Here are all of the “leaves” from our gratitude tree. Contributors include family, friends, piano students, extended family, and neighbors. I am typing the entries as the boys hand them to me off the tree. I thought about saving them in a baggie and then unearthing them a year later in storage. But then the “blog fairy” whispered that I could just make a GREAT post to share. Here’s to a wonderful tradition:
- Phin is grateful for “ooooo-ooooo Bananas!”
- Mama is grateful for how Eli says, “EEEEEE-ow” for “Meow”
- Experience and Progression
- Libraries
- The Book of Mormon
- Hearing Eli Pray
- The Hallelujah Chorus
- I am Grateful for Phin and Eli – Taylor
- Phin “Leaves!”
- Eli: “Trash Truck!”
- Family that shares
- Croutons
- Adele’s Smile
- Eli: “Cookies!”
- Phin says, “I’m grateful for strawberries on my cake. That makes me happy.”
- Eli: “Tubby Time”
- Adele is grateful for kisses from her brothers.
- Papa is thankful for the end of the musical!
- Warm Socks
- Hearing Phin Laugh
- I am very thankful for celebrating Eli’s birthday today and for all my precious great-grand kids. -Grandma S
- “Unicorns!” Says Phin
- Family, Friends, the Gospel
- Phin: “I’m grateful for Heavenly Father & this food!”
- Blueberries
- Eli says, “aw-wer-ries!” (strawberries)
- I am grateful for my artistic ability
- I am thankful for the world
- I am thankful for my shelter
- Adele: “Midnight Feedings”
- Alli: “I am grateful for adventurous eaters!”
- Wonderful Grandchildren
- “I am thankful for music.” -Lillian
- I am grateful for Abinadi and his teachings
- Great-Grands -Poppa Great
- Eli: “For Apples!
- I am grateful for a kind, loving family that feeds me and does other things
- I am grateful for truth and direction in my life & for eternal families
- When Eli sings “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” he says, “won-a won-a what you are.” SO CUTE!
- Thankful for my family, cats, toys, friends, flowers, and trees
- Phin: “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”
- Wonderful Grandchildren
- I’m thankful for Jesus and Church
- Working Car
- Nate: “Weekends!”
- Eli: “Colors! Pink, White, Purple, Black.”
- Our Family -Grammy Jo
- Health & Strength & Food & Shelter & Lots of Hugs
- Peanut butter Apple Dip
- Phin: “Sparkling Snow”
- The Internet (amen!)
- Alli: “Getting one-on-one time with Adele at night when the boys are asleep”
- I am thankful for my church, family, and friends – Morgan
- I am grateful for God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ
- Loving Family
- Glasses & Contacts
- Fresh Garden Tomatoes
- I am grateful for a wonderful family and great friends. -Chris
- Listening to Phin tell stories
- Nate: “I am grateful for a hot wife.”
- Eli: “Sprinkles” (the dust specks you can see floating in light coming through a window)
- Nate: Wrestling with Phin and inventing a new game called “Ghost Fight”
- I’m grateful for the love of my wife & family- all the grands and great-grands.
- I’m thankful for my family, food, clothes, and friends. -Emma
“Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings.
This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teachers who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways.
We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. President Thomas S Monson
Life is good.
