Happy Thanksgiving

Just recently with the holidays right around the corner I have had a little time to sit and reflect on the purpose of Thanksgiving.
Earlier in the year as my class and I studied the first Thanksgiving we learned some interesting facts. They were fascinated to find out that Thanksgiving lasted three whole days. They also found out that the first Thanksgiving wasn't in November but in the middle of October instead.

I wonder if it weren't for Thanksgiving would we ever stop and give thanks for all the things that we have been given? I am not so sure. Take me for example, I tend to get so busy and so caught up in the every day things that go on that I don't take time to stop and think about the things I have. What I find myself doing is taking time to stop and think about the things I don't have!

My favorite Thanksgiving memory is when I was in fifth grade. We had just left Monsterrat. We had moved in with Grandpa and Grandma Hagen in North Ogden. It was kind of a hard time because we had left my dad down on the island to finish school. We had moved to northern utah where we hardly knew anyone. We had to move up there until the renters had a chance to move out of our house in southern utah.

My grandparents happened to be going away somewhere for Thanksgiving, I can't remember where so it was just my mom, my two sisters and two brothers and I. I think we were all feeling a little down in the dumps without my dad around. We had been eating so much chicken down on the island it was a wonder we all didn't have feathers and clucked! So when it came time for Thanksgiving we couldn't even look at another bird. When my mom asked us what we wanted for dinner it was unanimous! We all said, "PIZZA" So that is exactly what we had. I remember all my friends thinking that was so funny but to us it was the best Thanksgivings we had ever had. Of course it was difficult without having my dad around but we did the best we could and ate pizza and had a great Thanksgiving Feast!

This Thanksgiving I would like to tell everyone what I am grateful for. There are way too many to mention but I will give it a good start. I am thankful for a family who loves me no matter what. My family has always been a strong support to me and I love them. I am thankful for good friends who help me get through difficult times and are so caring and supportive of me and the things I do. I am not exactly sure what I would do without them. I know sometimes I can drive them nuts but they are still there to help pull me through.
I am thankful for all my nephews. They brighten my days and help me to be a child again. I love each of them so much! In March I will have 11 nephews. They are so fun and make me laugh all the time. I am thankful I am a teacher. I have helped me have many growing experiences and I am grateful for each of them. There are so many things to be thankful for. I could go on and on. I may not know too many things but what I do know is that I have more things in my life to be thankful for than not. So next time when I get to thinking that life is too hard and the stresses start out weighing everything else, I need to stop and think of all the things that I have in my life.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and I hope that you will remember all the things in your life to be thankful for.

Grandpa's Journal

I was going through my Grandpa's journal the other day and decided to take some pictures of the things that were in there.
I happened upon this photograph.

This is the S.S. Manhattan. The boat that took him from New York City to Plymouth in 1933.

I wanted to find out some facts about the ship so I went searching on the internet. This is what I found.
I don't believe that he had ever been that far from home before. He was leaving his new wife and heading into the unknown. I can't imagine the feelings and thoughts he had. I wish that he would have written his thoughts down as he headed for this new adventure in his life.

I remember as I headed off on my own to Korea. I was excited at the chance to do something new but also scared at the same time. I am glad that I wrote down my thoughts as I traveled far from home. It is fun to go back and look at what was going through my head at that particular moment of time. What a growing experience that was for me and I think that helped me become the person that I am today. I am thankful for my grandparents and parents that have always been great examples in my life. Their examples have also helped make me who I am. It was fun looking through my grandpa's scrapbook and learning more about him. I am thankful that he took the time to do that for his posterity. It has made me want to keep a better journal about my life.

Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day! I love Southern Utah during this time of the year! I drug Emily and Ellie out with me (thanks Em) and took a little hike. We found ourselves over at the Anasazi Trail.
It was a gorgeous day and the hike was fun. I think that poor Ellie was a little overwhelmed. See the picture below! Hopefully she will forgive us.

Looking at these Native American drawings I had a hundred questions running through my mind! What did all these drawings mean? Who were these people? How did they live?
I am so thankful that I live in this day and time where I don't have to hunt for my food and make my own clothes.

Sometimes I think it would be fun to go back and visit and see exactly what went on but as I sit here in my quiet comfortable room with air and heat I wonder if I could have made it back then. I am glad that I never have to find out!

Here goes nothin!

Well, after months of seeing my friends and family blog, I thought I might try it out. I am not sure that I have anything important to say but maybe someone will enjoy my ramblings!

I recently read a talk called "Finding Joy in the Journey" by President Monson
It made me reflect on some things...
First, that no one can escape change. It is inevitable and we must all deal with it. I have had some big changes in my life. The biggest one happened earlier this year when I was asked to teach 5th grade. I had taught Special Education for 11 years. I wondered if I would be able to teach all day long in a classroom with more than 12 kids around me in a group. Some days I still wonder if I can do it, but I was glad for that change. It has given me a chance to learn and grow.
Usually change happens soft and slow. I look at my nephews growing up and don't realize that I am getting older too! I see the change in my parents. My siblings have their own families now. I realize how much our lives have changed day by day, minute by minute and second by second. We went from being kids into being adults. Time marches on!
The second thing that hit me from his talk was when he said, "one of the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. Find joy in the journey--now. There is not tomorrow to remember if we don't do something today."
What is important is the people around us. He stated that we assume that the people we love, know we love them. He said, "we should never assume, we should let them know.
I find myself guilty of this too often. I need to let the people in my life know how important they are to me. President Monson said, "one day we will all run out of tomorrows."
I have a wonderful family whom I love dearly. My nephews are the light of my life! I love them more than anything.
I have some wonderful friends who help me when I need it and I am so grateful for their presence in my life. I don't know what I would do without them.
I hope that we will all take this challenge and let the people in our lives know how much they mean to us before it is too late. Harriet Beecher Stowe said, "The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone."