And in all Things Give Thanks
As we approach Thanksgiving (and the Holiday season), I can't help but feel a deep sense of gratitude and thankfulness for the many blessings of my life. I wanted to do a quick post this week highlighting just a few of the things that I am thankful for.
5 People I'm Thankful For:
1- My handsome hubby; I'm thankful for the selfless love and service he shows me everyday and today I am particularly thankful that he comes home to me every night. Being married to someone in the military isn't always easy, but I'm thankful for his service to our country and our little family.
2-My Savior, Jesus Christ; Knowing that there is someone out there who understand every ache, pain, struggle, and trial I have gone through, am going through, or may go through in the future brings me a great sense of peace.
3- My Momma; if you've ever spent any amount of time with my mom then you'll know that words can't really describe how amazing she is. Not only does she answer my thousand phone calls a week, but she always has an answer to my questions and advice to calm my fears. She is one of the most selfless and sweet-spirited people that the world has ever known and I'm thankful everyday that the Lord blessed me with her as a mom.
4- My best friend, Madison; we are going on something like 15 years of friendship and I am so incredibly thankful that we were thrown together in elementary school. Weekly phone calls to just catch up and texts of our favorite movie quotes are the foundation of our friendship and I wouldn't have it any other way.
5- All the families that have let me love their children; being a nanny can be a hard job because you love, laugh, and cry with these sweet children but at the end of the day they aren't yours. I am thankful, however for the glimpse into my future that I get everyday with the children that I care for.
5 Places I'm Thankful For:
1- The beach; I never feel more at peace and connected to nature than when I am at the beach. With my toes in the sand and the waves crashing at my background music, I am truly home.
2- The Temple; It has been hard going from being 2 minutes from a temple to being 2.5 hours away from one. I love the peace, comfort, and guidance that I can receive in the House of the Lord and I especially love being able to go there with my husband and receive blessings in our marriage.
3- Santa Clara, UT; It took me a few years to love southern Utah and claim it as a home, but now that place has my heart. No matter where the military takes us or how long it has been since I've been there, walking into my parents house in little Santa Clara will always feel like coming home.
4- Provo, UT; while I'm a more than happy to finally be out of Provo and finished at BYU, I will always be thankful for the time I spent there. Provo is where I met some of my best friends, where I made life altering decision like whether or not to serve a mission and who to marry, where I got my degree, and where I finally decided that my mental health needed more attention than I was giving it.
5- Del Rio, TX; When we got stationed in this tiny border town, I didn't thing I would ever like it. I planned on just suffering through our 1.5 years here and then really settling in at our next base. But, not only have I started liking Del Rio, I've started to fall in love with this town. The sense of community of the Air Force base and the quirks of a small town have started to grow on me. Our first military assignment will forever have a soft spot in my heart and I'm incredibly thankful that Del Rio will be the first of many great places that we will live.
5 Things I'm Thankful For:
1-Technology; Being away from my family has been one of the hardest things for me. Before moving to Texas I had never been away from my family for more than a few weeks and now I'm going on 3 months. I am so thankful for cell phones that allow me to FaceTime my nieces and nephews, my sisters group chat that allows me to be in the loop even though I'm really out of it, and the TV for keeping my mind occupied on those days where I'm just missing home.
2- Crockpots; I'm not much of a cook and Jimmy and I are both gone between 8-12 hours a day, so dinner can be a difficult task. The crockpot has saved the day on many occasions. Being able to stick stuff in in the morning and have it be a meal when we get home at night is truly a miracle to be thankful for.
3- My Minky Blanket: it is soft, it is weighted, and it is the coziest thing I own. When I feel high anxiety or a panic attack coming on, I can wrap up in it and immediately start feeling calm.
4- The Gospel; So much of what makes me me stems from being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The gospel of Jesus Christ keeps me centered, keeps me moving forward, and keeps me good. Everyday I am thankful for the things I know through the gospel like that families are forever, we can live with our Father in Heaven, and miracles have not ceased.
5- This Blog; For letting me put my thoughts out into the universe and seeing the love that has come back, I will always be thankful. Starting this blog was (and still is) a great leap of faith, but I pray that my message can reach someone who needs to hear it and can touch the hearts of many. Even if this blog only changes one person, and that person is me, I would still be incredibly thankful.
As we approach this Holiday season, I encourage you to take some time and jot down just a few of the things you are thankful for. We are all so incredibly blessed and in a time when it is almost too easy to be negative and to feel like we don't have enough of anything we should never forget that.
Much love and stay Messi (and thankful),
Jessi
