12. Today I am grateful to be going to Scotland

I am currently at the Calgary airport waiting to board my flight to Glasgow. This will be my sixth trip to Scotland but the last time I went was 6 years ago so it has been awhile since I saw my Grandma and other family members. However, I did see some cousins in Utah last summer which was really nice. I was really hoping to go out for this year because my Grandma will be celebrating her 90^th birthday. It would have been so nice if my whole family could go but with my two younger sister’s just starting school and Melissa and JJ being busy with their children and school only me, my mom and brother were able to go. My mom and Craig are flying from Vancouver so I will see them at the airport. When we were planning on the dates to book the flight my parents told me that they would pay for my flight as a graduation gift which I think is a  really nice gift and I am really grateful to them. I am also grateful for my supervisor and program manager who hired me knowing that I had this trip booked and would be gone for 2 weeks. My friend, Nathan gave me a ride to the airport which I would also like to express gratitude for.

11. Today I am grateful to not be going back to school.

Many children and post-secondary students will or have started back at school sometime last week or this week. I work at a pre-school and the first group of children started today. I loved seeing the children come to the school for the first time. Most were excited and some were nervous. It was also great to meet with the parents I will be working with. I am excited for my first school year on the job.

Part of me misses the first day of school as a student and the excitement that comes with the new school year and starting new courses and going through the syllabus to see what we will be learning that semester. However, most of me is glad to be done school. I do prefer working over going to school. It is nice to have a job where I come home and I don’t have all the extra’s to do, assignments, reports, papers, studying, etc. I also love how with my job we have workshops and training sessions often so I am always learning in an academic setting but getting paid instead of paying to attend a course It is also nice to have a steady income. I am also so grateful to have found a job that I really enjoy in my field soon after graduating.

10. Today I am grateful for Labour Day

On Saturday I was starting to wonder how I was going to get everything done that I needed to before Wednesday. Then I remembered that it was a holiday! It was great to have an extra day off work to get things done, especially with moving. I got most of my stuff moved to my new place and am truly grateful to those who laboured on Labour Day by helping me move. Thank you to my good friends Kristine, Diana and Kelby. We got most of the stuff moved in large part to Diana having her Dad’s truck.

I hope everyone had a great labour day!

9. Today I am grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I feel that living the principles of the gospel have brought me much of the happiness and peace I feel on a daily basis. On the first Sunday of the month members of the church are encouraged to fast for a purpose of their choosing. I find that those times I put more effort into pondering the reason I am fasting and more sincere in my prayers for that purpose I feel more spiritually uplifted and less hungry. We are also encouraged to make a "fast offering" (donation) to the church. Those funds are then used to help others, often within the ward, who are struggling financially to purchase food or cover other living costs.

Also, on the first Sunday of the month we have a testimony meeting where members of the congregation are invited to come speak about the things they know to be true pertaining to the gospel. Often those who speak will express their gratitude for the gospel in their lives. Today while listening to the testimonies of others and also taking the opportunity to share mine, I particularly felt the love of my Heavenly Father, not only for me but for all of his children.  I know that we are all children of God and that he loves each of us. This is evident through the atonement of His son Jesus Christ who atoned for the sins of all people.

The church recently launched the “I’m a Mormon” website in which members of the church from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds share their experiences and testimonies through their own personal profiles. At first I wasn’t sure if those who were not members of the church would be interested in reading these profiles but it seems to have gotten quite a bit of media attention so I assume that means that people are interested. The church and its members are often misunderstood and people are often confused about what we believe so I hope the “I’m a Mormon” site can help more people understand who we are as a people and what we believe.

You can also read my profile here.

8. Today I am grateful for a place to live

Yesterday I wrote about how grateful I was to have lived in the Compassion house. however, it was only a temporary placement for the summer. My church has a housing board with posts on a facebook page, church building bulletin boards and on lists kept with people designated in the ward (congregations) as housing coordinators. Although, it is a great tool to have, finding a new place to live proved to be a frustrating experience for me. Many spots did fill up quickly but what was most frustrating was that often people did not reply to my messages. I was contemplating moving somewhere by myself but didn't really want to because I felt that I would get lonely. I was also hoping to find a place for October because I am going to be gone for most of September.

Being that this is a blog of gratitude, I will stop complaining. One girl that did reply to my messages and contacted me about available housing called me yesterday to say that her and another girl found a house to rent. After work I went over to see it and I loved it. It is a really beautiful house. The thing I love the most is the kitchen which has a lot of cupboard and counter space. I like to cook and bake so that was a good feature. It also has a dishwasher, so hopefully that means the kitchen will stay clean too. J One of the things I find most annoying is dishes pilling up, it doesn’t take much time to do your dishes right after you eat.

Anyways, I thought about it overnight and decided that moving in would be a good decision to make. It will mean some changes, moving out of the Whyte Ave area which I really like because it’s so close by to lots of places I can walk to. It will also mean moving into a new ward. I have been in Millcreek ward ever since I moved here which was exactly 5 years ago and I have really come to love this ward. I am sure that Highlands will be a great ward too and I am looking forward to some new experiences and meeting new people. The benefits will be living in a beautiful home in a really nice area of the city and a shorter commute to work. In fact my commute time will be almost cut in half!

I am also grateful for my friend Kristine, who helped me to start packing today. We got quite a bit done in the couple of hours we spent packing which included an ice cream brake.

7. Today I am grateful for the Compassion House

This past summer I have been living at Sorrentino's Compassion House as a live-in volunteer (Night duty manager). This home serves as an out-patient residence for women undergoing breast cancer treatments and follow up care. It is a really beautiful home and I had many of the guest tell me that despite what they were going through they were grateful to have had the opportunity to stay at the Compassion House. The women I have met while living here have been a great inspiration to me as they have maintained a positive outlook on life and created a wonderful support network for each other. The staff has also been wonderful to work with and are really sincere in the work they do in operating the home and supporting the guests. My main responsibility is mainly in the security of the home overnight but taking the opportunity to talk with the guest and doing other activities like scrapbooking, cooking and baking have really enhanced my experience.

This weekend I will be packing up and getting ready to move. It will be sad to leave; however, I do plan to keep in touch with those at the Compassion house and being involved in other ways.

6. Today I am grateful for exercise

I came back from the retreat this evening feeling very full. I am pretty sure I ate as much in 2 days as I do in a typical week. The food was really good but sometimes being too full leaves you feeling kind of sluggish. Once I got home I felt like I needed some exercise to feel more energized. It worked! I really like the adrenaline rush that comes from cardio exercise. For me, exercise is about feeling good and staying healthy.