Thankful

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday I spent much of the day making soup base to freeze using the bones from the two turkeys we cooked for Sunday's pot luck. We make soup for people in need, funerals and wakes and to serve after our ARP meetings. A couple of the sisters make wonderful rolls so between us we can quickly put together and deliver a good meal to our brothers and sisters in need

Tuesday evening we had Relief Society. We learned to make beaded earrings, although I discovered my talents don't lie in jewelry making.

We had 17 sisters around the table.

This is Kiaralysce, she's six weeks old and is sporting the hat her mom learned to make at our crocheting class. She's the youngest of the four adorable babies that I often get to hold...a grandmothers dream.

Wednesday we did some work around the church and I baked pies, made stuffing and sweet potatoes and generally just got ready for Thanksgiving. We were invited to President and Sister Gilson's. He is the Branch President. They have four darling children including two babies, one six months and one almost three months. When they were expecting Colton they got the opportunity to adopt Wyatt so it is much like having twins. They also had all of President Gilson's siblings and families visiting so along with us and another couple from the neighborhood we had a full table and a great time visiting with everyone. Not to mention the food was plentiful and delicious!

Saturday we attended the memorial service for a members husband. The Native tradition is that a year or two after the funeral you have a party with food and a program in which people talk about the person who has passed and the family hands out gifts to everyone attending. They collect these gifts during the year between the funeral and the party

This is the gift Elder Lindsey and I received...everyone received something.

Laura was given two of these pillows as a thank you for the service she has given to the family.

These are just two of at least 15 quilts that were displayed and given to close personal friends and family of the deceased. There were also probably 30 blankets given away. It was a blessing for us to witness the way in which these wonderful people honor their loved ones by sharing gifts with their friends.

We have thought a lot about gratitude and the things we are grateful for during this last week. We know we are blessed. We have never wanted for food on our table or a roof over our heads and we have more than enough clothes in our closets. As we live here that point is especially brought home as we see so many around us who have so little. 

We received a large box from our friends the Culverwells this week and today when the call went out that a member has no heat in her trailer (the high temperature was 14 degrees today) and needed blankets I was able to send two from their box. It made us reflect on how blessed we've been to have such wonderful giving friends in our life.

Our thoughts this week have been with our family and the times we've been surrounded by them at Thanksgiving. We've thought about how much we love them and how grateful we are for the good lives they live. We have been especially grateful that my mother is regaining her health and that Elder Lindsey's brother is surrounded by family who love him  as he battles his cancer. 

As Elder Lindsey has continued to teach Annette the Temple Preparation lessons this week we have reflected on how blessed we were to live where we do in Salt Lake where 15 minutes in any direction brings us to Temple. In three weeks we will travel almost 6 hours to the Bismark Temple with our Branch. We are excited. It's been almost nine months since we've been to the Temple and it has felt a little like a drought. It will be even more special to be there with Annette as she receives her endowment. 

Every day as we pray for you, our family and friends know that we are so very grateful for each of you in our lives and that we count you as blessings.

Love,

Elder and Sister Lindsey