Thanksgiving

This is the second of two posts. Please scroll down and read Clark's letter from last week!

So in this week of Thanksgiving, I have decided to do just that...give thanks.

I am grateful for an opportunity to serve a mission, and for the health and physical capacities as well as the emotional and spiritual tolerance that have accompanied me on this journey. I am grateful for the blessings that I have seen in my life as well as the blessings that have come to those that I have had the pleasure to teach. I am grateful for promptings of the spirit and spiritual witnesses that testify to the people of the truthfulness of our message - of the message that Christ taught us almost 2000 years ago. I am grateful for eternal truths taught to us by tireless prophets and courageous apostles. I am grateful for the scriptures and modern prophets that bear testimony to those searching for the truth. I am grateful for the spirit that touched the heart of both Christina and Mariapia this weekend at Stake Conference and for their decision to enter the waters of baptism this Saturday. I am grateful for mission leaders, inspired mission presidents and their wives, and General Authorities of the Church.

I am grateful for "goodly parents" who have taught me in the ways of the Lord and about the scriptures. I am grateful for their example and for their loving support throughout my life. I am greatful for the thousands of miles traveled to attend football and basketball games. I am grateful for family road trips and reunions. I am grateful for happy, healthy parents. I am grateful for the example of a loving mom who has been an examplar of womanhood, motherhood, and being a wife. I am grateful for a father who faces each challenge and calling in an optimistic way with trust in priesthood power and wisdom to listen to leaders - and then humbly puts that wisdom into practice. I am grateful for my brother and my brother-in-law that, along with my father, have been examples of righteous priesthood holders. I am grateful for the example they have set for me. I am grateful for the love of sports and good competition embedded in my by my brother. I am grateful for the great wife that he found, the example that she is for me, and the great standard she is for the woman that I hope to meet one day. I am grateful for a logical side of me born by friendship with my brother-in-law. I am grateful for the health conscious and spontaniety of my oldest sister, and for her great example of motherhood. I am grateful for the middle child that has taught me the beauty of order and how to have good clean fun. I am grateful for the peach who, though smallest of all in age, is the spiritual giant of the family. I am grateful for nieces and nephews that teach us many things about life - to name a few: how to enjoy simple things, how to always be engaged in doing something, and how wonderful life is inside the arms of a loved one. I am grateful for wonderful aunts, uncles, and cousins that fufill the statement, "it takes a village to raise a child." I am grateful for friends and their good examples, for righteous priesthood leaders and bishops.

I am grateful for chili potatoes and (I know you can't believe it) warm bowls of oatmeal in the morning. I am grateful for campfire smoke and stories of Herman the worm. I am grateful for shouts of "ah-ah-nic-a-shee" emphatically shouted in the woods. I am grateful for trampoline games and nights under the stars, for homemade shrimp salad, steak, potatoes, and chocolate cake. I am gratefuly for turkey sandwiches and chocolate pudding, for Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Wicked, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dream Coat, for snowmobiling and snow caves, for fishing, fresh air, and fishing. I am grateful for the grace of a bird and the blessing of powered flight. I am grateful for modern transportation and the beauty of the earth.

I cannot list all of the things that I am grateful for. Thanks to all who have influenced my life and for the love and help that you have offered. I love you all!

Anziano Hatch