Day 135, 136, 137 - Way 135, 136, 137

135 (Tuesday) Today I am grateful for family. I love my extended family and I am grateful to be a part of their lives.

136 (Wednesday) My parents are so great and I am grateful for their faith in me. They encourage me to be better and stronger. I know that I can be a great person, because of their trust in me.

137 (Thursday) Today I am grateful for home cooked meals. My sweet grandma spent the day helping me with some errands for my parents that they really needed me to do. Afterward, she offered to bring me dinner. She is one of those ladies that finds joy in feeding her family. She is wonderful!

Day 133 and 134 - Way 133 and 134

Day 133 (Sunday)

I find comfort in knowing that the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was set up in such a way that we can lean on certain people for strength, because they have been given extra power and strength to help us in our times of weakness. I am grateful for a Father in Heaven that recognizes our needs and helps us if we will let him.

Day 134 (Monday)

I am grateful for friends in the gospel that are good examples to me of who I can become. I love knowing that there are people that understand the true principles of the gospel and embrace others and help them to see the light of Christ. I hope to be that kind of person!

Day 132 - Way 132

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It takes a village to raise a child.

Now obviously this is not a ploy to get you to buy Hillary Clinton's book (by the same title) instead, this is my attempt to report on the miracle I have discovered that is most valuable to all people around the world.
I would like to change the verbiage of this proverb slightly, to read:
It takes a relative, a friend, a neighbor, a village, a country, and the world to allow one human being to be their very best self.

I honestly believe that we are not in this thing alone and we are not meant to face any of it alone. I believe in a loving Father in Heaven that wants to be with all of his children always. Directing them, leading them, giving advice, protecting them, providing love and support to them. I also believe that in order for him to allow us to use our agency, he knew he couldn't be here face to face, telling us exactly what he expects us to do and exactly what will make us happy. So in his wisdom and love, he gave us family, neighbors, friends, villages and people around the globe to be his hands, his voice, his love. It is up to us to reach out for his help through those he has provided in our path that will lift us and strengthen us. John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

In his love and mercy he has given us people, other human beings that struggle and have challenges and at times will need you for support, but will also be there for you to buoy you up and give you peace in your heart in your time of need. I am grateful that this week, I was able to realize that I am not in this alone. I can and must lean on the strength of those that love me to give me hope in times of weakness. For any of my friends or family or global readers, please lean on me when you need strength. I want to be His hands, His love.

Day 129, 130, 131 -Way 129, 130, 131

August 6(129)
I am grateful for hard work and the opportunity to grow as I develop skills at work.

August 7(130)
I have been so blessed to have a job that has allowed me to be flexible and do the things that I needed to do to finish school and travel and grow. Today, I had a rough day at work, but I was reminded that I have received so many blessings fro this job, that this one day cannot hold me down.

August 8(131)
The miracle of the Olympic Ideal, is one of the most amazing miracles I have ever heard of. I can not believe that people from all over the world can step aside from their worldly differences and embrace the humanity that is within us all. I am grateful that my parents taught me to love allpeople as they are all Gods children and my brothers and sisters.

Day 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128 - Way 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128

Day 123 (July 31) Time sure does fly when your friend gets a new job and leaves you! :( Today is the last day I will see my good friend Kelly at work. About a month ago, I helped him as he was applying for a job. Today, I threw a party for him to say goodbye. I am grateful for his friendship and I hope that it will continue even though he will be far away.

Day 124 (Aug 1) I am so grateful for the gospel and for the lessons I have learned about charity throughout my life. I feel like this life is one big opportunity to show our Heavenly Father just how much we care for all that he has given us. I hope that I spend enough time every day giving of myself to be worthy to return to my Heavenly Fathers presence.

Day 125 (Aug 2) Today I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given to be a missionary. In visiting the Mesa Arizona Temple Visitors Center today, I was given a strong witness of the truthfulness of the gospel message of eternal families. After receiving this witness, we were asked by a sister missionary if we knew of anyone that might be ready to hear the gospel message. I normally hesitate and usually don't put any names down. On this occasion however, I felt strongly that I should put down two names. These two people mean a lot to me and I hope that one day they will be receptive to the spirit as it bears witness of the truth. Although at times we may believe that people will be angry with us for giving their names and phone numbers to missionaries, I know that they will be more upset with me in Heaven if I decided they didn't deserve a chance to hear the messages of the restored gospel here on Earth.

Day 126 (Aug 3) This was a very long day. I started driving home from Phoenix at 9am Arizona time. We didn't arrive home until 11:30pm Arizona time. That's 14 1/2 hours for those that didn't want to count! You would think that I would have been absolutely exhausted, but I wasn't, in fact, I felt very alert and in control the entire day as I drove across the Arizona desert and through Las Vegas and up the majority of Utah. The miracle could easily be the fact that I stayed awake, but I would also like to point out the miracle of the sacred temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After visiting the Mesa temple yesterday, I decided that I wanted to see the Las Vegas temple as well. The Las Vegas temple has become one of my most favorite places to stop, because I believe the spirit is so very strong there, even on the outside. Once we stopped there, I couldn't hold back the feeling that this was a sacred Sunday and so I wanted to make the most of the Sabbath, since I couldn't make it to church. So, I stopped at the St. George temple as well. After that, we had really made this trip much longer than it should have been, so I wasn't able to stop at the Provo, Mt. Timpanogos or Jordan River Temples, but I got to see the two in Utah county with their lights on as we drove by. I am grateful for the temple. I know that it is designed by our Heavenly Father as a place where we can strengthen our commitment to him and we can be the Lords hands in fulfilling his promise that all would be given a chance to return to live with him again.

Day 127 (Aug 4) I am grateful for the miracle of having a job that I love. I feel so blessed to be able to go to work and enjoy what I do.

Day 128 (Aug 5) I am grateful for creativity. I am grateful for opportunities to be creative in what I do, in order to be more efficient and more effective. I am grateful that my job is flexible enough that I was able to work a 14 hour day today, it really helps to make up for missing 2 weeks of work due to illness.

Day 122 - Way 122

Miracles can come in all shapes and sizes. Today the miracle is that my moms years of hard work at home and my dads years of play at work, to make sure that I got an education finally paid off big time. I took my very last test today and it is now official, I have graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelors degree in Geography.(OK, still technically not yet, cause I don't have the piece of paper to prove it)I know, I know a few of you out there are saying, wait she posted about graduating back in May. That is true, I did. But that is when I walked, cause the U only let's you walk once a year. I had 12 more credits I had to finish, but now I have finished them. So, in 3 months when the paper diploma comes, I will probably have to bring it up again, but for now, this is huge. I feel like I have made my daddy proud today. He always told us that getting his degree was so important, so to be the first of his kids to do it, I am a little (OK, a lot) proud of myself. But I have to say, it is not all on me. I know this took MANY amazing people to get me to this point, so today I wish to honor and celebrate them. I am full of gratitude for everyone that got me through this. Now, can I go to Disney World?

Day 121 - Way 121

It was a miracle to me today to get sooo much work done at work. I have been sick for a while, so I missed a lot of work. Well, today I was able to go to work and I worked for 10 hours! I got so much accomplished and I feel really good about what I did. I am grateful that the Lord knows how much I love my job and want to do well, so he helped me to stay focused and on task so that I could get so much done!