I thought about this a lot that night. It reminded me to always give thanks to the Lord for His blessings; and our family has been exceedingly blessed this year. So, in celebration of Thanksgiving this year, and this being my 100th blog post, I'm making a list of 100 things I am thankful for this year. (Plus it's good for my health! Check out this article about how gratitude is good for the body and soul.)
1.My knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It brings me so much joy!
2. The Atonement of Jesus Christ. His life, His sacrifice and death, and His resurrection gives my life meaning and purpose. I am forgiven of my sins, strengthened in my weaknesses, and given strength for all my trials because of the Atonement. I cannot express my gratitude for this blessing enough.
3. My family has been sealed in the temple of God for eternity. My marriage will not end with "til death do you part" and our children will always be sealed to us despite any possible tragedy.
4. My husband is a worthy Priesthood holder who has authority and power to bless our family in the name of Christ when it is needed. We are very blessed!
5. Naomi. She is just the most wonderful child I have ever had the privilege of meeting and she is my daughter! She is always happy, forgiving, and loving. I can't imagine life without her in our family!
6. Baby Neeley #2-- we don't know who this amazing spirit is yet, but we are so excited to meet him/her. We feel so grateful to have children in our family!
7-10. The Scriptures-- including the Bible, The Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. I'm so grateful for the truths in these books and the joy it brings to our family when we read them.
11. My parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They all raised me in our "family village," many of them teaching me invaluable life lessons. I"m so thankful to have the family I did growing up.
12. My in-laws, all of them! They are incredible people who have made me part of their family since the moment Brad told them about me. I'm grateful to share the Neeley name.
13. Brad's job. This has been a blessing we have desired since... ever, really. It's wonderful to be putting Brad's education to work and having him support our family.
14. My education and degree from Brigham Young University. This was a major life goal of mine, and I'm so grateful Heavenly Father helped me achieve it!
15. Pell Grants. Those babies paid for my education; I could not have gone to college without these.
16. Tithe paying members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. These wonderful and faithful people subsidized my tuition at BYU (and that of all other BYU students) by up to 70%.
17. People that donate to scholarship funds. I received at least a half tuition scholarship to all but 1 semester at BYU-- those funds helped me to buy my books every semester.
18. Our time spent living in Utah. I give Utah a hard time, and living there was a truggle for our family for many reasons. But we became stronger while living there, made great friends, and learned valuable lessons. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
19. Personal revelation. We felt strongly guided by the Lord in our decision to leave Utah and move in with Brad's parents, even without any job offers. We felt really crazy trying to explain it out loud (and still do), but everything has worked together for our good.
20. Our apartment in Alliance, Ohio. It's wonderful, warm, spacious and cozy, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms! We love it.
21. Living closer to family-- Brad's family is only 1 hour away, and mine is 9 hours away instead of the 25 it was while we were in Utah.
22. Brad's supervisor. There was a day a couple weeks back when he stayed late to work on some projects, but insisted that Brad come home and spend time with his family because he knew how important family is. I'm so glad that Brad's boss, and the company, support families!
23. Food stamps. This made a huge difference for our family on many occasions that last year. We are thankfully making enough money now to not need them, but when we were not, I was very grateful our country had this program available.
24. Medicaid. This program paid for my pregnancy and birth of Naomi, and he health care for the first year of her life. It was a great blessing to us. We are grateful to be able to afford our own insurance now through Brad's work, but are grateful that Medicaid was available when we needed it.
25. My membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It has blessed my life in more ways than I can count. A few of the ways include-- teaching me the gospel of Jesus Christ, meeting wonderful people and friends, providing opportunities to serve others, teaching good values and preparing me to be a good wife/mother. The list could go on...
26. Being able to pay tithing-- or 10% of our income we give to the Lord, through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. this commandment is connected to a promise-- "that the windows of heaven shall pour out its blessings that we shall not have room to receive it." This has been more true this year that I have recognized than ever before!
27. Webcams-- it's wonderful to see and communicate with family that is far away!
28. Facebook-- such an easy and convenient way to keep in touch with friends and family!
29. Nap time-- for Naomi and for me. :-)
30. Crock pots-- the easiest dinners in the world!
31. Zumba-- it's a fun exercise that helped me learn that i really do love to move and workout. I lost 45 lbs before getting pregnant, and that means this little bun gets a happier and healthy home to grow in for his/her first 9 months of life!
32. That our car works! It's had it's more than fair share of troubles this year, but we have always been able to depend on it when we needed it.
33. Blogger-- so i can make and share this list with all of you! Though I commend you if you're still reading this!
34. Indoor plumbing-- a modern convenience that i really could NOT live without!
35. clean drinking water
36. warm socks! :-) especially the fuzzy ones, but all socks are great. except maybe wool socks since I'm allergic to wool...
37. asthma inhalers-- they have helped me breath and saved my life on more than a few occasions.
38. nail clippers-- it's the simple things, really.
39. prayer-- i can speak with my Heavenly Father and He can communicate with me.
