187. Today I am grateful for the sunrise

I just love watching the sunrise! I love how it seems to welcome you to a new day.

186. Today I am grateful for distant cousins

One of the things I love about family history research is getting in touch with distant cousins. I have recently gotten in contact with a distant cousin in England who has been a huge help in providing information and sources and in helping me to further my research.

185. Today I am grateful to have my roommate back

After being alone in the house for over a week, it was nice to have my roommate back (Only roommate for now).

184. Today I am grateful to have had the opportunity to give a talk in church

Today was the first time I gave a talk in my new ward and I think it was successful. I love the experience of preparing a talk. Sure, it can be a lengthy process and may seem that your running out of time, especially when it is late on Saturday night. However, an intense study of scriptures, talks from church leaders and reflecting on past experiences is amazing! I also enjoy writing and public speaking, especially on topics I love, such as the Book of Mormon which was the topic I was given for today. You can read a previous blog post on my gratitude for The Book of Mormon.

183. Today I am grateful for a clean home

A regular Saturday activity of mine is cleaning some part of the home. I love having a clean home and the satisfaction that comes from cleaning. I am also grateful that my home is most often kept clean. I feel that a clean and tidy area invites the spirit and feelings of peace and contentment.

182. Today I am grateful for smiles

... and how can this photo not make you smile.

181.Today I am grateful that I came to Edmonton

Today in our family support worker meeting we were each asked to share a positive experience of change. I shared my experience with making the decision to come to Edmonton and the positive experiences I have had with living on my own and with roommates, People I have met, earning my degree from the University of Alberta, and of course getting this job. I’m not sure that I want to stay in Edmonton forever but there are several factors that will determine where I live, one in particular.   

180. Today I am grateful for a day planner

I am grateful for a day planner as it helps me plan my day. My job requires that I schedule appointments and meetings and a day planner defiantly helps with the scheduling and keeping track of what needs to be done each day.   

179. Today I am grateful for pajamas

As I was getting ready for bed, I put my pajamas on and came to a realization that wearing pajamas makes sleeping much more comfortable than wearing regular clothing. This is something I have always known but I put pajamas on out of routine not because I think of the comfort they bring. It’s a simple thing but what a difference it makes! Sometimes if it’s cold and/or wet, coming home and changing into PJ’s also feels pretty good.

178. Today I am grateful for Family Day

 I love British Columbia and often find opportunities to let others know how much I love the province I call home. However, I have to admit that one of the things that make Alberta better is this holiday. Not just because it’s another day off work but because it’s a holiday that focuses on families and encourages families to spend the day together. I celebrated by calling family members and working on some family history.

177. Today I am grateful for Sunday school

I love Sunday school and the opportunity it gives me to further my knowledge of the scriptures and the gospel. I love we have the opportunity to learn from others and strengthen each other.

176. Today I am grateful to witness a wedding

I love weddings and watching families grow. Today I was asked to witness the wedding of my roommate (well I guess former roommate now). I felt it an honour to be present to witness the wedding.  

175. Today I am grateful for healthy mental health

Last Friday and today I attended a “mental health first Aid” training. I am grateful that mental health issues are not a struggle that I have, aside from occasional feelings of sadness, anxiety, worrying, etc. However, these are not feelings that last for very long and I feel that I handle these feelings well and not something I dwell on. Not to say that this makes me better than those who do have this struggle because so many do and I have at least some understanding of the difficulty it brings to them and the affect it has on others. I am grateful also for the role I can play in helping people who are in this situation and hope that I can do to be more understanding.

174. Today I am grateful for fairytales

I love fairytales! Reading them, watching them, and thinking about them. I love happy endings and I love that we have the power to create happy endings and have our own fairytales.

173. Today I am grateful for my heart

Yesterday we celebrated Valentine’s Day, a day that has made the heart shape so popular. Today I would like to express gratitude for the heart that beats inside of me. Without it, I wouldn’t have anything else to be grateful for.

172. Today I am grateful for Valentines Day

For single people, Valentine’s Day is often pushed aside and replaced with something called “Singles Awareness Day” but I have always loved Valentine’s Day.  I love that there is a day devoted to sharing, sowing and express love, not just in a romantic way but in the way that God expects us to. Christ told his disciples that the greatest commandment is “to love The Lord thy God with all thy heart and the second is like unto it ... to Love they neighbour as yourself”(Mark 22: 37-39).

