When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done."
My Blessings (in no particular order):
1. My mom
2. My dad
3. My brother
4. My sisters
5. My dog
6. My cat
7. Books. All of them.
8. My primary class
9. My aunt Jodi
10. My grandparents
11. My aunts and uncles Karen and Richard, and Lori and Nate
12. Karen and Richard's, and Lori and Nate's beautiful children
13. The existence of a little series called The Lord of the Rings
14. Black-and-white movies playing all day on TCM
15. My relatively good health
16. Two working legs
17. Two working arms
18. Two working eyes
19. Glasses for my two working eyes
20. Shoes
21. Enough food
22. Enough clothes
23. Warm showers early in the morning
24. Warm rain late in the day
25. Hot pink nail polish
26. Snickers candy bars
27. Did I mention books?
28. Being literate
29. The opportunity to receive an education
30. Music-- all music.
31. Specifically, hymns.
32. Also, country music.
33. Football
34. Basketball
35. A sunny day followed by a rainy day followed by a sunny day...
36. My ward's bishopric
37. The fact that my bishop's sweet family lives across the street
38. The two princesses in my primary class who always ask so sweetly if they can sit by me
39. Those same two princesses who always raise their hands before talking
40. The funny little boy in my primary class who, for some reason, has to strip down to this trousers every class, and then redress himself. He always gets his shirt caught in his zipper and I'm not quite sure what to say to him when he unbuttons his shirt halfway in singing time... I laugh, but I'm not sure if this is the appropriate response...
41. Bonanza on TV every afternoon.
42. Little Joe. ;)
43. The fact that I was born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and that I have been blessed enough to know it is true my entire life.
44. New dresses that take off 10 pounds.
45. Dancing.
46. The beautiful little corner of the world that is Idaho.
47. Idaho is my home.
48. Because Idaho is my home, I get to witness every day how much our Heavenly Father loves us. The forests, the wildlife, the mountains, the serenity found within those undisturbed recesses of nature-- all give testament to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's love for us.
49. Joseph Smith
50. Thomas S. Monson
51. The warm, soft blanket on my bed
52. The warm, soft socks on my feet.
53. My car
54. My camera
55. This: http://youtu.be/Hv3aOjliuh8
56. People that make me laugh (see no. 55)
57. Pictures of horses (I'm allergic to horses, but not pictures of them)
58. Those moments when I feel so lonely and unwanted, but then I receive a text from an old friend or my brother asks me to play Rock Band or my parents thank me for my help.
59. My dog-- I said this before, but I love that she comes into my room when I'm getting dressed in the morning and she listens to me talk or sing or grumble when I stumble over my pant leg. She even helps me pick out my outfit for the day.
60. New, oversized, cozy sweaters.
61. Old, oversized cozy sweaters... those that are so worn that the fleece isn't soft anymore, but it's still comforting to wear.
62. Potatoes... mmmmm :)
63. Warm days, when the children in my cul-de-sac go outside to play, and we open our windows. I can hear children laughing-- laughs that start deep down in their toes-- and basketballs bouncing and mothers talking and lawnmowers roaring. Summer.
64. Flowers.
65. My mother's flower garden.
66. Whenever my grandparents on either side come to visit, they bring mass amounts of food-- oranges, peaches, jam, cheese curds, apples, peppers, potatoes, cherry cordials, Violet Crumble candy bars.
67. My grandma Trauntvein came over here from Australia. I'm glad she did.
68. I love my grandma Trauntvein.
69. I love hearing her stories about Australia.
70. Amazon.com
71. Book City Used Books
72. Barnes and Noble-- it's very expensive, but I have made friends with many of the employees there and they all know what I like. And they don't mind that I never buy anything. I just sit down with a pile of books and read until my eyes hurt.
73. The smell of Barnes and Noble.
74. The smell of the coffee aisle at the grocery store.
75. The smell of old books.
76. Former best friends-- even if we aren't friends now, I have 20 years of memories that I wouldn't have if I it weren't for her. It pains me that we won't make any new memories, but I'm thankful for those that I do have.
77. Jane Eyre, the book and the 2011 movie. They both changed my way of thinking.
78. To Kill a Mockingbird. The first book I ever read that actually changed my life. Up to that point, books were just entertainment. After that, books meant new ideas, new thoughts, new ways to live and think and act.
79. Tom Hanks. I just love Forrest Gump, and Tom Hanks seems like a really nice guy.
80. Comic books and movies based off of them.
81. "How It Should Have Ended" videos on YouTube.
82. YouTube, for the most part...
83. Missionaries.
84. Soldiers.
85. Families of missionaries and soldiers.
86. When I'm crying alone in my room, and one of my pets knocks/scratches on the door.
87. The Princess Bride ("No more rhyming, and I mean it!"-- "Anybody want a peanut?")
88. The Three Amigos ("Do you have anything not Mexican?"; "Great, you've killed the invisible swordsman!")
89. Monty Python and the Holy Grail ("You must bring us... a SHRUBBERY!! And you must cut down the largest tree in the forest with... a HERRING!!")
90. Mostly, the fact that I'm alive and that I can enjoy all these things.
Have a good day.
Count your many blessings, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Sarah
Love you, Sarah. Let's look for some cheap flights for you (and any one of your family!) to come out for a visit. I'd love to go to some of the grown up things in Boston with you. Have a good day!
ReplyDeleteI would love to go see you! That would be so much fun. :)
ReplyDeleteI love you too. I hope your week is going well.