p.s.

Oh, yes, and thanks to Amy for another lovely background for my blog! I'm glad she is my co-administrator! She always makes me look good, witty, smart, talented, etc.

The Tenth Day of Thanksgiving

I know this is overdue, but I finally have time to sit and complete my ten days of Thanksgiving. Yet I can't list only one of my blessings tonight, because there are still so many that must be named! In the interest of time, however, I will limit it to some very special people who have occupied space in my heart for a long time--or a short time, depending on how long they've been on the earth.

My children, namely Michael, Alan, Amy, Lisa, Katy, and Cindy are the most fabulous people on the face of the earth! How could I live without any one of them? Simply, I could not. They each play a vital role to my well-being physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I would not be if they did not exist. And they have added to my joyful existence by adding to our family their remarkable spouses: Laura, Jessica, David, Brandon, Richard, and Eric. They each add dimension to my life that makes it all that more enjoyable to be alive. Some time I will try to explain how all my children and their husbands/wives have blessed my life.

Then there are those grandchildren: Emily, Corbin, Michael, Isabella, Morgan, Kalsin, Kodiak, Julia, Miralise, Eli, Anna, Benjamin, Jack, Logan, and Noah. Ahh, there's nothing like being a grandmother! A hug from any one of my special grandchildren and any fear or worry is forgotten. I live for the next time I will see these awesome reproductions of their parents.

My parents, my brothers and sisters and their spouses and children are all so terrific! I have been so fortunate to belong to such a loving and supportive family. I love the hugs I get from my nieces and nephews. I enjoy their emails and phone calls. They are all special to me.

Later I will do a blog on my friends. There are too many and so many stories to list any of them here right now. But I am so thankful for them!

Now on to perhaps the most important blessing in my life. I will preface this by saying that I think perhaps I have given the wrong impression to those who are close to me. Going by things I hear them say from time-to-time I think they believe that I have always been such a "good girl" all my life, that I haven't strayed or broken any rules and that I always expect everyone else to be the same. Oh, my heart aches just thinking about what I might have made my children think I expected of them and what they may think of how I see myself. And how do I make them understand what I am trying to say without confessing my weaknesses and past mistakes to them?

I give myself the same advice that I have given to others. When you have repented you don't need to tell others about the wrongs you have committed. You don't need to be saved by anyone else when Jesus Christ has already saved you. And He has saved me as I have had to draw upon the power of the Atonement again and again in my life. And I have learned! I try to obey the rules now because I know what it feels like to break them and to hurt other people in the process. I try hard to do what is right because I know the agony of the broken heart that comes from knowing I have disappointed my Father in Heaven and added to the pain that my Savior experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane. I study the scriptures and pay attention in meetings and read what I can to help me learn more about the God who loves me and has given me the very breath that keeps me alive minute by minute when there are times when I felt I would rather die than face the fact that I have fallen so short of the expectations placed upon me. I give service as faithfully and as diligently as I can and in as many ways as I can because service is part of the repentance process. I love more fully and deeply because I have felt His love; it has saved me over and over again.

What people see in me today is not a person who always does the right thing; they see a person who wants to be right in the sight of God, and I pray for strength every day to be able to do better. I have so many changes yet to make.

I am thankful for my Savior and for my God. I am thankful I can pray to Heavenly Father and feel His arms around mw when I need Him; I am thankful for what Jesus Christ did for me. I am thankful that change is part of the plan. This is all very personal for me but I feel it is time to make sure that my children know that I hope they will learn these same things, and if possible not in the same ways I did. I will try to remember that as they use their agency they will have experiences that will teach them and they don't need me to protect them from the pain of mistakes. I just want to be their mother/ grandmother in the best ways I know how to be and hope they will accept my offerings to them. I love them with all my heart. And if we all try we may look forward to an eternal association with each other. Without the hope of this why even try?

The Ninth Day of Thanksgiving

Tonight before we head out to the fifth-wheeler to get some shut-eye I just want to say that although I was happy to follow Tom to Nevada, I am grateful that we only live three hours away from family. When we arrived at Lisa's house in Grantsville and walked toward the door we were greeted with shouts of "Grandma, Grandpa!" and lots of hugs. It did my heart good. We had a wonderful afternoon and evening with the Nelsons and look forward to two more days of fun and making memories with the Nelsons, Rushes, Washburns, Oswalds, and Lemons. I really am grateful that Tom didn't get a job in Alaska or Australia!

