Six Geese A-Laying: Eggs

Eggs can be scrambled, fried, deviled, and fried. They are essential in so many recipes, especially for baking. Eggs can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, as a side dish for dinner, and is essential for many desserts. Today I express my gratitude for eggs.

Also, happy new year!

Five Golden Rings: Precious Stones and Minerals

There is so much to admire about the earth we live on. Usually I think about the beauty of nature when I think of the beauty of this planet. Seldom do I consider the beauty beneath the earth we stand on. The rare and precious gems and minerals we find there have been and are the subject of a lot of debate and violence over the course of history. But, they were part of the original creation of this planet and they are great blessings. Diamonds, gold, silver, other gems coal, granite, marble, and other minerals, I am grateful for all of these. I am grateful, as a lovely hymn says, "for the beauty of the earth," and that includes what we find above and beneath it.

Four Calling Birds: A Call to Stand a Little Taller

Every Sunday, as I attend church meetings, I have the opportunity to think, to ponder, and to learn from others and especially by the power of the Holy Spirit. Today I made a stronger effort to listen to the lessons I hear and the impressions I receive in my mind and in my heart. In this time when resolutions are made, I seriously thought about what I could do to be better. What should my new year's commitment be? I thought of a number of things I could do to improve my health and my happiness and my obedience to God.

Above all, this was a call to me to do some specific things in my life to be better, to stand a little taller. As I recall these impressions I had while in my church meetings, I express gratitude for them. I am grateful the God blesses each and every one of us with the power of the Holy Spirit, as well as that Light that is within each of us that leads us to do good, be better, and stand a little taller.

Three French Hens: The French Language

The things I've learned in my studies this past semester have given me a tremendous appreciation for the French language and culture. I am grateful for its incredible influence in the development of the English language, and I am grateful for the opportunity I have to learn French and study French culture. It is challenging, but it is a fun and enlightening challenge. So, I am grateful for the French language.

Two Turtle Doves: Happy 25th Anniversary

It is quite remarkable to me that the "second day of Christmas" falls on my parents' wedding anniversary. Today marked their 25th anniversary. Today, I am grateful for the wonderful people my mom and my dad are. I am grateful for all the wonderful things they do for each other, for their children, for their extended family, for the people they associate with at work and at church, and for everyone they meet. On this day, 25 years ago, a wonderful family was established. I am very grateful for those years that have passed since that day.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree: Fruit Trees

For the next twelve days, including today, I thought it would be fun to find something to be grateful for that had something to do with "The Twelve Days of Christmas". There are lots of birds in the song, but only one tree. I am grateful for fruit trees. They are the beginnings of so many wonderful and tasty blessings for the holiday season.These blessings include but are not limited to apple pie, apple crisp, any other apple dessert, cherry pies, banana cream pies, any kind of pie that involves fruit, jams, jellies, preserves, dried fruit, and so on and so on.

Skype with my Brother

My younger brother is currently serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He writes letters and e-mails to me and my family each week, but we get to actually talk with him twice a year: Mother's Day, and Christmas Day. Part of the excitement of the day for my family was to receive a skype call from him and spend an hour or so talking with him and catching up directly on how he's doing on his mission. I am grateful for that time we had to be together as a family for Christmas. I am also grateful my brother is well and very happy in his missionary service. I know the service he gives to people as a missionary is priceless, and he is dedicated to it. God bless him and all of us as we search for opportunities to give back to God and to His children at this cold and happy time of the year.

The Christmas Story (in the Scriptures)

My family opens one present per person on the night of Christmas Eve, but before we do that we take the time to read the words of the story behind Christmas. We read the second chapter of Luke in the New Testament, the best account of the story that we have. We also read the first chapter of Third Nephi from the Book of Mormon because it gives the account of what happened in America when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. As a small group of humble shepherds were alerted of the Savior's birth by an angel from heaven, a group of believers in America looked for the sign of His birth: the night before Christ would come would be as bright as day. Many people fell to the earth either in disbelief or in great gratitude when the sign came.

