Thankful Thursdays

I am thankful for my family.

1.Dad: I like to think about Dad as an astronaut. I love that he always has these interests that get him all jazzed up and rubbing his hands together super fast because they speak to him. He loves the stars and galaxies and he told me once he wanted to be an astronaut and so to me he is.

2.Mom: I love Mom because thinking about her makes me laugh - She does what she does and doesn't shake her head at anybody. That is who she is. I think I learned to be fearless and confident growing up because of her.

3.Bob: Once upon a time there was a girl and this girl was 24 at the time and she found out that when she was just an infant her brother Bob wrote to her a love letter from his mission. I love Bob for this. I also love Bob for explaining to me how I could "make it" at college and giving me the confidence I needed to go through with it. I got my BS (Bobs Sister) because of him.

4.Tammy: I love Tammy because she validates me as a Mom by accepting my children with all their faults and strengths. She adopts them as her own and loves loves loves them unconditionally.

5. Rick: I have always felt drawn to Rick even though I don't know how to describe it. I remember wanting to spend time with him when I was only 3 yrs old. I love Rick because even though we haven't had many instances to get to know each other well I know I always feel for him and think about him because in some way we are connected differently than anyone else. I relish in all the moments I get with him.

6. Donna: I love Donna because she is real. She shares with me her ups and downs and her everyday life. I love her because she wants me to be part of her life and makes me feel wonderful about myself. She reminds me of the better person in me that I want to become.

7. Nancy: I love Nancy because she is always trying to follow the spirit. I have learned from her what it means to walk in faith and trust in God. She is so tenderhearted and she thinks of her siblings all the time and prays for them and loves them. Her family and the families of her brothers and sisters are important to her. I love that she is this way.

8. Betsy: I love Betsy because at the moment I first talked to her about the miscarriage she said everything I needed to hear at the time and in an instance the 400 miles of distance between us was gone and she was with me. I love her because I know that whenever I need that space to disappear between myself and someone - she is always with me.

9. Becky: I love Becky because she taught me a new side of the atonement. When I cared for her during James' pregnancy and saw her suffering and struggles I knew in a moment what a sacrifice she willingly took upon herself because there was "no other way' and I felt then as I have since a clearer picture of the love our Father in Heaven has for us and what selflessness Christ had to be able to go through all that he did for us.

10. Jeanna: When I first came to BYU, Jeanna took me to the bookstore and showed me how to get my books. It made me feel so much better and prepared for school. It took away some of my fears and worries about going and it was such a simple gesture to do. I love Jeanna because she is good at the simple gestures that mean a lot.

11. Ted: I love Ted because he takes me for who I am. When I am with him I feel put at ease and I can be myself. I like to talk to Ted because he has such a good way of balancing the friend and big brother role with me so that I feel loved and still appreciated as an equal.

12. Barbara: Barbara has such a unique way of always loving everyone unconditionally and without judgement. She considers all her family to be her good friends. She is eager to reach out and have a relationship with you and doesn't care where you are in life or where you have been. I love Barbara because she reminds me a little of the children's book "You are Special" by Max Lucado and I feel good every time I go away from being with Barbara like Eli did in the book whenever he visits the woodcarver.

13. David: David is the first one to want to get together with me when I come in town. I love him because he reminds me to be a better sister and reach out more because he is always first to call me or to reach out to me and get to know me. He has such a strong personality that I think couldn't be replaced or gone without in our family.

14. Tiffany: What do I love about Tiffany? Everything. I love the way she has the ability to express her self and thus connect with people in a way that makes them know right where she is. She was my best friend as a child and I remember good times with her. I don't remember ever not loving her. When I think about how I feel about Tiffany I think about one of the few pictures I have of myself as a child and it is of me holding my new little sister with such joy in my face.