Feeling Grateful

Dear Neglected Blog,

I have thought about you many times over the past 6 months and composed many posts in my head, but I haven't managed to sit down and actually write these posts.  I began this blog as a way to record the life of my family, print it out, and have it for all time, so I definitely need to do better!  I hope this is the first step to doing better.

My kids had less school assignments this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, so I asked them to write a paper on what they are grateful for and why.  I told them I would write a paper too.  I will post their papers later when/if they actually write them. :)  For now, this is what I'm feeling thankful for:

Being a Mom
I've been thinking about this a lot lately, mostly because it has felt really hard lately and I've been trying to remind myself how wonderful it is and that it is my life-long dream come true! :)  I never knew how much I loved peace, quietness, solitude, and order until I had four children and found myself surrounded by chaos, loud noises, wrestling, fighting, poking, teasing, prodding, and messes almost all of the time.  It seems I can't even go to the bathroom without someone calling for me and needing me.  I often long to be able to work on projects uninterrupted, in a quiet house that shines from being so clean.  I long to be able to clean a room and actually have it look clean an hour later.  I long to be able to write on my blog, pay bills, cook, practice piano, plan lessons, read a book, and maybe even do some crafting (crafting days are completely out the window) without being needed every five minutes.  I'm sure every mom can relate.  But the reality is, I wouldn't want peace, quietness, and solitude all the time.  That would be so boring and empty!  As I've thought about what life would be like if I wasn't a mom, I have felt so grateful for the richness and fulfillment that comes in my life because I'm a mom.  My children are so precious and I love each of them so much!  It is nice to be needed by them and I need them too.  I always have someone to talk to and hang out with; I can get a hug anytime I need one (and I love hugs!); I have a reason to go see Santa, visit Disneyword, play at a water park, make cookies, play games, and do all the fun things I probably wouldn't do if I didn't have children.  I can't imagine the holidays without children.  I can't imagine my life without children and I wouldn't want to.  Watching them learn, grow, and make good decisions is so joyful.  Talking with the teenagers and sharing our ups and downs together and learning from our experiences is so meaningful.  Watching the excitement of the little ones as they discover and learn new things is so delightful.  Yes, there is chaos, but it is temporary.  The relationships are eternal and I am so grateful for them.

Ha, I'll never get this done if I write that long about each thing, I'll try to make my thoughts more succinct! :)

Being Married
That kind of feels like an odd thing to say, but I'm thankful every day to be married to my wonderful husband.  I'm thankful for the kind of person he is and the kind of relationship we have.  Marrying Jason was truly the best thing I've ever done and I don't think I'll ever stop feeling grateful for what we have together.

Extended Family
Most of my life revolves around my husband and four children, but we have a much bigger family beyond our little unit and I love to spend time with them and appreciate their love and support so much.  My parents and siblings mostly live in Utah, so I don't see them much, but it is always fun when I do.  And of course, I talk to my mom and sisters by phone on a regular basis!  Jason's family lives nearby, so we get to see them often and we always look forward to it.  We appreciate all they do for us and love to spend time with them.

Piano Teaching
This is something I never imagined myself doing and yet, it is my absolute passion now and I continually feel grateful for the opportunity.  I started doing it because we needed the income, but it has become so much more than that.  I'm not exaggerating when I say it has taken over my life to some extent, but I love it!  It gives me a chance to develop my talents, to be creative, to work with children one on one, to see them make progress, to see them get excited, to meet their families and create friendships, to play awesome music all of the time, I just love it!  I love my students, I love their families, and I am thankful every day to be a piano teacher. :)

Basics of Life
This is one of those things I take for granted most of the time, but my kids and I read a lot of historical fiction and non-fiction books where people are suffering from a lack of basics--food, clothing, warm shelter--due to war, disease, immigration, famine, bad government, poor economy, etc. and it just makes me feel so thankful for the abundance we enjoy.  It puts into proper perspective the insignificant things we may want but not be able to afford.  We are still richly blessed.

United States of America
I am grateful to live in this great country.  It is another thing I take for granted, but all of our reading also keeps the blessing of America prominent in my mind.  We were reading Red Scarf Girl, the true story of a girl growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution and we were completely appalled.  I happened to read it during one of my most stressful weeks when everything seemed hard and overwhelming, but reading this book put my little cares and worries in their proper place.  I don't have to worry about people raiding my house, being falsely accused, tortured, or having family taken away.  As I was talking to a friend about this, she said something profound that I think about often, "Our worst days are better than most of humanity's best days."  Very true.  When life feels hard, it helps to remember how blessed I really am.

Good Friends
Because Jason is my best friend, and my kids are close friends too, I often think I don't need other friends, but I do!  I need other women to talk to, to share my little troubles with, to have fun with.  Because my life is really busy with being a mom, teaching piano, church service, etc., I don't hang out with friends much, but I always love it when I do.  My friends strengthen me and add another element of richness to my life.

Being a Mormon
Last, but not least, I am thankful to be a Mormon.  I love being part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I often wonder what my life would be like without it.  I can't imagine it really. It truly is my greatest source of joy and happiness and I feel grateful for it every day.   There are so many things I appreciate about my membership in the church.  First, I love the doctrine.  I love the teachings, the understanding it gives me about Jesus Christ, the purpose of life, our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness and so much more.  Second, I love the relationships and friendships I've made with other members of the church.  They are all my extended family and a constant support group no matter where I go.  Third, I love the opportunity for growth and personal development.  We don't have a paid ministry and everyone is "called" to serve in some way or another.  These callings are temporary and our callings change regularly.  One year I might be teaching a Sunday school class to little kids, another year to adults, another year I might be planning fun activities, another year I might be the librarian, etc.  Often, I am asked to do things I don't feel qualified to do, or maybe I don't want to do.  I could say no, of course, some people do, but I've found when I say yes, I grow.  I learn how to do new things I didn't know I could do;  I learn to love things I never thought I would love (like teaching a rowdy class of 6-year-old boys or learning the cub scout program); I get to work with new people and build new friendships and it all enriches my life.  It is time-consuming and demanding at times, but it's a great work to be involved in and I'm thankful for the blessings that come from serving.  Mormons are known for proselytizing, and sometimes I hesitate to share my love of my religion because of that label, but I really just want to share it because I believe with all of my heart that it will enrich and bless the life of anyone who embraces it.

Well, there it is.  I'm sure there are many other things I could write about, but this is plenty long and I've already been interrupted many times, so I better go attend to those precious people who need me and who I am so grateful for! :)