Unconventional gratitude

Only one more week until my favorite holiday! I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving-just like every year. A lot of people have been blogging or facebooking something that they are grateful for everyday and I really meant to do that too but I failed and I don't want to try to come up with a good excuse-I was just lazy. BUT, that doesn't mean that I haven't been thinking about all of the wonderful blessings in my life.

There are all the usual-Family, friends, home, Savior, church family, gospel, scriptures, jobs, freedom, our baby, education, good schools & good friends for our children, good health, music, etc.

But recently I had an eye opening experience. We also need to be grateful for the not so good things in our lives. My brother Matt, gave the following examples:

1. I don't like doing dishes but a sink of dirty dishes means that we had food to eat and I am grateful for that.

2.I don't like my husband sitting on the couch watching football games all the time but I am grateful that he is there rather than out at a bar somewhere.

So Now I am going to try some unconventional gratitude of my own.

I am grateful that I have been sick for the past 22.5 weeks because that means that I am still pregnant and that my baby is alive and healthy. I am grateful that I have been throwing up, nauseous, tired and miserable because it means that in another 17.5 weeks I will have a new baby to hold, cuddle and love.

I am grateful for a mortgage payment because that means we have a nice warm home to live in. We are safe, warm and protected in our home. I am grateful that it often becomes messy because that means we feel comfortable living in our home.

I am grateful that Steve and I have to go to work M-F because that means that we have money and insurance and are able to provide for our needs. I am grateful that Morgan gets to go to a great babysitter while we are at work because that means even more people get to teach and love her. Others get to see what a wonderful girl she is.

I am grateful for church callings that keep us busy because we get a chance to serve people, to learn about them and to love them. It gives us an opportunity to show our Heavenly Father that we are willing to serve his children. It also keeps us too busy to get into trouble!

I am grateful for Koby's ornery teenage attitude because it means that he is exploring and learning who he is. He is learning to stand on his own and figuring out who he will be. I am also grateful that teenage years will eventually come to an end and getting through them will help us to appreciate and love each other even more.

I am grateful for Morgan's homework and that it requires adult help everyday. Helping her with her homework has helped us to develop a better relationship and I love watching her learn and explore new things. It also means that she goes to a good school and will get a good education. It shows her how important gaining knowledge and getting an education is to me.

I could probably go on forever but this is enough for you to see a glimpse of what I learned this past week. I truly am blessed and loved.

I hope that you have a great Thanksgiving and holiday season.