Happy Thanksgiving

Things for which I am thankful:

*My family. My Mom and Dad are the best. They are never-ending sources of love and support for me, and I appreciate so much being able to see them more often now that I'm back home. I have the best big brother a girl could ask for, who has always been there for me--and now I have a beautiful sister-in-law, too. Add to that my grandparents, aunts & uncles, and a handful of cousins (and, of course, my cute doggie), and I have a lot to be grateful for.

*My friends. I have so many wonderful friends, both near and far. I think that is perhaps the greatest blessing of my having been at BYU for four years: being able to make so many great and lifelong friends. It's been harder than I thought to build up a social circle again here at home, so I'm even more grateful for the friendships I've been able to build and rebuild while here. I am so fortunate to have all these people that I know will be there for me through joys and sorrows, even when time and distance make it difficult to do so.

*The fact that my basic needs are met (something we all take for granted at times). I have a roof over my head and a bed beneath the rest of me. I have food to eat every day of my life. I have clean water to drink. I can take a shower as often as I like. I wear clean clothes every day. I don't live in fear that someone will hurt me or kill me. Basically, I live a carefree life. I never have to think about what I need to do to survive today.

*My faith. This (like all of the above) is a big topic, spanning a lot of others. So much of my existence, and how I hope to be when I "grow up" is based upon things that I have learned and that have been confirmed to me through spiritual experiences. Without these experiences, I would be without direction or hope. I'm grateful that my Creator has enough interest in me to see to it that I learn and grow as I should.

*The luxury of music. If I were spending all my energy on survival, I would have none left for music. I don't know how music can be all that it is, but I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it. It is life, love, happiness, anguish, heartbreak, humanity . . . it always gives me a lot to think about, and I'm glad that I get to experience it so regularly.

*The opportunity to get an education. There are so many people in the world who don't get this chance, and for some reason I'm one of the few who has been so blessed. This is very easy to forget, especially this close to the end of the term and all the stress that comes therewith, but I'm glad to get to go to school.

Those are the big things. However, there are all kinds of little things I'm very grateful for:

*hugs
*toilet paper
*deodorant
*ice cream
*toothpaste
*the internet
*the U.S. Postal system
*cellular telephones
*my car
*umbrellas
*sweaters
*cotton/spandex blends
*metronome
*mechanical pencils
*pens that write well
*lip balm
*spellcheck
*chocolate milk
*protein bars
*hand lotion
*socks
*Thai food
*cuddling
*open-mindedness
*unspoken agreements
*TV on DVD
*the sense of smell
*(okay, ALL the senses)
*hot cocoa on a cold day
*roommates, even though I don't really have any right now
*Morningstar Farms
*facebook birthday notifications
*beautiful sunsets
*good books
*Disney-Pixar films
*dictionaries
*Wikipedia / imDb / urbandictionary
*shampoo AND conditioner
*memories

I could go on for a while. I've got a lot to be thankful for . . . and thank YOU for being a part of it. I love you. :-)