What are you grateful to God for this Thanksgiving week?

[Scott Lloyd]

Thought this thread might be a good opportunity to express gratitude for some of the blessings we have received.

I just finished typing my weekly letter to our missionary son in Sweden, and it has caused me to reflect that among the things I am grateful for is technology. With email and digital word processing, I can pour out my heart and soul to him, send him passages from "How to Win Friends and Influence People" (one of the things he has specifically requested), include scriptural passages and words of wisdom from prophets and apostles, and, once finished, with a few clicks of a mouse, get the entire missive to him instantly.

I shudder to think of trying to do all this with pen and paper and then wait for the week-or-longer lag time for him to receive my written thoughts (that's what we had to put up with 40 years ago when I served my mission in the same country). It wouldn't be practical, even if I were inclined to undertake the laborious, hours-long process that would be required to do what I can do today in a half-hour or less.

Furthermore, I can look forward to waking up in the wee hours of tomorrow morning to read his weekly letter to us as it shows up in my email in-box.

And I can archive all his letters and photos -- and my own to him -- in an easily searchable database for writing journals and personal and family histories later.

Technology: one of the great boons our Heavenly Father has given us for which I express my fervent gratitude this Thanksgiving week.

 

Edited November 21, 2016 by Scott Lloyd

[thesometimesaint]

My top four: Life, Family, Friends, my Religion.

[Scott Lloyd]

11 minutes ago, thesometimesaint said:

My top four: Life, Family, Friends, my Religion.

Reminiscent of  Mormon's Title of Liberty

[bluebell]

Cars.  My family lives 500 miles away and without vehicular transportation we would not be able to get together for the holidays.  I consider it a huge blessing that for every major holiday my family can all celebrate together!

[Scott Lloyd]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

Cars.  My family lives 500 miles away and without vehicular transportation we would not be able to get together for the holidays.  I consider it a huge blessing that for every major holiday my family can all celebrate together!

"Over the River and through the Woods" -- on steroids!

 

Edited November 21, 2016 by Scott Lloyd

[hope_for_things]

My family, my friends, my health, the patience of others, my optimistic outlook on life, my capacity to overcome challenges, my desire to stay engaged with those who have different opinions, the light and knowledge I continue to receive, the amount of things I still need to learn, my finances, my talents, my failures, my imperfections, mindfulness practice, great examples in progressive thought, great examples in conservative thought, my country, my freedom, my religion, the religions of others, secularism, science, technology, food, the arts, music, silence, peace.

There are so many, I think I could keep going quite a while.  Grateful for MDDB too!!!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

[Scott Lloyd]

1 hour ago, hope_for_things said:

My family, my friends, my health, the patience of others, my optimistic outlook on life, my capacity to overcome challenges, my desire to stay engaged with those who have different opinions, the light and knowledge I continue to receive, the amount of things I still need to learn, my finances, my talents, my failures, my imperfections, mindfulness practice, great examples in progressive thought, great examples in conservative thought, my country, my freedom, my religion, the religions of others, secularism, science, technology, food, the arts, music, silence, peace.

There are so many, I think I could keep going quite a while.  Grateful for MDDB too!!!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

That's a rich feast of blessings.

[6EQUJ5]

I'm grateful for the scriptures, my family, and for my Church leaders.

[pogi]

After experiencing the emotional lows of infertility for nearly 10 years, I am grateful to go home tonight after work and play with my 3 month old son.

Edited November 21, 2016 by pogi

[Scott Lloyd]

12 minutes ago, pogi said:

After experiencing the emotional lows of infertility for nearly 10 years, I am grateful to go home tonight after work and play with my 3 year old son.

I'm grateful for happy endings.

[Scott Lloyd]

32 minutes ago, 6EQUJ5 said:

I'm grateful for the scriptures, my family, and for my Church leaders.

The word of God -- given anciently and in latter days -- is "a lamp unto [our] feet." And families are what it's all about!

 

 

[Jeanne]

38 minutes ago, pogi said:

After experiencing the emotional lows of infertility for nearly 10 years, I am grateful to go home tonight after work and play with my 3 month old son.

This...just made my day.  Yeah..that is what it is all about!!

[sjdawg]

I'm grateful (not necessarily to God but grateful none the less) for the opportunity I have to live and work abroad, for the gift of family, and for the amazing opportunities I have been afforded to travel the world and see different cultures, religions, and ways of life.

[rodheadlee]

Jesus Christ, the Atonement, my wife, our parents, be they living in this world or not, and a very successful back surgery.

[Tacenda]

I'm grateful for diet dr. pepper...

No, I am, but more I'm grateful for my family and for a God that is looking after us. I'm grateful for friends here, and elsewhere. I'm grateful for technology as well. For people that create and provide modern conveniences such as a vehicle for bluebell etc. I'm grateful for health and peace of mind. I have many things I'm grateful for but time limits my post to these for now. Thanks for the thread Scott, to help remind me.