171. Today I am grateful for love

I am grateful for love, both as a feeling and as an action. It is wonderful to know and feel that I am loved by family, friends, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I am also grateful for the perfect example of love as shown by Christ.

170. Today I am grateful for Sacrament Meeting

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sunday consist of three church meetings. Not every ward (congregation) has the meetings in the same order; however, most often sacrament meeting is the first meeting of the day. This meeting is held in the chapel and it is where we listen to speakers (normally ward members with assigned topics), sing hymns and partake of the sacrament. I recently wrote about my gratitude for the sacrament which can be read here. I am truly grateful for sacrament meeting where I can be uplifted and edified spiritually each week. 

169. Today I am grateful for the ability to speak

I am grateful that I am able to speak. I enjoy good conversations with others and sharing my thoughts and ideas. I used to be really shy and have worked hard to overcome that to the point that I feel comfortable talking to just about anyone. A lot of people describe me as quiet but outgoing at the same time. I just need to work on talking more to attractive men. J

168. Today I am greatful for the sesnse of taste

I am grateful for the ability to taste and enjoy delicious food and sensations (you know, like mint gum).  

167. Today I am grateful for the sense of smell

There are some good smells and some bad smells but I am grateful for the ability to smell. Good smells are pleasant to be around and helps me to enjoy things such as good food. Bad smells too serve a good purpose, for example, it lets me know that something needs to be cleaned, or I should leave or stay away from something.

166. Today I am grateful for the sense of touch

I will continue the theme of my gratitude for senses by sharing my gratitude for the sense of touch. I am grateful for the touch of others and things and the feelings that are felt through touch.

165. Today I am grateful for the sense of hearing

In yesterday’s post I mentioned my gratitude for having the ability to see despite having some vision loss. Today I would like to share my gratitude for having the ability to hear when I also have a hearing loss. I am not as open about hearing loss as much as I am about my vision loss, probably because a lot of people need glasses and glasses are seen as cool. I hear most things, sometimes I have to ask people to repeat themselves but I am ok with that. Every time I hear a bird chirping, the voice of a loved one, the laughter of a child, beautiful music and many other wonderful sounds I am grateful that I can hear.  

164. Today I am grateful for the sense of sight

On Saturday I wrote about my gratitude for the earth and today I would like to express my gratitude for the ability to see the beauty of the earth; the beautiful scenery, the ability to see people and colours and to recognize the beauty that surrounds me. I previously expressed my gratitude for glasses and contacts which aid me to see clearly and I am grateful for those tools.

163. Today I am grateful for the FamilySearch Indexing project

The familysearch indexing project is working towards indexing millions of records from sources such as microfilms to create digital records in a free searchable database. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to volunteer with this project which will help others find their ancestors and others who are also indexing records so that I too can find ancestors that I am searching for.

162. Today I am grateful for the Earth

I am grateful for this Earth that was designed by a loving Heavenly Father and created through his son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to live on this earth and experience life.

161. Today I am grateful for facebook

Sometimes, I wonder what life was like before facebook. I am not a facebook addict but I do check my facebook almost every day. Although, sometimes it feels good to go a day or two or more without checking facebook, I am grateful for this tool. It allows me to keep in touch with family and friends despite distance and busy schedules. It`s great to be able to keep up on what people are doing with their lives and celebrate marriages and the birth of babies. I love looking at photos of my nieces and little nephew and watch them grow. I also like how it helps me to be involved with the things that interest my siblings. For example, through my little sisters facebook I can see how much she loves horses and Justin Bieber.

160. Today I am grateful for this quote

I continue to come across insprational quotes on gratitude that remind me why I continue to do this. Here is one that I love which was shared by an LDS chuch leader, James E. Faust in his talk, "Gratitude as a Saving Principle".

“A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness. It is an expression of humility. It is a foundation for the development of such virtues as prayer, faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love, and well-being.”

- James E. Faust

These are characteristics that I hope to continue to develop throughout my lifetime.

159. Today I am grateful for the colour pink

I love the colour pink! It has been my favourite colour for as long as I can remember. Heading into the month of love I think it is appropriate to share my love for the colour pink which, along with the colour red, is associated with valentine`s day. I am grateful for the happiness that this colour gives me and its association with things being pretty and girly.