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Eighth Day of Thanksgiving

Now it's another day. Since I'm going to Utah in a few hours and will be playing with my grandchildren tonight, I'm going to do this blog post now.

And this time I'm thankful for another day! We never know if we'll be granted another one or not, and I'm thankful that I've been lucky enough to wake up about 19,950 times and see that Heavenly Father has given me yet another chance to get it right.

Seventh Day of Thanksgiving

I am thankful for shoes. I do go barefoot a lot, especially in the summer months, but I am so grateful for comfortable, protective shoes. Some of my shoes have endured my abuse for years and I can't get rid of them because they are like old friends. Now that I have learned how very worn shoes can affect the tendons and arches of my feet, I realize that I cannot wear those old friends. But they will probably sit in my closet forever because looking at them is a reminder of many places I've been, things I've done, people I've walked beside, danced with, climbed with. Ah, sweet memories. Thanks, shoe friends.

Sixth Day of Thanksgiving

Doctors! I am so thankful for doctors! My life has a quality that it couldn't possibly have if I hadn't been blessed to have been treated by a knowledgeable member of the medical community. Thank goodness some men and women will take endure the time, energy and expense--and a number of other personal sacrifices--to learn how to help the rest of us enjoy life more fully.

And I won't even list the number of times I've had to take advantage of their skills and knowledge. I LOVE doctors! (And their nurses!)

Some people I'm pretty thankful for on Day... whatever... of Thanksgiving

1. People who aren't very good at stuff, because I look better.
2. Ugly people, because I look prettier.
3. Fat people, because I look skinnier.
4. Dumb people, because I look smarter.
5. Really, really, really old people, because I look younger.

Tonight I am going to mention a few things I'm thankful I DON'T have: missing limbs, blindness, cancer, missing children, abusive husband, extreme poverty, scary neighbors, no food in my refrigerator, no education, no car, no children, no friends, no idea why I'm here, where I came from or where I'm going. Yes, the list could go on and on and on. I'm one extremely grateful person!!!

And now I'm going to bed. It's been a very nice day but now I'm tired--going to get some rest at the end of this day of rest!

Fourth and Fifth Days of Thanksgiving

Oops! I thought about posting last night and got distracted and suddenly I was in dreamland. So tonight I'll take care of two days at once.

I am thankful for food. I LOVE food! I love planning menus, I love cooking, I love eating. For most of my life I could eat anything I wanted, whenever I wanted, and never had to worry about weight gain or any other problems. Then I reached middle age. All those years of being able to enjoy food without guilt caught up with me. But I've learned good eating habits and am more conscious of what and when and how much I eat and I can still enjoy food. Sometimes I feel guilty but most of the time I'm just glad that I live where I have plenty and never have to go hungry. I know I need to give thanks for what I have because there are so many who go to bed hungry every night and wonder if they'll get anything to eat the next day.

I am thankful for airplanes and cars and trains and all the other modes of transportation that are means for being with those we love. Because of the airplanes and cars we have been able to see all of our children and grandchildren this year, and in less than a month we'll be in Virginia awaiting the arrival of grandbaby number fifteen, Noah Badger.

And one more: I'm thankful for a good, thoughtful husband who will get supper on the table while I write in my blog. He's a nice guy.

Third Day of Thanksgiving

Paper. I am surrounded by it here in this room. The minutes from the meeting I attended tonight, the records from which I am typing the Copper Hills Ninth Ward history, family history projects, phone directories, envelopes in which I can mail letters to my friends, a fax from our wonderful insurance agent who is trying to help us set Carson City straight, the notice from the sanitation company letting us know when they'll pick up the garbage next week, music I've printed for my students, receipts and bills that are all evidence that we live and we are noticed, books, books, books, boxes, the door, the beautiful trim on the door and walls, the hardwood floor just outside the door...oops, now I'm getting into the cousins of paper. It's the paper family for which I am so grateful. The posterity of trees. Isn't it wonderful how our needs have been provided for, and we can keep it all lasting longer if we are mindful and use it all wisely.

