68. Today I am grateful for making it to November without any snow

One thing I have come to learn about Edmonton is that the winters are harsh. Part way through the winter I begin feeling as though I am living inside a snow globe. I usually like the snow for about 2 weeks and then I am ready for it to go away, not the 6 months it can last for. However, I do like the first snowfall.  I was born in Calgary and lived there for six years before moving to the Vancouver area and I remember going trick-or-treating in the snow. In fact, my first Halloween in Surrey I remember telling my dad that it can’t be Halloween because there was no snow. My dad, who grew up in Vancouver then explained “It doesn’t snow here on Halloween”. Well, this year Edmonton also enjoyed a snow-free Halloween. In fact we enjoyed a snow free October and beautiful weather. Listening to the radio this morning it was mentioned that the last time it did not snow in October was in 1963. I enjoy being part of the new statistic.

67.Today I am grateful for relatives in Edmonton

I moved out to Edmonton 5 years ago for school. While there were a few people I knew out here I didn’t have any family in Edmonton. My first year here I went home for the summer and during that summer I got an email from someone who had found some family history info I had posted on a website. He explained that he too was related to this family. He then mentioned that he had recently moved to Edmonton from England. I excitedly wrote back confirming that we were indeed 3^rd cousins once removed and mentioned that I too had recently moved to Edmonton. I met with him, his wife and daughter and instantly they welcomed me as a part of their family. He shared that he believes that no matter how distantly related, family is family. Although, when you have spent so much time researching your family history and corresponding with distant relatives, 3^rd cousins is actually pretty close.

In the past few years they have invited me over for dinner several times so I decide that it was about time that I made dinner for them. I am grateful for the opportunity that we had to enjoy dinner together today. For the times we have enjoyed in the past and the times we will continue to enjoy. It’s great to have wonderful friends in Edmonton but it is also nice to have relatives in the city as well.

66. Today I am grateful for my co-workers

On Friday at work we had an all day meeting for those who work in the family support division. I enjoy the team building part of these meetings which sometimes includes baking something. Friday’s meeting, our activity was writing what we appreciate about our co-workers and the reading out what others said about us. It was a nice warm-fuzzy experience. I am really grateful for my co-workers and supervisor who are all great examples of compassion, knowledge and experience. They have been a tremendous help to me and have helped me to feel accepted as part of their team.

65. Today I am grateful to be at church on time

Since moving into my new place I came to the realization that we hadn’t gotten to church before the opening hymn began. I always like to get to places early or at least on time, particularly church on Sunday. One of my roommates and I take turns driving to church and today was my turn so I decided that I needed to let my roommates know that it is important for me to be at church early and gave them a time that we were leaving. It just meant a little more effort in getting ready on time with 3 girls and one shower. We ended up leaving one minute past that time and getting to church before the meeting began. I enjoyed listening to the prelude music before and not being stressed about being late for church. Hopefully this will be a continuing trend. J

64. Today I am grateful for inspiring sports stories

I really do enjoy playing sports, but I am not very athletic when it comes to playing team sports. When I am playing a sport with a group of people I often wish we can break off into two teams: One for the good people and one for the not-so-good people. Then I wouldn’t have to feel bad for helping my team loose. However, I do really enjoy inspiring movies about sports teams or athletes. Maybe I can work towards becoming one of those people. Hahaha.

Here is a real-life example of an inspiring athlete that I found circulating facebook today.

63. Today I am grateful to be a princess

On Monday, I wrote about my sister and how she lives up to her name. Well my name means (Sara) Princess- (Jayne) God is Gracious. I have always loved princesses, fairy tales and “happily ever after” movies. I am sure that I have spent most of my Halloweens dressed up as a princess, which includes tonight at the YSA Halloween dance. I don’t consider myself a “princess” in the way it is referred to describe someone’s personality. However, I do see myself as a princess of God who expects me to do great things. I believe that we can expect to at the end of lives say “... and I lived happily ever after”. I also touched on this idea in this post. I would encourage you to watch the “Happily Ever After” music video. It is so cute and if you didn’t see yourself as a princess before watching this video, I hope you will after.

Because God is gracious, I am his princess.   

62. Today I am grateful for a hug from a child

Today at work the children had their dress up day to celebrate Halloween. Part of the celebration included trick-or-treating around the building. I came out of my office to see the children in their costumes. One of the little girls broke away from the rest of the group and ran up to me to give me a hug. It was so sweet! It is nice to feel loved and hugs are good for helping someone feel loved.