[Thinking]

I'm grateful for five days in a row of not setting the alarm clock!

[Atheist Mormon]

On 11/21/2016 at 1:55 AM, Scott Lloyd said:

Thought this thread might be a good opportunity to express gratitude for some of the blessings we have received.

I just finished typing my weekly letter to our missionary son in Sweden, and it has caused me to reflect that among the things I am grateful for is technology. With email and digital word processing, I can pour out my heart and soul to him, send him passages from "How to Win Friends and Influence People" (one of the things he has specifically requested), include scriptural passages and words of wisdom from prophets and apostles, and, once finished, with a few clicks of a mouse, get the entire missive to him instantly.

I shudder to think of trying to do all this with pen and paper and then wait for the week-or-longer lag time for him to receive my written thoughts (that's what we had to put up with 40 years ago when I served my mission in the same country). It wouldn't be practical, even if I were inclined to undertake the laborious, hours-long process that would be required to do what I can do today in a half-hour or less.

Furthermore, I can look forward to waking up in the wee hours of tomorrow morning to read his weekly letter to us as it shows up in my email in-box.

And I can archive all his letters and photos -- and my own to him -- in an easily searchable database for writing journals and personal and family histories later.

Technology: one of the great boons our Heavenly Father has given us for which I express my fervent gratitude this Thanksgiving week.

 

If I could have opportunity to express my gratitude, there's a narrow list of people who long gone but their impact in my life are enormous.

I'd start With Charles Darwin for his enlightenment of true Human origins, Carl Sagan instilling the passion of Stars in us, Edwin Hubble, for his leap from stars to Galaxies, Alfred Wegener, showing us the reality of  "Plate Tectonics", Einstein, of course and thousands of others like Asimov, Arthur C Clarke......

[sjdawg]

Thanks for starting this thread Scott.   At times I find this board to be combative (due often to my own contributions) and negative so this thread was nice to read and follow.  Regardless of our beliefs I hope that we all have much to appreciate and enjoy in our lives.

[Scott Lloyd]

7 hours ago, sjdawg said:

Thanks for starting this thread Scott.   At times I find this board to be combative (due often to my own contributions) and negative so this thread was nice to read and follow.  Regardless of our beliefs I hope that we all have much to appreciate and enjoy in our lives.

Thanks for that observation.

I'm appreciative to the moderation team that, despite its non-combative nature, they did not toss this thread over into the "Social" forum, where it would have had less prominence and perhaps drawn less attention and fewer contributions.

[Gray]

Always at the top of my list is my family, who make life so meaningful to me. 

At this time of year I'm also particularly grateful for the beauty of the earth (also my favorite hymn!). I love walking through the forest and watching nature's fireworks display.

[Scott Lloyd]

50 minutes ago, Gray said:

Always at the top of my list is my family, who make life so meaningful to me. 

At this time of year I'm also particularly grateful for the beauty of the earth (also my favorite hymn!). I love walking through the forest and watching nature's fireworks display.

Can't resist sharing a funny story about that hymn title, "For the Beauty of the Earth.".

I lead the music in sacrament meeting.

Last Sunday, in keeping with the upcoming Thanksgiving Day holiday, that hymn had been chosen by the ward music chairman to close the meeting. But I can only guess that in announcing it, the bishop's counselor was trying to decipher someone's less-than-legible handwriting, because after a moment's hesitation, he gave the title as "For the Bounty of the East."

My face must have betrayed some puzzlement and/or amusement, because after the meeting, some individuals in the ward commented to me about it.

I suppose "For the Bounty of the East" sounds like it could be a hymn title -- though I can't conceive of what it would be about.

Later, at priesthood opening exercises, the counselor asked me what song I had chosen to lead the group in singing. I resisted a rather mischievous impulse to reply, "Why don't we do that song, 'For the Bounty of the East'."

[smac97]

My faith.

My family.

My country and community.

My job.

My home.

Good food.

Good music.

Good books.

Good movies / TV.

Thanks,

-Smac

[thatjimguy]

My plane landing safely in Erie, PA.

Big winds and small prop planes...I think the church should consider sending people who've stopped praying to board a flight like that...it will get them started again.

Edited November 23, 2016 by thatjimguy

[LittleNipper]

I'm thankful that God would be willing to go to suffer the cross to save a wretch like me simply because He loved me.

[Okrahomer]

I'm thankful that at 90, my parents are still healthy, and lucid.  I'm thankful that their way of loving me--so fundamental, so pure and fierce--fills me with hope; and gives me a glimpse into the eternities.

I'm also thankful for vanilla custard and garbage disposals.