Category: Gratitude (Page 5 of 8)

Genki desu ka?

February 1, 2012 / vanalee / 0 Comments

I think that I take my good health for granted. I have my minor aches and pains and get a cold once in awhile, but I am healthy. I realized today that I need to be grateful for that everyday because it can be gone in an instant. Today I went to the hospital to visit a friend. She was diagnosed with pneumonia three weeks ago and has been in the hospital. It looks like she will be there at least another week. This experience has caused her to think about her mortality and what she is going to do different when she is well.

When my Japanese friends ask, “Genki desu ka?” (Are you healthy?) I always want to be able to answer yes!

Nigel

January 31, 2012 / vanalee / 3 Comments

As much as I complain about my boys convincing me to get a mountain bike instead of a hybrid, I have loved riding my bike. It Â got me a round London for a year, well mostly around Hyde Park, and has been ridden in Tokyo for nearly five ( it took me a year to decide I was brave enough to ride here). Our family usually names our bikes. Since my black Specialized Hard Rock was purchased in London, I named him Nigel. I am so grateful for my bike!

Hot Chocolate

January 30, 2012 / vanalee / 1 Comment

I am so grateful for the person who decided to try adding chocolate to hot milk. I love it on a cold Tokyo day. This winter I have enjoyed this

Earthquakes!

January 29, 2012 / vanalee / 0 Comments

No, I am really not grateful for earthquakes. (Someday I should make a list of all the things I’m grateful I learned from the experience of being in Japan on March 11, 2011). Â We have been having quite a few little shakes in the last few weeks. I always sit still during them wondering if they are going to get stronger and thinking about what I should do if they do.

I am grateful for the USGS website that I can check after each quake to see what the magnitude was. I must have checked this site hundreds of times in the first four months after the Great Tohoku earthquake.

The Temple

January 28, 2012 / vanalee / 1 Comment

It’s impossible to get a great photo of the whole Tokyo temple. When you get far enough away to take in most of the temple there are power lines bisecting the image. This photo of the spire and Angel Moroni are taken from a bench in the park across from the temple.

In this photo you can barely see the temple building. This angle makes the Angel Moroni appear to be on top of Mori Tower which actually some distance away from the temple. You can see what I mean about power lines, not to mention cars and buses.

However, that isn’t what this post is about anyway. I am grateful for the temple and the blessings that come to me and to my family as I serve there. I am so grateful that during my time in Tokyo I have lived only five minutes from it’s door, allowing me to enter often.

This is hard!!!!

January 27, 2012 / vanalee / 0 Comments

Keeping up my gratitude posts is hard. I always seem to be getting behind. My new goal is to post before noon everyday. I am grateful I can repent, catch up and try again.

Sewing

January 26, 2012 / vanalee / 0 Comments

It seems like I have never quite been able to manage owning a sewing machine that I really love to use. My machines always seemed to have at least one thing that I found really annoying. My grandmother raised me to believe that a Singer machine was the best. Now, that may be true if I had her Singer. (Where did her sewing machine go anyway? Why didn’t I get an option to have it?) I have owned 3 Singers, two were awful and one was okay. My last Singer was awful and quirky and I patiently loved it. I took it apart often and finally it died. I had projects to finish when it died and Jo let me borrow her newly acquired Brother. I was amazed at how much fun sewing was again. I did my research and bought my own Brother. I am grateful for a sewing machine that allows me to love sewing again.

Murmuring

January 25, 2012 / vanalee / 0 Comments

I am grateful for Nephi’s example. Today I was reading in 1 Nephi 17. This is the chapter where Nephi is told to build a ship. Although I have read this many times and noted Nephi’s lack of murmuring in comparison to just about everyone around him, today his powerful example struck me. He didn’t question his ability to accomplish what the Lord asked him to do. All he asked for was help in knowing where to get the ore to make the tools.

Now, to liken this to me and my life.

Almost ours…

January 24, 2012 / vanalee / 2 Comments

Today we received the date when sweet baby John will be Rorey’s brother, legally. Hooray for such good news! We love this baby boy and his darling sister. I am so grateful for blessings that come from prayer.

Missionaries

January 23, 2012 / vanalee / 0 Comments

Tonight we had two sisters and four elders at our house for dinner. I am so grateful for their faith, diligence, obedience, youth and wonderful attitudes.