My Count down to Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and I like to make it last as long as possible. I do the same thing with Christmas too. I love the feeling of family and togetherness at the holidays, and I love that it inspires me to be more mindful of the Lord in my life. I have decided this year I am going to do an on-line version of an advent calendar for Thanksgiving. Each day I am going to post about something I am grateful for. I know I'm starting on the 2nd, but I'll do two today.... Oh, and I am NOT doing these in order of importance, so don't be going and getting all offended on me! I will start with chronology and go from there....

I Laura, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; (and mother...) In case some of you don't recognize that, it is a paraphrase of the first verse of the first chapter in the Book of Mormon (but I'll talk more about that another day...)

I truly do have wonderful parents. They have always been so good to me. I have known I was loved, and that I was important to them. I still had my self-esteem issues, but that was more not feeling like I deserved it rather than wondering if it were there. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone, but that is how I felt.

My mom is not perfect by any means, and I am not trying to project that onto her, but she did a pretty good job. I always knew she was human, but I also knew that she was trying to do what was best for our family. She was willing to stop whatever she was doing and just hold me when I was having a hard day. And I loved our "alone turns". I owe much of who I am today to her influence. I am not just talking about cooking and cleaning, though I she did teach me that. She taught me that the most important influence in my life should be the Lord. She taught me to trust Him and let Him work in my life. Her faith and teachings were the basis of my own realtionship with God.

My dad and I spent a lot of time together growing up. Today I can do about anything I decide I want to around the house, because he taught me how. When we finished our basement, even though I was fairly young, and probably in his way, instead of telling me to get lost he taught me. He took the time to show me how to do things, and to explain why we did it certain ways. Now that I have my own kids, and know how much extra time that takes, I really appreciate his efforts. I always knew I could go to him with a problem, and rather than solving it for me, he would help me figure it out myself. That is something that drove me nuts at the time, but I am very grateful for now. I have the ability to think and reason, and turn to the Lord, and figure it out.

Another thing that I really appreciate about my parents is their relationship. I never had to wonder if they loved each other, or if their realtionship was secure. They were not phyically demonstratvie, but they showed each other their love in so many simple ways. They said it frequently, and they treated each other with respect. I am 31 years old, and have lived with my parents for around 22 of those years. I have never heard them fight or argue. This last year that we have been living here, I have appreciated that more than ever. Now that I am married myself, I understand much better how difficult that can be at times. I am not saying they are perfect, or that they always agree with each other, but they discuss it in private, and without yelling at each other. I am so grateful for that example!!!

Thank you Mom and Dad! I love you both!