Nearly Headless Nick

One of my favorite characters in the Harry Potter book series is one of the ghosts at Hogwarts, Nearly Headless Nick. I am grateful for this charming character, for several reasons:

• His full name is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, which I think is a rather charming and classy name. 
• I discovered today that this "nick"-name could be an intentional pun. Sir Nicholas died from more than a few "nicks" and cuts from a blunt ax. J. K. Rowling, you are a clever one. 
• For those who are interested in exactly when the events of the Harry Potter books take place, we have Sir Nicholas' 500th Deathday Party (in the second Harry Potter book) to be grateful for. The party took place during Harry's second school year on Halloween 1992. Since Harry turned eleven the previous year (first book), and turned twelve in 1992, he was born on July 31, 1980. This also means that Nearly Headless Nick died on Halloween 1492, a notable year for humanity. Thanks for the party, Nick! 
•  Sir Nicholas is a kind friend to Harry, giving as much assistance as a friendly ghost can, as well as celebrating his successes and reacting sensitively to his losses. All in all, Nick is a rather likeable side character in the Harry Potter series. 

I can be a bit of a nerd when it comes to my favorite fiction characters. I am grateful for Nearly Headless Nick, but I suppose that really means I'm grateful for J. K. Rowling's imagination and writing. In any case, it can all give us an excuse to celebrate something today, right?

Happy 35th birthday Harry Potter!

Packing In Stages

The process of packing my things for moving is always taxing for me. It requires physical, mental, and emotional energy through lifting boxes, playing Tetris with the boxes to make everything fit, and saying good-bye to a place.

Today that process was made easier for me, not just from knowing that I'll be coming back again later, but from being able to pack in stages. With help from family, I was able to put away a few things earlier this week, and a few more things today. For me, that made the entire process much easier to handle, and I am grateful for that.

A Force That Turns Heavy to Light

This has been a long day, but an enjoyable, eventful, productive day. At one point, I felt the need to pray to God about a few things that were weighing heavily on my mind. I prayed sincerely as I walked to my last event of the day, which happened to be a special church meeting. During the meeting, answers to my earnest prayers came to my mind and my heart. I felt loved. I felt inspired and uplifted. I honestly felt that things would be alright regarding the issues I was pondering. After the meeting, a friend talked with me and expressed great appreciation for the fact that we were friends. I gave a prayer of gratitude to God for hearing and answering my honest and sincere cries.

I know that love is a real force for good in this world. Today I received love and comfort from God. I also felt the love and appreciation that others, friends and family, have for me. No matter how heavy the burden on your mind or in your heart, there is an infinite source of love and light that can help you carry on and become stronger. I am grateful for the love I felt from many sources that lifted my heavy heart today.

Inside Out, All Over Again

There are some movies out there that I don't mind watching more than once in theaters. I get really excited to see a great new movie in a cinema, but I also really enjoy sharing that movie with a friend or family member who hasn't seen it. This happened for me today with Inside Out. I had already seen that wonderful and adorable movie a few weeks ago, but I saw again today anyway because my dad hadn't seen it. I enjoy sharing a movie like that. I am grateful that I was able to share a great movie with my dad today.

Homework Parties

I've participated in a few homework parties since my parents have been in town. We had another one today, since my parents still have a lot of their own work to do and I had a draft of a paper due tonight. So, we spent several hours in a library again, working away. I am grateful for our "homework party" today. Being surrounded by people focused on their work is truly motivating for me, and it helped me to stay focused on my work until I finished it. It's a nice way to spend time with family before calling it a day and going out to dinner afterwards. :)

Living Family History

Family history is a small hobby for me. I've become fascinated with the stories of my grandparents and my ancestors. I was able to spend a couple of days with my grandparents. Each time I am at their house, I feel that I get a glimpse of their personal histories. They told me a few stories this weekend, which was a lot of fun. It is fun to see the differences and similarities between the way their lives were when they were young, and the way my life is now.

I really appreciate visits like this because sometimes, when I'm researching family history, I feel distant from the names I see on my family tree. I often see a lot of facts, dates, and places. I still enjoy looking into family history, but I really appreciate reminders of how real that history is. The visit to my grandparents' house this weekend reminded me of that, for which I am grateful.

For the Beauty of the Earth

Hiking is one of my favorite things to do with my family while on vacation. None of us are advanced hikers, but we generally know what we're doing. For a couple of miles, we enjoyed marvelous views of a great red rock amphitheater. Breathtaking, made all the better by the efforts we made walking there and back. Such natural beauty never ceases to impress and inspire me, even though I've been on many such hikes.

For the beauty of the earth, I am grateful.