Thankful Hearts

Thankfulness

Many of my friends are writing the 30 days of Thanksgiving on Facebook. I thought I would write mine in a blog. Here are a few things I am thankful for.

I am thankful for many things in my life but nothing more than my children. I love them all very much. I think as Christians when we are asked to have “the pure love of Christ” you do not know what that is until you are a parent. I still do not think we have the whole picture, but as parents, we do love our kids no matter what.

I am thankful for my dad that taught me the importance of working. One of the neatest memories I have of my Grandpa Philpot is of his funeral. All of his boys got up and talked about how their dad taught them to work. My dad taught us the same thing, I have never been so happy to know how putting in a good days work in can pay off.

I am thankful for my mom that taught me how to serve others. My mother and her sister Judy donate scarves for elementary students to a local school in the Salt Lake Valley. They also spend all year, making bags for soldiers serving overseas. In these bags, they add items that these brave men and women need. Serving other has always been something important to my mom and I am thankful that she taught me that.

I am thankful for my siblings and my nieces and nephews. There were many of us that were not really close to our siblings growing up but the older we get the more important we find that relationship. I love my big family and I know they love me. My nieces and nephews know I am not the coolest aunt but they love their Aunt Flo anyways.

I am thankful for my education; I would be in a world of hurt if I had not been able to get my degree. It has been a blessing to be able to provide for my kids. I am not the best provider but they do have a roof over their heads and food for their bellies.

I am thankful for the Savior of the world. There has never been a more important gift given to any man than the Atonement of Christ. This gift from our Father in Heaven has been blessed me more than anything else in my life. What a wonderful blessing to know that He is the Savior of the world and that He suffered all for me.

I am thankful for prayer. I am thankful for the opportunity to talk to my Father in Heaven. What a blessing it is to be able to talk to God and then receive answers to questions posed. One of the blessings we have of having a loving Father in Heaven.
I am thankful for my heritage. My family has been in the United States for over 200 years. I know I am blessed to live in the greatest country on Earth. I live in US where I am able to practice the religion I love, I can work as a single mom, and I am able to vote.

I am thankful for the opportunity to vote. In some countries, they vote, but they might only have one person on the ballot. What a blessing and a privilege it is to be able to vote for those people I think would represent my family the best.

I am thankful for the opportunity to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This has been a pioneer heritage I am proud to have. I am blessed that I am able to attend church on Sundays and teach my children what I believe and about their heritage.

I am thankful for being able to go to the temple. I love being able to go to the temple and feel the Holy Spirit. No matter what has happened in my life, being sealed to my children has been one of the greatest blessings I have had in this lifetime and the next.

I am thankful for my own Red Sea miracles. I have had many trials in my life that people are glad they do not have. However, throughout those trials my own little Red Sea has been divided. There are people that might not find them as miracles but to me I know it is the love of my Father in Heaven trying to protect me as much as he could during those times.

I am thankful for my migraines, I know that seem something to not be thankful for. I know that might seem odd, but on the days, I do not have a migraine I know what living without pain feels like it. If you have ever had one you know, days without them are great!

I am thankful for friends. No one in the world has the friends that I have. They have been more important in my life than ever before. There are days that I wish I could pick up and leave Lake Havasu, but I know my support system here is better than it is in other places. I do not want to move and leave all of them. Some of them give me more than others, but I know they would all give me the shirt off their back if they needed to.

I am thankful for Facebook. Yes, I said it. What a great tool to keep in touch with old friends and distant family. I love that I am able to find out what my cousins, aunts, uncles, and old friends are doing. It is nice to see when someone writes something on your wall. I have cousins literally all over the world and it is great seeing what is happening in Korea.

I am thankful for a house to live in. I needed a place to live and one became available. It was a miracle and it keeps my children and I safe. It also helps one of my bestest friends ever. (Yes, I know bestest is not a word)

I am thankful for the scriptures. How many including myself take this gift for granted? We are able to read the word of God. It starts from the creation and moves throughout olden day prophets. We find out what it was like for those apostles that Jesus himself called and left in charge of his church. We learn about the flood, Daniel and the importance of praying, and the story of Ester standing up to the king. WOW! The bible is a wonderful book.

I am thankful for pioneer journals; I am able to read what my ancestors wrote, how they felt, and what their days were like. What a blessing that is, to know that some of the women in my family suffered what I am feeling right now.

I am thankful for modern day prophets. This is where I differ from other of my Christians, but I am so happy to know that President Thomas S. Monson talks to God and receives inspiration for the entire world. How lucky I am to know that there is a prophet on Earth today.

I am thankful for modern technology. I love writing in my blog and then I can share what I have written with the world. I also love that what I might say might help someone else. I hope that I do impact those around me for good.

I am thankful for grandparents. If you have known me a long time you know that I think the grandparent grandchild relationship is super important. I loved my Grandma Philpot more than any person on Earth growing up, I know that was hard on my parents but I did. Grandma had a way of making me feel safe when no one else could. She helped me to know that I was special and I mattered to others. There is not a day the last few years where I wish I could go see my Grandma and just give her a big hug. I knew she would hug me back and then say, “Oh, Hell Florence, get up and take care of those kids.” I am sure she says that now every day.

I am thankful for restful evenings. I do not have many of them but I am thankful for those that I do get.

I am thankful for baseball! I love baseball but more importantly, I am thankful for the friends I have at the ballpark. I love the Bagshaw family so much and I am so happy to be included in their family.

I am thankful for lost love. I have learned more about myself in two years than I have the other 40 on Earth. If I had not lost Jason, I would not have known I was a strong woman. I am tough and I have been able to hold my head high. Some days I can hold it higher but I am strong. I am woman hear me roar!

I am thankful for my phone. I love being able to talk to those people in my life I need to. I love that if my niece needs help on her homework she can call. I love that people in my life that know I need to hear from them know they can call me and help me that day.

I am thankful for the internet. What a blessing that has been to help people find their genealogy, answer questions that students might answer, and learning anything you might need to do through you tube. I might be the only one that has looked up putting ribbons in the YW personal progress bookmark.

I am thankful for books, I love that sometimes when I need to I can escape from reality I can read about a new place. I would love to be able to visit some of those places. I am grateful that I had teachers and parents that taught me to read. I would be lost if I could not read.

I am thankful for food and some of the basic things I can cook. I am not a great cook and I cannot bake but I am thankful for what I can cook. The blue box of Mac and Cheese is an awesome dinner.

I am thankful for music. There is no other thing that I think can help you change your mood. When we need to be happy, we can listen to upbeat music. When we need to be in a more spiritual, we can listen to gospel music. I am thankful that I can hear those songs.

I am thankful for blessings that are numerous. Sometimes we need more than a month to be thankful for things. Yes, it is important to be thankful but I hope that most of us are thankful for things throughout the year not just in November.