Resurrection Morning

“No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary when, on the first day of the week, they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord. Spoke the angel: ‘Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.’ ”

—Thomas S. Monson

“ He Is Risen!” Apr. 2010 General Conference

And, I am thankful this Easter morning for that glorious promise!

Being Able to Share

We have a lovely home, a little bit of discretionary income.

We live in a place that people love to visit.

So, I'm thankful people feel welcome and will come visit for a short while.

It's a blessing.

I'm grateful.

Phones

Many years ago,when car phones were shown in movies and television, I thought that was just being a little ridiculous.  I remember thinking, "Come on, can't you at least wait until you get to a building to call?"

I even remember getting our first cell phone through Ricks College; it seemed a little ridiculous then, too.

But, now, I cannot imagine life without it.

Case in point:

I was invited to someone's home recently.  Man, it was a long way from where I live in an area of town that I am totally unfamiliar with.  She gave me very good directions, BUT, I missed a turn somewhere/somehow.

SO, I called and said, "What did I miss?"

With our cell phones attached to our ears, she guided me right to her front door; it was awesome.

I have to say, I have repented and now I am VERY grateful for cell phones.

And, I might add, I love my new IPhone 5...it's a keeper.

RAH

I'm so thankful for RAH.

He's good at:

gardening
home repairs
fix-it projects
jewelry making
piano playing
guitar playing
helping around the home

I'm just so grateful for him...

Thank you, RAH, for being such a good guy!

A Car

Gotta run some errands.

Off to exercise...(sort of ironic to drive a car to exercise)

Headed off to church.

Out the door in a hurry to get to the mission.

Meeting friends for lunch.

Oh, yes, it's all done by automobile.

I'm grateful.

Phones

Okay, so I'm all about convenience.

And, that would describe a phone.

Does this store sell what I'm looking for, can I come in for an appointment with the dentist, just wanted to call to say HI.  Oh, yes, it's mighty convenient.

Thanks, AGB, for the invention of the phone.

Sunlight

I love the light....

I love daylight.

I do not like darkness.

I'm thankful for the literal light and the light of the Gospel.

Income

Another recurring theme:

I am eternally grateful for a steady income....

I cannot imagine not having money coming in on a regular basis.

A great blessing of having income is that we have been able to help others...that is really a marvelous blessing also.

Oh, yes, I'm so grateful for Allen's job over many years and that it produces regular money each month.

Thank you, Heavenly Father!

The Fishers Living Close...

Having the Fishers nearby has been the greatest blessing over the past seven years.

And, it's all about to end.

So, I'm thankful that we've been able to share in some treasured moments with the children as they've grown up.

It is been a remarkable blessing.

Thank you, Heavenly Father.

Health

This will always be a recurring theme for me.

Today, I exercised; I can do the exercises I want freely.

Allen asked me yesterday if I have pains in my back; I do not.  Actually, I have very few pains, and for that, I am exceedingly grateful.

I feel so overwhelmingly thankful for good health at this point in my life.

Thank you, Heavenly Father.

Learning

I'm so grateful to learn new things; it's very empowering.

I really enjoy learning.

Whether it's about the church, my computer, or life;

Learning is something I'm grateful to have done all my life, and hopefully will continue for a very long time.

A Good Night's Rest

Sometimes I'm not able to sleep all night.

So, I love it when I sleep until a normal time...that is good.

I like sleeping.

I'm thankful for having a cozy bed, an awesome pillow, Allen beside me, and a full night's rest.

People

I'm always being exposed to wonderful, interesting, unique people.

I'm thankful for the diversity of people.

Food

Boy, I have a hard time losing weight.

I like chips, chocolate, cookies, candy, and anything not healthy.  My stomach just keeps getting bigger and bigger, my legs and hips are ever expanding.  It's really sad for me, but I can't seem to lose any weight in spite of my meager efforts.  We have a genetic tendency towards being BIG.  So, that's definitely NOT in my favor.

But, I am so grateful for FOOD.

Printers

It's so handy when I teach a lesson....

to just print off a picture, or a handout.

It's so handy when I need to make a card for any occasion.

It's so handy when I need some notes.

Oh, yes,

I am thankful for copiers and printers.

Spring

I love spring; I love everything about it...

I'm so grateful for the blossoming of buds, the greening up of lawns, the bursting out of flowers, the warming weather.

It's all such an incredible reminder of the most important event to ever occur...and it occurred in the spring.

I know that we will live again, just as the trees and flowers and lawns burst forth in spring.

So, really, even though I'm very grateful for spring, I realize that it really is telling me that I am grateful for the resurrection...

And, of that, I am overwhelmingly grateful!

Bill and Donna

What they are doing is so incredible.

