So grateful....

....for a big brother who is willing and excited to host our crew, and several of my siblings and their families for Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to a fun gathering. Uncle Jim said to wear orange because it's hunting season. Aunt Sherry is going to do a tutorial for making grandma's rolls. I'm excited to unload some fun gifts for my adorable pint-size nieces & nephews {my camera is MIA, so pictures will come later}.

I'm thankful to be a part of a large family; we are all quirky and LOVE each other deeply. I'm thankful for my mom and dad who were committed through thick and thin. I'm thankful that I got to see their love overcome and endure. I am thankful for a stepmom who has become a dear friend. When I came home from my mission and faced life at home without my mom, I found myself one Saturday morning holding back tears at the temple as I watched bride after bride with their mothers by their side. I asked my Heavenly Father right there in a temple hallway who would be there for me. Immediately my stepmom's name came to my mind. She was not dating my dad or in our family's life at all at that point and I really didn't want to think about that kind of change in my family, so I went on with my day and life. When my dad shared that he was falling in love with Ilene, I knew, and needed to know because it was so hard moving forward without my mom. That experience in the temple spared me from ill feelings; a truly tender mercy. After some bumps and challenges in the road, I am thankful for the friend I have in my stepmom. She has called me out of the blue at just the right moment. She has cheered me on. She has loved my dad and brought him happiness he didn't have after my mom's death. Ilene has given a lot of herself and I'm sure has sacrificed more for our family than I know. I'm thankful for her.

I'm thankful for Wayne and that we are no longer newlyweds! I love each passing year with Wayne. It just keeps getting better, and our marriage centered in our faith is everything to me. Each of our children are my crown jewels. When I reflect on my family I feel content and at peace, and excited for choices and experiences yet to come. I'm thankful for the family I inherited when I married Wayne. We have some wonderful memories together that I hold dear. Grace just brought home a paper about herself and she inserted her cousin, Mattie into her list of our immediate family....she "just felt like it."

This year has been rich in friendship for me. I am most thankful for friends who have helped me be a better person and supported me in my dreams and different roles I've chosen. I feel richly blessed with truly the best kind of friends, the edifying kind.

Reflecting on this year....I had friends pass over the fact that they couldn't see my dining room table because it was covered in mass projects, but rather commented on my "happy home", friends who dropped everything to help me in a bind, friends who were kind at a time when they didn't realize just how much I needed a simple act of kindness, friends who let me serve them & appreciated my humble offering, friends who love(d) my family & played vital roles in my children's lives, friends who have shared their talents and wisdom, friends who have been honestly encouraging as I try to progress in my own life, and the kind of friends who feel like family.

I have come to know this to be true...."Gratitude...turns what we have into enough and more." {-Melodie Beattie} I feel indebted to the Giver of all that is good in my life, my Savior. Thanksgiving really is a perfect preface to Christmas.

Best wishes for a wonderfully Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm off to wash more clothes, pack & clean....SO excited for the rest of the week.

With love,

Rebecca