I haven't even begun to name many ways paper (tree posterity) is displayed throughout my home: music, photographs of family, my piano, the legs of the sofa, the table and chairs, the desks, etc., etc., etc.

Now I am going to get one of my favorite papers: my scriptures. I love to read them and it is part of my routine before I snuggle under the covers. And that leads to another one of my favorite blessings, but you'll have to wait until another day to read about it. Good-night!

The Second Day of Thanksgiving

Music, music, music! Oh, how my life has been blessed by music! I am so thankful that my mother taught me to play the piano when I was a child. The experiences I have had in my life because I played the piano have been extensive and awesome. I know people I wouldn't have known otherwise. I have had to overcome a great lack of confidence, I have learned theory, I have developed skills that have given me opportunities to give service most of my fifty-plus years.

And my parents also taught all of our family to sing, to play the ukelele, guitar, accordion or rhythm instruments, and I have very fond memories of performing with my family from very young years--for church, schools, soldiers, the wounded, etc.

I could go on and on and on about how music has blessed my life, but I'm admittedly quite tired tonight and I'm going to get ready for bed now. You can bet that as soon as I wake in the morning there will be a song on my mind, most likely one of the pieces one of the Spring Creek High School or Middle School choirs are rehearsing daily to be able to perform at their Christmas concert. What a way to start the day!

The Ten Days of Thanksgiving

We have twelve days of Christmas, right? Why not ten days or so of Thanksgiving? I'm going to spend the next ten days posting things for which I am thankful. Of course, ten days or one-hundred days wouldn't be enough to do all my blessings justice, but just spending the time writing for awhile might make me ever more mindful of all that makes my life worth living.

Day Number One:

Today I am thankful for modern technology, and most specifically the things that help keep us connected with those we love. Isn't it remarkable that we can dial some numbers and in seconds we can be speaking with a family member who lives thousands of miles away? Or send a text and you can get an instant reply from halfway around the world. Friends can give road updates, husbands can get instructions from wives so they'll get the shopping done right, wives can find out from husbands what to do when the car is making that funny noise again. Daughters can call mom and ask for a prayer before a dreaded test, sons can call parents to tell the latest cute things their little boys did. All of this can take place in a moment of time. Granddaughters can call and put on a piano recital for Grandma. To me it is truly incredible.

One of my most recent experiences with modern technology occurred Saturday. Katy wanted to give Cindy a baby shower. Cindy lives in Virginia and Katy lives in Utah. Katy's brilliant idea was to do a "virtual" shower so that the friends and family could gather at her place and by web cam they could invite Cindy to join the party. Tom and I headed for Utah so I could be part of the shower, too, but the highway was icy and scary so we turned around and headed home, first stopping at Les Schwab to get studded tires for my car. We got home and connected to the internet on the computer so that we could join the party from Nevada. Alan connected so he could have a video chat with us, and while he was on he told us how we could have a conference video chat so that we wouldn't have to "take turns" talking to Cindy and the others. So once we were all connected through "tokbox.com" we could see everyone in New York, Virginia, and Utah,all at the same time, and what a thrill that was for me. I got to see twelve of my grandchildren and all but one of my children. Actually, I know Michael was there at Katy's but I didn't see him, so I saw four out of the six. I did hear his voice, though.

While I am on the phone talking to my kids or having a video chat with any of them I forget that we are hundreds or thousands of miles apart, and feel that we are in the same room and I can almost feel them breathing and that I can reach out and hug each of them.

We went to visit our friends Chris and Andrea Sunday night and they were having a video chat with Andrea's parents and brothers in Alaska. I bet Andrea would say she's very grateful for this technology, too, and I am certain her mom is thankful she can see her only grandson and not feel quite so far away.

Whoever invented all of this technology is going to get a pie from me one day! I love him!

I'd add photos but there's something wrong with the technology tonight and I can't make comments on anyone else's blogs nor can I upload photos to mine. So whoever said it was perfect? These are the moments when we can be thankful for all the times that it does work!