Gratitude

Jason and I were just talking about how we need to be more grateful for our blessings and the little services that other people do for us every day, so this post will be dedicated to expressing some of those little things I'm grateful for.

1. I'm grateful for every time that I don't have to plan out and make every part of a meal. This week has been really nice because I went home and my mom cooked a yummy meal for our family, I just got home from a really good dinner group that I didn't have to plan, and I attended two meetings for work that included lunch so I didn't have to pack my lunch for the day. It is such a service when others take care of meals and I don't have to worry about when, or what we're going to eat.
2. I'm also grateful for friends and family. My brother and his family were visiting from Colorado this week and it was nice to see and talk to them again. It's a nice change of pace from school and work to spend time with family. I'm also grateful to have great visiting teachers and a companion that have become some good friends to me through visiting teaching. I love talking to Jason, but it's also fun to talk and interact with other girls. My friend Sara also indulged me by playing Ping Pong this week. We're pretty evenly matched. She won the first game, I won the second, but she won the third. That means that we'll have to have a rematch soon. :)
3. I'm grateful that I like my job. My job is really pretty interesting to me. I feel like it's meaningful and it doesn't cause me a lot of stress like some of my other jobs. It pays well enough for what we need right now and keeps me busy since Jason is so busy with school.
4. I'm grateful for good health. I feel like I am really blessed with good health. I rarely get sick and have plenty of energy for a day's worth of activities. Jason got a cold this weekend and he didn't feel very well over the weekend. It just makes life so much easier when you're not thinking about the pain and discomfort you're feeling. Fortunately, Jason recovered pretty quickly from his cold.
5. I'm grateful for how often the Lord helps things to work out smoothly and blesses us with little things that are important to us although they may seem small to other people. I am trying to renew my teaching license and had to get my fingerprints taken for a background check. I decided I needed to take care of it this week and knew that it would probably be a big ordeal trying to fit it into my schedule and get the right forms to the right people, etc. Well, it ended up being a really easy process that didn't take much time at all because after some quick checking, I found out that they do fingerprinting in my college and I was headed there that afternoon anyway. A process that could have easily taken 2 hours only took an extra 15 min. in my day. A simple thing, but I count it as a blessing.
6. I'm also very grateful for a very loving husband. Jason is very altruistic. He may tell you that he has a harder time seeing things from someone else's perspective, but that doesn't stop him from thinking about others and what he can do to help them. Since I am married to him, I am often the benefactor of his service, although whenever he is around other people, he is often thinking of ways to help and volunteering for whatever is needed whether that need is made explicit or remains unspoken. I am very grateful to be married to someone striving to be so unselfish and kind.

That's probably a good list for today, although it is not hard to think of many other things I am thankful for and experiences that illustrate them. I am grateful for the many blessings I receive daily and hope that I can better recognize them and express gratitude for them.