Grateful for

This morning I was riding the metro with a blind man. I started thinking about life and how crazy it can be. How amazing is this blind man who takes the metro all by himself. He has been through so much and is still pressing forward. Sometimes we get lost in the problems we have, and fail to look at the bigger picture of it all. We are so blessed. I am truly grateful for my life, no matter how hard it might be sometimes... but there is always someone who has it worse, like this man. Even the simplest things are a struggle for him. I just appreciate and applaud people like this and wish that we could all be humbled to think of the amazing lives that we have. How lucky are we to just be alive, or living in America? I read this article this morning about a girl in China who had tweeted a dissenting comment about China and got put into a year long service at a labor camp. Honestly, we are lucky that we have freedom of speech. We are not forced into situations like the one this girl was subjected to. We are so lucky.. for everything we have. There are times when I think that I am less fortunate than others in my situation, but then I think about people like this... or women that are confined to their houses day in and day out and can't leave without a male accompanying them... or people in Africa who do not own a car and rely on public transportation to get them around. We are lucky for the smallest things that we don't even think about because it has become the norm for us.

I challenge you this Thanksgiving to thank those around you... and to think about all that you are grateful for. Here is what I am grateful for:

1. Reliable friends
2. A lawnmower
3. A hot shower
4. Grocery stores/convenience stores
5. Freedoms (freedom of religion, speech, press, etc)
6. The opportunity to attend the educational institution/program of my choice
7. A car
8. A paying job
9. Parks and nature
10. Historical sites
11. Loving in-laws and extended family
12. My trials
13. The friendship that me and Andrew have developed
14. A chapel and temples readily available to me


These are just a few of the things that I am grateful for, and off the top of my head. I'm sure if I took the time to think of more, I could. Living in Africa really changed my perspective on the simple things in life. Let's try not to be so consumed in out meetings and try to do more for people. Our lives should focus on service. When we serve our fellow beings, it is pleasing to us and to them. You can never go wrong with doing something for someone else. I have learned to live my life devoted to this philosophy. You should too.