These two stories, one from each side of the world, are testaments to the fact that the arrival of the Savior was a world event, anticipated and celebrated by more than the precious few who saw Him in Bethlehem. I am grateful for the true Christmas story, and for the accounts we have in the scriptures of this miraculous and glorious event.

Merry Christmas!

Spontaneous Caroling

Yesterday I talked about a Christmas hymn marathon. Today I express gratitude for the tradition of Christmas caroling. Some friends unexpectedly stopped by our house, sang a Christmas carol, and presented us with some Christmas treats. I remember when I performed as a caroler in my high school days. I loved it. It was so much fun to dress up and go "Caroling, Caroling" for friends, family, and strangers. I am grateful for the tradition of spontaneous Christmas caroling.

A Christmas Hymn Marathon

There is a wonderful family in my hometown that has a really fun Christmas tradition. They invite friends and neighbors over to their home to sing all fourteen Christmas hymns in the LDS (Mormon) hymnbook, and to share desserts and conversation before and afterwards. I have attended this event two or three times so far, and I love participating in it. I am grateful for this fun and unique Christmas tradition: a marathon of Christmas hymns in good company.

Vending Machines

My sister and I spent most of the day in an airport to travel home for Christmas break. My sister wanted some gum and we didn't have any. I walked around the terminal, and there was a vending machine with some mint chewing gum! I got some gum and a couple of other goodies for us to munch on. I am grateful for the convenience of vending machines in an otherwise slow time of travel.

An Empty Library

This evening, at about 7:30, I was on my way to visit my sister when I walked by the library on campus. I looked through the window that looks into the busiest study area of the library. It was completely empty. I knew why no one was at the library. This is the last day of Finals Week, so everyone is either completely done with their finals or they are part of the unfortunate few who have a scheduled exam on a Friday evening. I am grateful for an empty library because that means Finals Week is over, and the Christmas holiday has officially begun for the students.

My French Textbook

The textbook for my French 101 class this semester has been such a valuable tool to help me progress in learning the French language. I am also grateful that I'll be able to use it next semester and won't have to buy a new textbook for French 102.

Finals Week

Why on earth would I be grateful for Finals Week? For me, I find this week more relaxing than the school weeks before it. Classes are over, so there is extra time to study and maybe do some much-needed cleaning and organizing at the apartment. My final exams are certainly challenging, and I try to work hard to do well on them, but I generally feel less stressed during Finals Week than I do during normal school weeks. Also, this time of the semester is when all the learning experiences from the previous months come together, and we see the whole picture and we can see how much we have progressed in our learning. Plus, Finals Week in the fall semester occurs on the height of the Christmas season! It's a wonderful time of the year.

Slippers

It is nice to have shoes to wear around the apartment that keep my feet warm and don't track snow and slush onto the floor. Slippers are a wonderful thing.

Sword Fights

My roommate and I had one of our fun and epic sword fights outside. We fight with toy swords that are realistic enough to fight with but safe enough to avoid real injury. It was our first time fighting in the snow, and it was very enjoyable. I am grateful for playful sword fights with a good friend and roommate. I am also grateful that my sword-fighting abilities are improving. My roommate has more experience with it than I do, but I'm getting better.

"It takes a lot of things to go right for everything to be fine."

I appreciate this wise observation in the title, quoted from one of my teachers this semester. I was involved with organizing a large Christmas music event tonight. If you were to ask me how it went, I would say, "It was great," or "It went well." It was a success. Though I was nervous about a few things and details as we went along, so many things just went right. Therefore, the musical event was fine. I am grateful for all the little, unnoticeable things that go right.

Trail Mix

Because of how things worked out today, trail mix was part of my nutrition for this afternoon. I am grateful for the variety of trail mixes out there, and for its value in outdoor excursions.

Success in Making Christmas Goodies

The highlight of my day was spending some time making Christmas goodies with a friend and sharing those goodies with people in our apartment complex. I am grateful the cookies and the divinity candy turned out so well. Even though we made a few mistakes in the process, in the end the cooking endeavor was successful.

Lunches from the Apartment

Today I express gratitude for the fact that I am able to provide food for myself each day. I really enjoy making lunches from my apartment and bringing them to campus. I have always enjoyed packing a lunch ever since grade school, and I am grateful to be able to pack my lunch and take it with me each day.

