Ten Days of Giving Thanks...Day Ten

It's been a busy, busy time; but not too busy to continue thinking about what I am thankful for. (Just too busy to blog!)

I am thankful for Jesus Christ.

How to you fit all of that into one little blog? Without details, and without completion, I guess. Actually, even if I had all the time and space in the world, it would be impossible to say all that I feel.

Because of Jesus Christ, life is full and rich and meaningful and joy-filled. It all hinges on Him.

I am the oldest child in my family. This has given me the opportunity to be the leader in many ways (though each child is so, so important). This week I considered what it meant to Jesus when Father presented his Plan of Happiness in what I call the Big Family Home Evening. Jesus understood the Plan in ways that maybe some of the younger siblings did not. He knew that it would take courage and SO. MUCH. LOVE. to be the Savior for all of us. Perhaps He stood still, looking around at all of us and wondering if He was up to such a task. But in the end--and for all eternity!!--He did it. He volunteered to be our Savior, our Redeemer, our Advocate, our Exemplar. And then He completed the task, something that is completely incomprehensible but oh, so important to me. He did it with courage. He did it with love. He did it to completion. He did it perfectly. He did it for you. He did it for me. He did it for everyone. Ever. His atoning sacrifice is infinite and eternal. For eternity, I will never be able to repay or adequately thank Him for what He did--and does--for me and the people I love.

And all because He did what He said He would do--what He volunteered to do!--we have the tools for a beautiful today and the promise of a beautiful eternity with the people we love. We can return to our Heavenly Parents (this is meaningful to me because of the incredible love I have for my earthly parents); we can be sealed to our spouses and children (!!!! infinity) for eternity; we can continue to learn and progress forever; we can overcome the things that are difficult or painful or that hurt us; we can see beyond the diapers and the dishes and the other daily duties to something better.

And now, as pertaining to this perfect atonement, wrought by the shedding of the blood of God—I testify that it took place in Gethsemane and at Golgotha, and as pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God and was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person.

I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.

But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way. --Bruce R. McConkie

Ten Days of Giving Thanks...Day Nine

I am soooooooooo thankful for my husband!

Who gets out of bed before everyone else.
Who turns up the heat just before I get out of bed.
Who puts up Christmas lights and earns bachelor's degrees WITHOUT the help of his wife.
Who uses his wife as a guinea pig to practice the things he's learned in massage class.
Who is the best cook ever.
Who worthily holds and exercises his priesthood.
Who listens to my stories. Till late at night. Even when I've promised to be quiet now.
Who encourages me to dream, dream big, and go for it!
Who is a friend to our children after he's done his job as their father.
Who always made sure that the dishes were done when I worked nights.
Who has never balked at changing a diaper, giving a bath, or cleaning up vomit (but might have balked a tiny bit at the middle-of-the-night feedings).
Who is going to school so that his daughter can taste success.
Who loves his family, sometimes in spite of themselves.
Who blows the snow out of the driveway and off the sidewalk. Every time.
Who qualified to run in the Boston Marathon!
Who willingly admits when he is wrong and sincerely apologizes.
Who hits a brick wall late at night but will keep going clear until the wall has hit.
Who is handsome and wonderful and mine!

I love you, Spencer Hill!

Ten Days of Giving Thanks...Day Eight

(I figure, since I've missed so many days in between, it's OK to post twice in a row.) :)

I'm so thankful for the bus!

The bus was very late this morning. The newer bus was already full, so I climbed on the older bus. The heat on the older busses is not that great, and the walls/windows stay very cold. It took an hour or more to get to work.

But I did not have to drive--someone else did the driving. The bus did not slide around in the snow, and I did not have to drive. I got to work safely, without having to drive in the snow.

AND I did not have to drive. Thank you, UTA!

Ten Days of Giving Thanks...Day Seven

I'm thankful for the snow.

There's actually a little story behind this. When I was in high school, I DETESTED the winter. I hated being wet and cold and miserable. It was so awful that I felt blue all the time. So when I was a senior, one of my Personal Progress goals was to try to find the beauty in each day during the winter.

You already know that I hate being cold. And I get cold so easily that it would be really easy to be miserable throughout the winter (and I admit it--I want to be a Snowbird when I grow up).

This morning Spence woke me with, "Get up and get going, Babe. You're going to need to leave early. We have 6 or 8 inches of snow, and it's still snowing." It's a pain to drive in. I worried about each family member as they made their way to work, school, or home. But it is a beautiful, marshmallow world outside. And we need this snow so badly for the coming summer months. And people are going to have a blast throwing snowballs and skiing and sledding and making snowmen. Forget the snowmen; it's too powdery for that. But kids will try, guaranteed! :)

I'm really thankful for the snow.

