Be Grateful

I realize this post is probably a little overdue as Thanksgiving has come and gone, but I'm still going to take a minute and enumerate some of the things I have been thinking about lately and am most grateful for.

1. Having just returned from visiting my family, I think I have to place them first on the list. I have such fantastic parents who are supportive and loving. I used to think of all the ways I wanted to be different than my parents. Now I think of all the ways I want to be like them. Plus I have had 7 pretty excellent examples in my siblings. I appreciate getting to know my siblings as friends. Turns out I like them not just because I have to. I would probably be friends with them even if we weren't related. And that is saying something! Good times with the Carter Clan! Very fun people. Even Mom.

2. Next on the list of gratitude would have to be my testimony of the truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The things I know to be true about Jesus Christ and the potential for exaltation change the way I live. And I am grateful for that anchor in a world that often seems full of chaos. And I am most grateful that, while I'm not perfect, I can be made so through the Atonement.

3. I am grateful for my friendships. I have been blessed through my life with just the right people at just the right time. I have become who I am, in part, through the good influences of those I choose to associate with. I am grateful to maintain contact with many of those good people and for their continued positive influence on my life choices.

4. I am grateful for this time of year that provides a pause for reflection on the many blessings I have. I am also grateful that Thanksgiving sets the stage for celebrating the birth of Christ. I love Christmas time. I hate the commercialism, but I love the spirit of the season. I appreciate reflecting on how I can become more Christlike and then having to opportunity to set some concrete New Years resolutions to put those thoughts into action.

5. I am grateful this year for my education and the opportunities it has afforded me. I am grateful to be doing the work I do with the good co-workers I have as well as the crazy clients. I am grateful I get paid to try and help others.

6. I am grateful for nature and the beauty God has created. I love sunrises and sunsets. I enjoy all four seasons and the different beauty each brings. I look forward to the first real snow fall. I also am grateful for the beauty of Fort Collins and the chance I have to be living here.