Ending the Month of Thanksgiving: Days 21-30

Day 21-My mom-This is another post that I think will be hard to do the person justice.  I have lots of great memories as a kid that are surrounding my mom-lots of little things she would say and do have made their way into my life.  She is a strong woman, hardly ever gets sick (I remember as a kid that it would be so weird when she was sick and not up doing stuff.  She can't get sick, she's Mom).  And in the past few weeks, she has been going non-stop traveling to visit family, working at the office, and doing her church duties, as well as many other things I'm not aware of, I'm sure. She is generous, understanding and loving. Even though we live far away from each other, she still helps me a lot with things going on in my life.   I love her and hope she knows how much she means to me.

Day 22- Eternal Families.  Two women in my family have passed away recently.  Although neither of these deaths was a huge surprise, it is always sad to know you time on earth with some one is over. Knowing that people who die still exist and that families can be together eternally is comforting.
I also want to give a shout out others in my eternal family.  My dad has been a great counselor to me over they years about many subjects and I value his input.  My brothers are great guys each with a great wife.  Lastly, my in-laws are great too.  I've enjoyed getting to know them over the years.

Day 23-My youngest Sister- She turned the big 1-8 on the 23rd.  She is a bomb photographer, has a great sense of humor and is a great friend to lots of people.  She is self-motivated and works hard at everything she does. I hope she knows how valued she is.  She is a good example to me of how have a sense of humor even when you tons of stuff to do.  (I have a tendency to stress about things)

Day 24-working on family projects-We spent all weekend working on the Christmas Music Album and other projects.  It was great spending so much time together working on the same projects.  I observed that compared to some of the first projects we did together we seem to work better together now.

Day 25- Having a roof over our heads.  I know our home isn't fancy or big, but it is enough space for us and keeps us warm and dry.

Day 26- Great summer adventures-We had some great trips this summer.  The best was our combined trip to Mt. Rainier and then climbing Mt. St. Helens.  It helps us get through the winter knowing that summers are so great!

Day 27- Successful first attempts-Cheesecake and Dutch apple pie.  The cheesecake isn't perfect but it is quite good. (and of course we are thankful for left overs of successful first attempts)

Day 28- The Right to Bear Arms- We invested in our first gun recently. We took it to the shooting range.  We love it.

Day 29- Health-this is something I don't appreciate enough until it's been compromised.  I was sick last week, just with a slight cough.  I'm so glad that is behind me (knock on wood).  One new thing I did to get rid of my cold faster this time: at the recommendation of two friends from church I got a neti pot.  I was pretty weirded out by it at first, but now I've got the hang of it.  It seems to help a lot, because usually my colds linger for 2-3 weeks and this one was only a week. 

Day 30- Agency-I'm glad to be able to make choices.  It can be difficult sometimes to accept reality, but learning to make responsible and wise choices brings peace and happiness.  I can't have it all or do it all, so I have to choose what is most important to me.  I try to make choices that make sense to me and are simple.  I am not always right, but am certainly learning and becoming better at admitting I'm wrong and asking for help.