It's so unselfish...

So very generous....

So very thoughtful...

And, it is so like both of them.

I'm very very grateful for the goodness of people...especially Bill and Donna.

Thank you B & D for your amazing gift; I know you will be blessed.  I know the F family will be eternally grateful.

And, I am thankful.

The Town Where We Live

I really love living in St George.

It's not too small...

It's not too big.

I love the weather and the people and the events and the atmosphere.

Okay, I'm very thankful for SG.

Good Books

I enjoy reading.

I've read some great books in my life.

I love a good book.

I'm thankful for:
my kindle,
a library,
hard backs,
paper backs,
no backs.

BOOKS.

Oh, yes, I'm thankful I know how to read and enjoy it.

And, good books definitely means the scriptures.

I am thankful.

Photographs

I can't remember things real well,

BUT, with a photo, my memory is jogged.

So, I'm always grateful to be reminded of the happy, joyous, poignant, tender, incredible

moments

with a photograph.

I'm very thankful for photographs.

Jenni and Family Living Close for Seven Years

About a week ago, I began feeling this unsettling feeling in my stomach; I couldn't really explain it, but I mentioned it to Allen....

But, now I understand.

Jenni and Brent are moving.

It's an opportunity for her to get her school loans paid off.  So, financially, it is a very good deal.

Which means she will be moving - somewhere.

Which means she will not be here any more.

In so many of my prayers over the past seven years, I have given thanks for having her close.

It has been one of the greatest blessings of my life to see her children and their activities.

I am grateful for that great blessing.

Oh, how I will miss her.  I'm already lonely.

But, I will always be grateful for the years we had.

Sweets!

I love candy, cookies, etc.

I'm watching a series on Netflix about WWII when everything in Great Britain was rationed, including sugar.  Some of the characters mention how much they miss having sugar in their tea or sweet treats.

It makes me grateful for sugar, candy, sweet treats, etc.

I wish I weren't so addicted, but I do like my goodies.

I'm grateful

LIGHT

I love light; like sunlight.

I love the long days of summer.

I love a bright, cheery room with lots of light.

And, of course, I love the Light of Christ.

I'm thankful for light; both natural and spiritual.

Allen, the Fix-it Man

Cold winter.

Frozen Pipes.

Call the plumber...oh wait, just

CALL ALLEN...

Yep, he's handy alright in so many ways.

And, I'm grateful.

The Women in Our Ward

Oh, my goodness; it was a fun party; a dream party for me who likes to ask people questions.

And, as I looked around, I was grateful for the women in that room; they are all young.  I was, by far, the oldest lady there.

AWKWARD.

But, they are wonderful, good, fun ladies.

And, I am thankful.

Mobility

Yesterday was one of the few times that Sylvia has expressed negativity and, well, yes

BITTERNESS

at her situation.

She doesn't like being trapped at the nursing home.  And, who can blame her?  Certainly not I.

But, each week after our short visits, Allen and I can walk out.

We come home, move about freely, get in and out of bed when we want.

It's such a blessing that we don't really even think about it much.

Yesterday a 25 year old was in an automobile accident; she didn't do up her seat belt.  She is paralyzed.

Tragic beyond belief.

I'm so thankful for being able to MOVE!

Thank you, Heavenly Father!

Photographs and Camera

I'm very bad at remembering things...

Really, I remember so little about

L.I.F.E.

So, I find great joy in going back and looking at pictures.

Ah, yes, a camera and a photo book....

now, that is something I'm very grateful for!

A Beautiful Home

It brings me happiness every time I am away and walk in the back door....I really love our home.

And, I'm grateful to Allen for keeping it up.  And, for working so hard in our yard.

What a great blessing!

Techno Gadgets

So, here's the deal:

the church just announced an update to its scriptures; nothing major, but lots of little minor changes.  The new hard copies will be available in August.

But, I just downloaded them to my ITouch - VOILA!  I have the new scriptures....not that there will be much change, but it was quick and easy.

But, aside from that, I just love my Itouch, my IPad, and very very soon - my IPhone.

Oy, yes, I love gadgets and gizmos.

I'm thankful.

water

Allen had to turn the water off...something was broken or leaked or needed to be fixed.

So, we were without water for just a few hours.

But, it reminded me how much I rely on water for so many things:

washing hands,
flushing toilets,
'cleaning vegetables,
doing dishes,
mopping floors,
cleaning windows,
wiping counters,
drinking,
drinking again.

I an thankful for easy water.

A Really Good Blender

so that we can make smoothies on lots of mornings.

It's been a great way to get nutrients that I otherwise might not get; spinach, kale, etc.

Yes, having the right tool can make a BIG difference.

So, I'm grateful for the blender!