I was tagged by my sister on this one. I know that it is lengthy. We have had some difficult trials in our lives lately and this is something that I reflect on regularly.
Note: These things are in no particular order
1.My Dear sweet Hubby. He is my best friend. I am dearly grateful for all he does for me and the girls. I am quite a high maintenance girl and he puts up with it every step of the way. Even though he can drive me crazy sometimes (lets face it who doesn't have moments like that from their husband) he is always there watching over me and taking care of me. I am so grateful and blessed that he is my eternal companion.
2. My Dear sweet Girls. Well sweet most of the time. I am so grateful that I'm a mom and have 4 wonderful and very beautiful girls. I have to list the qualities I am most grateful for them individually.
Katie- I am so grateful that she is my oldest and is so easy going and goes with the flow. It is so easy to mess things up and learn from my mistakes with her. She is so good to teach me and is always there lending a helping hand. I am excited to see her grow up though it is hard to see her growing into a young lady. I know that my time with her listening and looking up to me is growing short, but I am grateful for her understanding and patience, and of course her wonderful sense of humor. I am also extremely grateful that she was my first and was such an easy baby and little girl.
Lindy- If any of you know Lindy you would chuckle that she was given to me to teach me Patience, and lots of it. I am very grateful for her though. She is a very good helper and one that always makes it all better when things go wrong. She has a very sweet and determined spirit that I hope as her mother she uses for the better, because she is going to be a very strong leader one day. I am grateful that she teaches me patience and that all kids are different and have their own way of thinking. She really makes me try harder to me a better mother, friend and person and I am so very grateful to her for that. When she is in her "good" moments I love sitting and talking with her because she is so fun to just sit back and chat with.
Emily- I am so grateful for her wonderful testimony. She is so young and excited to be a teaching tool in the Lord's hands. I have been so grateful for her love and her constant reminders to keep us on the right course. Emily spends a lot of time at the MTC and shares with us daily her lessons. I am so grateful for her compassion toward others. I admire her through all of her speech struggles the determination she has had to learn how to speak (both English and Spanish) and her new ability to read. I am so pleased how excited she gets when she reads and the shear enjoyment she finds from it. I am also so proud of her for being SOO excited to get baptized this year. She is the most excited out of any of them and is really doing everything she can to be prepared for her baptism. I am so grateful for that. It makes me so proud.
Haley- Another one of my patience tools, but my little baby. I'm afraid I am solely responsible for her being a patience tool since I do treat her as my baby. I am so grateful for her and that we have her here. She had some scary things happen at her birth and we were sure we were not going to be able to keep her here with us on earth. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father gave us the chance to care for her here. She is a bundle of joy in our lives and has really assured her place as the baby. She will always be our little baby no matter how old she is.
3. The gospel- I have always told my husband that I am so grateful that I was born into the gospel to a very active and wonderful family. I am so grateful that I had the priesthood and the gospel in my home growing up. I do not know if I would be so bold as to listen to the missionaries if I didn't already know it. I'm sure that is why I was born in the church. I am grateful to the gifts that I have received from my heavenly father. The gift of testimony, the gift of faith and the gift of revelation. These have come in handy several times in my life and made me the person I am today.
4. The Priesthood- I have to mention several other things relating to the gospel that I am grateful for. They are just to precious to me to combine them into one thing. I am so grateful that I have had the priesthood in my life. I was very privileged to have a worthy father growing up and many priesthood blessings. I have a wonderful husband who is also a worthy priesthood holder and I have seen not only for myself, but for my children as well, the power the priesthood has. I am so grateful that my family and I can receive priesthood blessings. I truly believe that without the priesthood I wouldn't have my dear sweet Haley here with me now.
5. The Temple- I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am that we have temples on the earth today. I am so grateful that I have an eternal family. I had the privilege, as well as the other members of my family to my sisters temple work. She passed away almost 4 years ago and the peace that was brought to all of us KNOWING that we would see her again someday, perfect and whole has meant more to me than anything. I am also so grateful to have a temple so close to home. I am so glad that I can go there to feel the Spirit and help so many that need us.
6. My Family- I have already mentioned my husband and my girls but I am so grateful for my family that I was born and raised to. I have a very loving and caring mother and father who taught me that Heavenly Father loves me and is always there for me just like they are. I am very grateful to my brother, Tim, yes we are all in shock. I am grateful for the compassion he has for me, even if he hit over the head a few times as a kid, he has always been there for me. I am grateful for my sister, Becky. She was my inspiration to always do good. She was my example and I am so grateful for all the lessons she taught me in life. I love her dearly and miss her greatly, but I know that she is always there with me. I always feel her near me when I start to feel lonely. She is there guiding me and watching me every step of the way. And I am VERY grateful for my dear sweet sister, Robyn. (she sent me this tag). There is quite an age difference between us and I kind of became 2nd mom when she was little. I was so happy to have a little sister and she did very well to train me to be a good mom. Now that she is grown and married and a mom herself, I have watched her grow into a wonderful women. We have become great friends now and I'm grateful and excited that she will be moving closer to me very soon. Lets not forget my brother in law, Ben, who I am grateful that I can pick on. I'm also grateful that he takes good care of me too. And of course, Connor, who I'm grateful made me an aunt!!
7. My Extended Family- I couldn't go on without saying how grateful I am for my husband' s family. I am blessed to live less then a mile from them and work with them as well. I love my mother in law dearly. She is one of my best friends. Because my mother lives so far away, she has stepped in and given me support when I needed my mom. I have 2 very wonderful sister in laws that have always been 2nd moms to my girls. I am so grateful for them for giving me a "break" every now and then and loving my girls as their own. I also have been blessed with 2 brother in laws that I have watched grow up. They have been great uncles to my girls and I'm so grateful for them. I am excited to have a new sister in law that just joined the family and trilled to get to know her better.
8. My Home- I am grateful to have a warm place to live. Although we are having tough times with our house and financial situation. There has not a night gone by without thanking the Lord for my wonderful warm home.
9. My Calling- I am in primary and Learning to Love it. I have Haley in my class this year, so I am struggling a little. I do love the little kids though. I have spent most of my adult life in the primary so I am used to it by now. I love how eager and willing these little kids are to learn the gospel and come to church each Sunday.
10. My Testimony- I know that I mentioned this earlier in the gospel part, but I am grateful for my testimony. I am grateful that my testimony changes everyday and defines who I am. I am grateful to the Lord for giving me all these trials in my life so that my testimony will continue to grow. I am grateful that I can share my testimony with my children and help them to gain one for themselves. I am grateful that I am a daughter of god and that he loves me and is always there for me in good times and in bad.