40. my calling to be a primary teacher-- i'm so excited to be able to teach!!!
41. brad's calling in the Young Men's organization-- he's going to be such an incredible example to those young men! and with our callings together, we get to serve all the children and youth of our ward.
42. my family's health-- we're all healthy and happy. what more could we ask for?
43. The Snell family-- they befriended us the first week we were new in our ward and have become great friends!
44. the Wright family-- Tim helped us move in, they gave us a love seat, recliner, and bed frame when we moved in and had no furniture, and they are just awesome friends!
45. the Chicago Bears-- they are having a great season!
46. the Steelers-- are also having a great season.
47. our piano-- i'm learning to play and I'm so glad we have this instrument in our home to give me the opportunity to develop new talents.
48. rubber bands-- so i don't have to wear maternity pants yet! (any women who has been pregnant will understand this)
49. hulu.com-- so when we miss watching house or biggest loser, we can catch up. :-)
50. myfitnesspal.com-- it helped me track my food intake and guide me to healthier choices to help me in my journey to being healthier!
51. books-- i love reading!
52. blenders-- i love to make smoothies!
53. toilet brush-- so i don't actually have to touch the inside of a toilet with my own hands to clean it.
54. e-mail-- so much faster than snail mail, and cheaper!
55. snail mail-- nothing can compare to the joy getting a snail mail letter can, except a snail mail package...
56. online shopping-- i hate shopping in stores, so being able to shop online, and get good deals- is awesome!
57. the internet-- it makes quite a few of the above possible, and my husband does web programming, so the existence of the internet and my husband's programming of it helps put food on our table.
58. pierogies-- with alfredo sauce, quite possibly to most delicious comfort food ever created. Mmmm!
59. central heating in the winter-- i love staying warm!
60. air conditioning in the summer-- i love to not be melting!
61. ice cream, and sherbet, and other frozen desserts-- yum yum yum-ness.
62. Thanksgiving (the holiday)-- family, food, a reminder to be thankful.
63. Christmas-- a time to remember the birth of our Savior and His love for us.
64. carpet-- it makes the floor soft and warmer to walk on! my favorite flooring type.
65. that Brad is willing to go out on Black Friday-- because I don't care how good the deals are, I will NEVER go out shopping in that kind of madness!
66. that we have a master bathroom-- it's so nice to have a bathroom that's ours and no one else uses it!
67. my sewing machine, and Natalie Gentry for giving it to me-- sewing is a new talent i learned after graduation and i love it!
69. warm scarves-- a winter essential!
70. that we live close to our ward-- some members of our ward have to drive almost an hour just to come to church. we're only 10 minutes away!
71. our freezer and refrigerator-- it keeps our food fresh longer!
72. that Brad is teaching me how to play the piano-- he's sharing one of his talents with me, what a sweetie!
73. Repentance-- that I can learn from my mistakes, correct them, and through the Atonement of Christ, be made perfect someday.
74. dishwasher-- i don't have to wash all our dishes by hand!!! and it saves so much time!
75. exhaust vent and light above our stove-- i didn't realize how much this meant to me until our last apartment didn't have it.
76. our washer and dryer!!!
77. i get to be a stay-at-home mom! i get to spend my days with naomi, teaching her, and watching her grow and learn. I'm very blessed to get this opportunity!
78. we're not responsible for lawn care... seriously, brad and i have no idea what to do beyond raking leaves and shoveling snow, so i'm glad our apartment complex takes care of that!
79. for movements like Beauty Redefined. they have a powerful and important message and are getting it out there. go check it out!
80. our new insurance company WILL cover my pregnancy! we are so relieved, and thank you for your prayers and concern!
81. smoothies-- yum!
82. oxi-clean-- to save the new carpet from above mentioned smoothies. :-)
83. diaper rash cream-- helps munchkin feel better!
84. hot showers-- so relaxing and refreshing!
85. spell check.
86. book shelves-- they help me and my house stay organized
87. potatoes-- the most delicious and versitle food on the planet. i haven't found a potato that i don't like.
88. that my daughter loves books-- they are her favorite toys, right before balls, cars, a nerf gun, and coloring
89. razors-- clean shaven armpits, legs, and husband!
90. deodorant-- so we all smell good!
91. disposable diapers-- while expensive, i don't have the stomach to clean cloth diapers
92. pants with stretching waistbands to wear while pregnant
93. exfoliating facewash-- makes my face feel fresh and clean!
94. brad's smartphone-- his work pays for it, and it helps us find stuff while we're out of the house away from the computer.
95. pinterest-- so many recipe ideas that i can easily find!
96. see's candy! specifically the dark chocolate butters and chocolate caramel patties
97. contacts-- so brad can see clearly
98. toothbrush and toothpaste-- for fresh breath!
99. microwave-- for quick easy heating of food. life is so convenient!
100. life! i am so blessed to be here on this earth, alive, and to enjoy all the blessings associated with it.
1 comment:
I feel honored to have made the list! Thank you for sharing with us- it really got me thinking of all that I am grateful for as well!
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