Being Thankful: Day Fourteen

I taught in Relief Society today on the Holy Ghost. It was a great lesson, though it made me nervous because it was only three pages long. I wasn't sure how I was going to fill all the time with only three pages. But I know the Spirit helped me by letting me know what to say and by prompting the sisters to share thoughts and experiences. We had some good discussion, and I think the lesson went well.

As I was preparing the lesson and reading the additional scriptures, I just had this overwhelming feeling that the Church is true. It was like a wave that came over me, reaffirming what I already knew. I love the Holy Ghost for that reason. I am so thankful that I have been baptized and confirmed, which allowed me to receive the Holy Ghost. I am so thankful that I have a God with me always, to guide me and direct me as I try to be like my Savior. I love the comfort that gives me. The Spirit is real. He acts as a continual witness of truth so that I can know over and over again that my Savior lives and that His church is on the earth today. It is such a fantastic gift, and I hope that I can always live my life worthy to accept that gift.

Absolutely Perfect

This week was fantastic. In fact, it was perfect—at least, when it came to sports. Yes, yes, another sports post. I like sports, all right? And this past week has turned me into way more of a sports nut than I usually am.

It all started last Saturday. BYU destroyed UNLV, 55–7. It was fantastic to finally see BYU play like we've seen them play in seasons past. It was definitely a fun game to watch. That night, I watched the Jazz play the Clippers. The Jazz were down by 18 in the second half and came back to win in double overtime. It was awesome.

Then, on Tuesday, the Jazz played Miami, where they were down by as much as 22. They came back to win it in overtime. It was one of the most ridiculous games ever—ridiculous in a good way, of course. No one expected the Jazz to win, especially not on the road, and especially after getting down by so much. Then on Wednesday, the Jazz did it again against Orlando. Another double-digit deficit overcome in the second half. They did it again Friday against Atlanta and today against Charlotte. Five in a row—five double-digit deficits, four of them on the road. That alone would make it an awesome sports week.

Friday night was BYU's basketball home opener, which was such a fun game. It took the Cougs a little while to warm up, but once Jimmer got going, it was goodbye to Fresno State. It was awesome.

And today BYU crushed CSU on the road. It was great. Two weeks in a row shows me that this improvement in football isn't a complete anomaly. If they can do it again next week, I'll have even more hope for the Utah game.

While I try not to be the kind of fan that roots for BYU and anyone that plays Utah, I can't help but be happy about the icing on the cake for this perfect sports week: Last Saturday, TCU blew Utah out of the water, knocking them out of BCS bowl contention and out of the top ten. And today, Notre Dame soundly beat Utah, knocking them to the very bottom of the rankings. I honestly feel bad for the players—it really sucks for them. But I can't feel bad for the fans, especially the fans who have been loud and obnoxious in tearing apart BYU this season. I have to admit that it's nice to know that those fans have been knocked down a peg. Or two.

So, yes. This week in sports has been perfect on all counts. What a great week.

Being Thankful: Day Thirteen

Tonight was the book club meeting for To Kill a Mockingbird. I loved this book. I loved how Atticus was so committed to defending Tom Robinson, regardless of his skin color, and regardless of what anyone else in the town said about Atticus or his family. I am so thankful for people like this, for people who persevered to do what is right despite persecution and ridicule. It makes me think of people like Martin Luther King, Jr., Joseph Smith, and all those German civilians who did their best to hide Jews because they knew Hitler was wrong.

I have always been fascinated with the Civil Rights Movement, the Holocaust, and Church History, and I think it's because of the intolerance involved in all three stories. Nothing makes me angrier than intolerance, and I love learning about the stories of those who stepped up when no one else seemed like they would. The courage of those people is so inspiring to me, and I'm so thankful for their courage.

I'm also thankful that I was raised to be tolerant of others, despite our differences. I was raised to look at a person for who they are and not to focus on race or religion, and I'm so thankful for how that has informed my perceptions of others.

Being Thankful: Day Twelve

Today at work, we were talking about what our parents would do if someone did something really terrible to us. (Yes, it was a rather random conversation.) As I was thinking about it, I realized that while my parents would definitely be very protective of me, my brothers would be even more protective. They always have been. And I'm very thankful for that. It's nice to know that I have people who care so much about me that they always want to make sure that I'm okay and that nobody takes advantage of me. My brothers really are great, even though they may annoy the tar out of me sometimes.

The first picture is a picture of my parents, Ben, and our brother Bobby, who I'm sure would have been just as protective of me had we known each other in this life. Instead, he gets to be protective of me from the other side. The second is a picture of Matt, back when he was super cute.

Being Thankful: Day Eleven

This week, Cora has been stressing about some tests that she has to take. Every time I hear people complain about their homework or about projects they have to finish, all I can think is, "Ahhh, I'm so glad I don't have homework anymore!" I mean, don't get me wrong; I have plenty of things I have to do. It's not like all my responsibilities have melted, but I'm certainly glad that homework is one of them that has.

I'm really thankful that I made it through college, and that I can now say that I am a college graduate. There aren't many things that have given me such a sense of accomplishment as graduating from college. I'm also thankful for all the experiences I had in college that helped me grow and develop. College was great. And while I'm still living in student housing and rooming with students, I'm so thankful that I am no longer a student. I like watching movies and reading the books I want to read. It's fantastic.

Being Thankful: Day Ten

I just started reading To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time. Shocking, I know, but I never had to read it for school, so I'm reading it for a book club instead. I'm only about 100 pages in (even though I have to finish by Saturday), but I already love it. Scout is simply awesome. I'm excited to read the rest and get to the really good parts of the story.

I have been reading for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I would sleep with books instead of with stuffed animals. I started reading adult novels of 700+ pages when I was nine or ten. I've always had a special interest in words and language and books. I've wanted to be a writer since I was seven, and that's still a goal I want to achieve someday. I'm hoping that at some point in my life I'll find enough inspiration to write a novel.

So today, I'm thankful for books. I'm thankful for brilliant authors who formulate fantastic ideas and turn them into beautiful literature. I'm thankful for snowy, cold weather that makes me want to just curl up under the blankets on the couch with a cup of cider and a good book. I'm thankful for my forever-long to-read list that keeps growing no matter how many books I read. I'm thankful for the books I love so much that I read them over and over again without getting tired of them. It's amazing what those who are proficient in the English language can do.

Being Thankful: Day Nine

Nothing in particular really jumped out at me as something to be thankful for today, but I did think a lot about my nieces and nephews. All of my siblings are married, and they all have kids, and thanks to that, I have nine nieces and nephews. Nine awesome kids who, despite being crazy at times, are the best kids in the world. They are the cutest nieces and nephews you will ever find anywhere, no contest.

I absolutely love being an aunt. I love playing with the little ones (and the not so little ones—my oldest niece is fourteen now). When I'm down, I know that I can go visit one of my siblings and their kids will brighten my day. There's nothing like having a three-year-old (or two-year-old, or seven-year-old, or five-year-old) yell, "Aunt Lindy!" and run to give me a giant hug. I don't think there is anything better than that in the world.

So today I'm thankful for Amanda, Will, Dalton, Isabella, Aiden, Adeline, Penelope, Ethan, and Chloe because they are the best nieces and nephews an aunt could ask for.