Thanks

This entry is dedicated to my family, because I know they will read it eventually. It's been 5 whole years since I spent Thanksgiving with my family. I can remember helping make the pies the day before...half of them never making it to Thanksgiving. Mom always put me in charge of making the green bean casserole. I tried to steal as many French-fried onions as I could when she wasn't looking. When it was finally dinnertime, we crowded around the table and tried not to bump elbows too much. Sometimes we had the missionaries over, so we ate from our real plates instead of paper ones. Even with company, our silverware was always mismatched.

the whole crew in front of the Apex temple
2008, I think

I am thankful for eternal families. I don't know if I'll ever live close to my family again. There's a chance of that when James goes to grad school, but we just don't know as of right now. I am grateful for the new family that I became a a part of last July, and I am especially glad that my brother-in-law made it home from his mission, finally! (Luckily, I already knew him and did not just meet him for the first time.) I love my own little family, though it's definitely not complete. I love my husband and darling little boy. I can't wait until the other children get here and make our little family complete.

The family might be failing as the basic unit of society today, but it will always be the basic unit of the celestial kingdom. I'm thankful that I come from an eternal family, married into one, and have been able to create my own. I know that I'll never be alone as long as I stay close (though not physically) to my family.