Projects at Work

At my job in the library, I have just recently finished part of a long project related to editing work on a website. Today, I got a new project to work on. I am very grateful for these projects because it gives my time at the library desk a little more purpose, and I get to learn a little more about how a library works. Plus, I just enjoy being put to good work.

So Many Computers in the Library

Tonight, I needed to stay in the library for a few hours to finish up one of those final projects that come as a natural result of the end of another semester. Not only did I finish all I needed to finish, it wasn't hard to find a computer to use in the library because I went to a less populated area of the library. I am grateful for the plethora of electronic resources at the library.

Heidi

That is the name of the car that belongs to a very good friend of mine. Heidi is just a little older than I am, and she has been all over the place on errands and road trips and so forth. I am grateful for my friend for lending the services of his car to many other people, and I am grateful for the car, Heidi. Heidi has survived this long and has done a lot of good in the past 23 years.

I Can Read French!...A Little

I was at an indexing party this evening. When I saw a couple of French records, I wondered if I could actually read it. I realized that, while I still have a lot of work to do to achieve any real proficiency in the language, I am grateful that I can read basic French-maybe enough to work on an indexing project!

Gingerbread

Another reason to be grateful for the holidays: gingerbread houses and gingerbread people! I had an enjoyable time making them with some good friends this evening, and I've been wanting to for a while. I'm glad it happened this year.

Wheat Grass Drink

Today, I didn't make the best decisions about what to eat for lunch and dinner. I ate things like pizza, bread sticks, grilled cheese, and french fries. So, for dessert I went to Jamba Juice with my sister. Along with a fruit smoothie, I got one of their 1-oz. wheat grass drinks in a tiny plastic cup. The grass flavor really wasn't all that bad, thanks to the sweet aftertaste that lingered in my throat after I left Jamba Juice. I am thankful for the healthy (and even a bit tasty) wheat grass drink.

The Story of the Army of Helaman

In my personal scripture study, I am currently reading through the Book of Mormon, and right now I am reading a story about a faithful, God-fearing army of 2,000 young men who faced insurmountable odds in a battle to regain their lost cities. Helaman was the leader of these men. I read their miraculous victory on pages 350-351 in the Book of Mormon.

Then it suddenly struck me that this story related directly to a large challenge I have before me: the final projects and exams at the end of another semester. It is a common challenge for people my age, but I still wondered if I could pull it all off.

I am grateful for the story of the Army of Helaman because it is an example of the truth that, with God, nothing is impossible. It's a simple truth, and I've heard it before, but this morning it struck me in a special way and encouraged me to go out and do what I need to do, while trusting God to take care of whatever I can't on my own.

Snow

I love snow, and I am very grateful for snow. I attribute this attitude to my growing-up years in Minnesota, where I've learned to be a little more tolerant of cold weather. Of course, I can get just as frustrated with slush and ice as the next person. Then there are the times when I look up from the slush I step on to the beautiful landscape ahead of me. It could be a white, sparkly field; a gorgeous, frosted tree; or breathtaking, covered mountain slopes. I suppose the song called "Snow" from the classic film musical White Christmas is a good expression of most of the reasons why I'm grateful for snow.

Drinking Water

Lately I've had to drink a lot of water to recover from my cold. Even with that aside, there are those times when normal drinking water is really the best-tasting and most-needed thing around.

Ibuprofen

I didn't feel too well today, and I got a bad headache. So, along with getting extra rest, drinking more water, taking extra vitamin C, getting a priesthood blessing, and so forth, I took ibuprofen for my headache. That helped a lot, and I am grateful for it.

Nice Notes

Writing nice notes to family, friends, acquaintances, and (on occasion) strangers is something I really enjoy doing to show my personal gratitude and appreciation for the recipient. This morning, when I arrived back at my college apartment after a long airplane ride, I found a nice note for me. It was very sincere, and I appreciated it so much. It made a challenging day all the more worth it. Today, on the first day of December, I am grateful for sincere nice notes given and received.