This year has brought some experiences which have made me feel a need to express my gratitude for simple as well as profound blessings.

Like this sign, I am thankful for simple things. I have a home. It is not large or new or grand, but it provides shelter and safety – it is a home. After seeing a house torn apart by a tornado which had only left us in the dark for days, seeing a hole in the ground which a friend intended to live in this winter, then seeing the small modest apartment which he is grateful to call home now, I feel more grateful for the home that I have.

I am grateful for electricity, hot running water, lights and power, and the means to regulate temperature to make me comfortable. I am grateful for a comfortable bed, plenty of clothes, and a reliable car to get around in.

I am grateful to be able to eat the foods I like – to not go hungry. I am thankful for the miracle of planting seeds and harvesting the small yield of my own garden, but also to be able to buy almost anything at nearby stores or a farmer’s market, or to try a variety of offerings at restaurants.

I am grateful for good health. Having the first cold in a very long time was a reminder of how healthy I have been. Seeing others suffer with chronic health problems or disabilities makes me appreciate my health and abilities.

There have been losses this year of friends and family. I appreciate all of the loved ones still here with me and part of my life. I am all the more grateful to have my husband with me when I hear of others in similar situations who did not survive. As I have come in contact with other people with Traumatic Brain Injuries and recently saw one who suffered such an injury many years ago, I am so grateful for the miracles that saved my husband and the progress he has made.

I am thankful for my family. I am pleased to see that my daughters have become good, responsible, productive adults. I find great joy in my grandchildren and appreciate the good parents that my daughters and their husbands are. I am grateful that they have employment, homes, good health and opportunities.

I am grateful to live in this free country. I have gained a greater appreciation for the sacrifices of those who came before as I have learned more about them. I am thankful for the foresight of our founding fathers to create a form of government which has preserved freedom for generations. I appreciate those still willing to make sacrifices for our freedom. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in an electoral process, knowing that even if I am not happy with the results, it is a privilege to participate in the process.

I am grateful for opportunities to serve – my family, my Church, my community.

I am thankful for the beauties of this earth and for the opportunities I have had this year to travel and enjoy some of these beautiful and amazing places.

I am grateful for the knowledge that I have that this life is not all there is. I can appreciate and enjoy what I have with some perspective. I am grateful for the assurance that relationships go on after this life. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have of a loving God who desires my happiness. I am grateful for my Savior. I am grateful for the experiences I have had which might not have been enjoyable at the time, but from which I have learned and grown.

Yes, life is good. I am Blessed. I am thankful.