Life's Not Easy

Tomorrow's going to be busy with family and cooking, so I wanted to share some of the things I'm grateful for as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. It's a lot harder now, these holidays, compared to what they were like before. Now our family is scattered all over the world.

It makes my heart ache.

I'm grateful for:

* Wonderful parents and siblings, who gave me a delightful childhood. It wasn't without its pitfalls and willful child that I was I fell down many of them. But I always knew I was loved and watched over.

* A loving husband. For all his human frailties (and he certainly married a woman with plenty of human frailties), he's as kind and generous a man as you'll find.

* Enchanting children (Yes, you are! Admit it.). They changed my life forever, and I can never thank them enough for the lessons they taught me and continue to teach me. They enlarged my humanity and showed me how wide and encompassing a mother's love could be.

* Loving grandchildren. Dang! If I'd known grandchildren were this much fun I'd have started out with them!

* Faith. The world's a hard place, and not everything can be scientifically measured and proven. I'm grateful for my life's experiences that have taught me to look beyond the obvious.

* Service. I've had many opportunities to serve. Lots of it has been in my family. My job has given me the chance to serve my community. I'm also grateful for the privilege it was to serve my country. I'm grateful for the people who carry the banner now.

* Employment. I'm grateful that I have a day job that I enjoy, surrounded by great people. It's the kind of job that I don't find myself groaning when Monday morning comes. I'm grateful for the people who gave me opportunities that prepared me for the responsibility I have now.

* Friends. I don't have many, but it's quality not quantity that counts here.

I'd like to share part of a talk by Gordon B. Hinckley:

"Life is like that -- ups and downs, a bump on the head, and a crack on the shins. It was ever thus. Hamlet went about crying, 'To be or not to be,' but that didn't solve any of his problems. There is something of a tendency among us to think that everything must be lovely and rosy and beautiful without realizing that even adversity has some sweet uses. One of my favorite newspaper columnists is Jenkin Lloyd Jones. In a recent article published in the News, he commented:

"'There seems to be a superstition among many thousands of our young who hold hands and smooch in the drive-ins that marriage is a cottage surrounded by perpetual hollyhocks, to which a perpetually young and handsome husband comes home to a perpetually young and ravishing wife. When the hollyhocks wither and boredom and bills appear, the divorce courts are jammed.

"'Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just ordinary people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise....

"'Life is like an old-time rail journey -- delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.' (quoted from Jenkin Lloyd Jones.)"

So in closing, I thank the Lord for letting me have the ride.