Ten Days of Giving Thanks...Day Six

This will sound like I'm making fun of this gratitude exercise, but honestly! I'm not.

I am very thankful for heating, air conditioning, and plumbing.

Grandpa told us that when he was a child, in the winters each family member had a rock that they would place in the fire. When it was bedtime, his mother or father would bank the fire for the night, and each person got their rock out. The rock was placed in bed. Everyone would run out to the outhouse for one last trip, then climb into bed with their rock (and usually, 3 or 4 other children). He said that in the winter you did NOT venture out to the outhouse at night because you just might freeze to death if you did.

I hate to get out of bed at night, because I think it's cold (even in the summer) AND because nothing (and I mean NOTHING) should interrupt my sleep. But if I need to get up and use the bathroom for any reason, I have no need to worry about freezing to death.

Yesterday I was cold. This is nothing new--I will stay cold till April (if I'm lucky) or May. It's winter. That's just the way it is. Spencer tucked me into my nice, warm bed with my thick, cozy down comforter. Then he turned up the heat in the house a couple of degrees. There I drank my nice, warm hot chocolate, which I'd made from tap water and a few seconds in the microwave.

When it was time to leave for my concert, I bundled up into my coat and ran out to the car, which was warm within just a few minutes.

When the summertime comes, we will turn on the A/C in house and cars, where we will live and drive in cool comfort. We are most blessed!

Ten Days of Giving Thanks...Day Five

I'm thankful for work.

My daddy says, "We work to become, not to acquire." This is one of his sayings that I have had to think about a lot, and frankly, I'm not 100% sure I have a testimony of this concept--I am employed because I HAVE to be, so we can pay the mortgage and buy our clothes and pay our bills. However, I do believe that God intended for us to work, so I guess I'm on the path to testimony. :)

That said, let me tell you that I love my job. (Have I ever mentioned that before?) I work with wonderful, talented, exceptionally good people. We have plenty to do at work (thank goodness! There's nothing worse than not having enough to do!). I like the work that I do, and I think I'm good at it. And I make a decent living, especially since mine is a second income in our family.

I'm also so grateful for Spencer's work. He, too, has plenty to do, and he likes the things that he does.

During this difficult economic time, I am especially thankful for good employment.

I'm also thankful for the chance to work in arenas other than our employment. I'm glad to serve in our ward. I'm glad to have children, with all their needs. I'm glad to have different skills and talents that I can share with others. I'm grateful for our home (which, frankly, needs a LOT of work!).

Ten Days of Giving Thanks...Day Four

Today I'm thankful for a happy attitude.

My parents were always "The glass is half full" kinds of people (still are, actually). We didn't have a lot of money, but I didn't know that. There were rules about bringing people home without asking first, but I don't remember ever being told, "No, that person cannot come over." We were always encouraged to share our opinions, even if we disagreed. Sometimes we had to agree to disagree. One morning I awoke to my mother laughing hysterically at my 14(ish)-year-old brother pitching a fit. We could be mad for a while, but we had no choice but to get over it.

When changes occurred, we were encouraged to look for the opportunities in the changes. (Anybody out there remember when we changed to the consolidated Sunday schedule at church?) :)

There have been a number of times, just this week, when I have caught myself thinking, "Well, at least we can..." or "This will not matter in ___ years" or "I'm so glad __________ happened" or "K, that's how it is. What can I do to change the situation?"

I consider myself a happy person. I consider myself a blessed person. I think it's because I had to practice that mentality through my childhood and youth.

Technically, I guess you could say I'm thankful for my parents, but family is coming later.

Ten Days of Giving Thanks...Day Three

Today I'm very thankful for good friends.

Amy has a beautiful baby boy--have I mentioned that? :) Today she brought him to work so I could have some kisses. And yup, she lets me kiss and kiss and kiss. I'd probably kiss her cheeks, too, if it wasn't too weird. But I love her just that much.

My friend, Tahnee, said all the right things today when I was having a mini-meltdown. She is sarcastic and hilarious and sweet and good and spiritual--all within one wonderful conversation.

Over the past few weeks I've had some sweet, wonderful comments from nieces and "adopted" daughters and dear friends.

Tonight I pulled a meeting together to plan our ward Christmas party. The people who came to help were willing and happy and helpful. What more could I ask for?

I consider the ways that my friends have blessed my life, and this list could go on and on. Joanne taught me about being a safe harbor. Sylvia taught me about wearing your life out in service. Char taught me about listening and doing good just for the sake of doing good. Cathy taught me about loving someone the way the Savior would love them. Janet taught me about expecting the best from others. Charlotte taught me about being obedient. Sami taught me about sharing joy in everything. Mona taught me about loving with your whole heart. MaryAnn taught me about giving and giving and giving. Jen taught me about laughter in situations that might otherwise be very difficult. Stacy taught me about finding the good in everyone. Karleen taught me about living by faith. LouAnn taught me about accepting people just as they are. Brenda taught me about being comfortable in being confident. And this is just scratching the surface.

I have friends who are men, too, and they have blessed my life immeasurably, too.

The world is full of good people. Just keep your eyes open--they're probably standing right next to you!

Ten Days of Giving Thanks...Day Two

Today I'm really thankful for our home.

A couple of years ago, Em gave us a plaque that says "Our House Is Just a Little House, but God Knows Where We Live." Actually, we have quite a large home--larger than I want, really. But the sentiment is the same. Ours is a simple, humble home. I'm not a huge decorator (much to Ashtyn's chagrin), but we have some nice things. There is much work that needs to be done on our home (always!), but it is a good house. It is well-built. It is more than sufficient for our needs. And love is spoken here.

The times that I appreciate our home the most are during extreme weather. This morning we awoke to a beautiful marshmallow world. It was FREEZING outside. But the snow was on the individual tree limbs and the sun was peeking through the pink-tinged clouds. And THEN I got to work and found that some of the Christmas lights on the Plaza were on this morning. Glorious!

But it was freezing. Our heat kicked on automatically. There was hot water in the tank, all ready for our showers. The wind blew outside, but not inside.

I love home!

The Ten Days of Giving Thanks...Day One

I have taken this idea from Jodi, who I have never met, but who continues to be an inspiration to me daily.

(She did the 10 days leading up to Thanksgiving. I figure that giving thanks is as appropriate for Christmas as it is for Thanksgiving, so my ten days will overlap both November and December.)

Day One: I'm thankful for my healthy body.

I know, it seems cliche to be thankful for my health, but there it is. In August of 1995 I was diagnosed with MS. It was a very stressful time. I lost hair by the handfuls. I didn't even think I was finished HAVING babies, and now here I was faced with the very real possibility that I wouldn't be well enough to see my babies grown, married, going on missions, having babies of their own. At that time, 10 years seemed a long ways away; and a lot can happen in 10 years. In one moment I went from talking to my brother to not being able to see him properly. What would 10 years bring? Or twenty? Would there be more than that?

MS effected the way we thought, felt, and planned. Our plans for five or six children were instantly whittled down. We knew we were taking a risk--because why have children if they cannot have a mother?--but we got Landon here.

A couple of years later we brought Spencer's grandmother into our home. It was just six months that she was with us, but those six months were a tremendous blessing. Landon and Grandma were great buddies. I had the blessing to be allowed to help Grandma in ways that few got to (and she hated every minute of it). There was little she could do for herself. I helped with hair washing, toileting, meals, laundry, illness, and falls. I once asked her if she would fold the towels for us. It took her all day to have the energy to fold a load of laundry.

I rarely fold towels without thinking of Grandma. Of course, folding towels means that there is other laundry to fold. And dishes to do. And meals to make. And rooms to dust. And weeds to pull. And errands to run. And gifts to work on. And kids to take to practices and games and performances and play dates. And meetings to attend. And activities to plan.

Sometimes it's just all so overwhelming that I want to curl up in a ball and just cry. (Last night I took a night off and watched TWO movies. In my bed.) But as soon as I think of Grandma I remember how glad I am that 14 1/2 years after being diagnosed with a horrible, rotten disease, I am able to fold towels and wash dishes and make meals and a million (sometimes literally) other things. I'm not blind, I can walk completely unaided (and even run!), I have control over my arms and hands, I can talk and type and read, my brain and my heart and my lungs all function on their own, I can stand up without assistance and without falling down.

And our beautiful children are quickly reaching adulthood. While there are no guarantees (nobody gets them, you know), it looks promising that I will see our "babies" being missionaries, brides, grooms, parents, and maybe even grandparents. It looks promising that I will grow old with Spencer, and he will not have to care for me for the entire last half of my life. We are planning to travel and serve a mission and build a little house and laugh and love for many, many years to come!