My Gratitude Week

I was flipping through a The Complete Peanuts book, year 1963, when I came across this Sunday strip.  Lucy is berating her life, self pity, everything's wrong, when Linus comes in and recommends she finds something to be grateful for.  She then rebukes that until Linus says, "Well, for one thing you have a little brother who loves you . . ." and he gets a big hug.

We all have something to be grateful for.

Facebook is a funny place for all its tagging, sharing, and whatever popular thing is getting passed around.  A few weeks ago all my friends were doing the grateful challenge, where, for one week, you list three things a day you're grateful for.  Usually I don't accept challenges on Facebook, but this time I was more then willing to participate.

From September 18 - September 24

(I was visiting California during this time.)

1. I'm thankful for proscription glasses, because living life in a blur would be no fun at all.

2. I'm thankful for cars, so that I was able to travel from Northern Utah to California in a couple days, instead of the alternative of walking . . . which would take longer then a couple days. 

3. And I'm thankful for "The Thomas Jefferson Hour" podcasts, which is the only thing my Grandparents, Mom, and I agreed to listen to the entire car trip . . . all 13 hours on the road. So well done and fascinating. I wasn't in the mood for 13 hr. of Carpenters music, as much as I love them . . .

4. I'm thankful for the Hubble telescope, which allows us to see the wonders of space.

5. I'm thankful for my family, because family is everything.

6. I'm thankful for toothbrushes and toothpaste, because it's easy to take simple inventions for granted, and even though I still get cavities from time to time, my dental health would be a lot worst.

7. I'm thankful for the Ocean, because it reminds me of Earth's vastness.

8. I'm thankful for HGTV, mainly because I watch it so often, kinda like today with my Mom and Grandma. (Nice brake from all the news we watch.  Kinda keeps the sanity.)

 9. I'm thankful for the wind, because I love how it feels, all cool and crisp, and the sound of moving leaves.

10. I'm thankful for MP3s. The sound quality may not be up to the same standard as vinyl or even CDs, but it's incredible that, on a small, tiny device, I can carry thousands of songs wherever I go, and can choose between a copious amount of genres and artists, whatever my musical whims. It's extraordinary! 

11. I'm thankful for smart phones. Even though I'm in California, away from home, I'm able to stay in touch with everyone I love, thanks to the technology behind this little screen. Star Trek in modern life.

12. I'm thankful for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Music of the Spoken Word, which I'm watching on TV right now. Choral music is so beautiful. And I forgot how much I love Aaron Copland!

13. I'm thankful for a bed to sleep in. This last week I've slept on my Grandpa's couch and it has been rough, but then sleeping on a couch is a huge blessing as well, so I'm thankful for this, too.

14. I'm thankful for memories. No matter what I'm going through, good or bad, I can reminisce over special moments.

15. I'm thankful for clean feet. Last night I was cleaning my feet with a wet wipe, and suddenly I was thinking about the Savior, the moment when he washed his disciples feet. We take clean feet for granted.

16. I'm thankful for water, because water truly is my favorite drink, and having a dependable, purified water source is such a blessing. I grew up in Porterville CA, and right now wells are dried up in East Portverville and other central CA towns.  The situation is scary.

17. I'm thankful for the TuneIn radio app and the NHK Live TV app, because it's my dream to one day visit Japan, but I currently don't have the means to do so. (These tools are a great way to experience different cultures.)

18. I'm thankful for fly swatters, because right now there's a fly flying around the living room I'm sleeping in, and I don't have one.

19. I'm thankful for frozen dinners. Okay, I need to cook more, granted, and I'd probably lose some weight if I did (except for when I discovered that I'm really good at baking, in which I gained weight), but I won't deny how nice it is to take a meal out of the freezer and pop it in the microwave.

20. I'm thankful that ants like to hibernate in the Winter, at least in Utah. These last several days visiting my Grandpa's home in Ventura has been one ant catastrophe after another, and the realization that it doesn't matter what time in the year I visit, those dang ants keep getting into things. I hate ants.

21. And last, but not least, I'm thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, so grateful.

I need to keep a gratitude journal.  This was such a great experience.  There were a couple days I didn't feel like being grateful, and yet when I sat down to think of three things to be grateful for, I was immediately humbled and felt better.

Now I challenge you to find something to be grateful for :0)