweden shortly after that.  The earliest immigrants are on the Bacon line and I have them in Connecticut in the late 1600's - still looking for the jump over the "pond."  The other line came from Ireland in the early 1800's.  What wonderful people!  I am also grateful for the modern technology that lets me sit at my desk in my home and work from my computer.  It is so much easier and more productive than in the old days when I had to send letters everywhere, or order microfilm and wait for it to come in, or visit the places myself.  I still like visiting places, but that is now for fun and to find little details I can't get on the computer.  Genealogy - my favorite hobby!

Gratitude Journal - Nov 1

I decided to try to post each day this month.  I am hoping I can find at least one thing I am grateful for every day.  It shouldn't be hard - except maybe just getting my thoughts posted!  So.........

Tuesday, November 1 - My lifelong best friend Paula called yesterday morning to tell me that she had just learned that another of our friends had passed away on Sunday night.  Jan was one of our classmates.  Going to a small school, we were all close friends.  Jan had married another classmate the summer after graduation.  They had up and down years.  For the most part, they had a great deal of material wealth, but they struggled in other ways.  The last several years had been very difficult, though, as they declared bankruptcy and were divorced.  Jan had several health problems, including hips that had deteriorated to the point of her living in constant pain.  She also fought an alcohol addiction.  Local friends, including Paula, had been trying to reach out to her and give her what support they could.  In fact, a group of them was getting together yesterday and she had called Jan the night before, hoping to get her to come with them at the last minute.  The phone went to voice mail and she just left a message saying to call.  Another friend Peggy called Jan's brother to see if he knew anything about her and left a message on his voicemail.  He immediately returned the call to say that she had passed away, probably Sunday evening.  There was no clear word yet on exactly what the cause of death was, but it appeared to be natural causes.  Also, no plans on a service were yet available.

All of this was on my mind most of the day.  I am so saddened by Jan's passing, knowing how hard things had been for her.  She was a lovely, fun person and she will be missed by those of us who knew her.  At the same time, I have felt gratitude for having grown up in a place and time when we had such wonderful and enduring friendships.  I have felt gratitude that these have become lifelong friendships that I treasure.  I have also felt gratitude for life itself and have been reminded to enjoy each day as it comes.  Life is precious and can be over so quickly.