Gratitude

It's crazy to look back and see how much can change in a year. 

This Thanksgiving last year (here) was easily one of my favorites, and I think my entire family is in agreement with that.

I went to bed last night a little sad that I wouldn't have my immediate family all together for Thanksgiving this year, but I woke up with a list of things too numerous to count swirling around in my head to be grateful about. 

It seems like gratitude has been a common theme in my life for the last few months.

This time last year I had just taken the GRE (for the second time) and scored one point above my goal. The nervousness that I felt when pressing that final submit button, and the relief I felt when I saw my score was overwhelming.

I walked out of that place with a thousand pounds lifted off of my shoulders and I drove straight home to pack my bags and head up to Park City to spend the perfect Thanksgiving with my family.

I had so much to be grateful for.

This year felt very different.

I woke up to an empty house. I didn't take and conquer a big test yesterday. I'm not spending a long holiday weekend with every member of my immediate family. My immediate sense of gratitude wasn't overwhelming when I woke up this morning. 

Rather, I realized that for the last several months I've taken a near-weekly inventory of the many things that I have to be grateful for, and unfortunately, that isn't something I've done nearly enough in my life.

This last year has been a whirlwind of change and for a girl that grew up learning to thrive on change, it rocked me to my core and took a lot of adjustment and acceptance, but over the last couple of months everything has fallen into place and with every last piece I've been more humbled and grateful for the interest that my Heavenly Father has in my life. 

Walking out of my graduate school interview with BYU, I knew I needed to be here, and while there were so many question marks and uncertainties, I've spent the last year watching reason after reason unfold before me.

The gratitude that I've felt this year has been unlike any other.

I only hope that through times in my life when things aren't falling into place and I can't clearly see the reasoning at all, I can look back and remember the times that He was so evidently there, and know that He still is every single day.

I hope I can focus on feeling gratitude in every circumstance, every day of the year, and then reflect on those moments of gratitude on Thanksgiving Day.

Lastly, what would Thanksgiving be without sharing a picture of the people who are the absolute most important to me?!

Happy Thanksgiving!