Gratitude

My gratitude post tonight may take a little more explanation than I have given in other posts. There have been a couple of things that have profoundly affected me the last couple of days that I want to write about.

Today, Jeremy is grateful for video cameras. Jeremy and I are in charge of planning a Matis family reunion this year, which is coming up in a couple of weeks. For the reunion we have asked each family unit to work on a family history project of their choosing and then present what they have worked on at the reunion. The project Jeremy chose was to transfer all of his parents' family videos to digital format (which he ended up not having to do, but that's another story completely) and organize the files and burn them onto dvd's for each family. He has really enjoyed going through the old family videos and hopes that the rest of the family enjoys having easily accessible copies in their own homes.

Isak is grateful for our bodies, because we we wouldn't be alive if we didn't have one.

Becca is grateful for everything she has, because some people don't have the stuff she has. Now this may seem like an over generalized statement, but because I had the privilege of being in her classroom at school on Thursday, I know exactly why she said this tonight.

I walked into Becca's classroom the other day for my weekly afternoon of volunteering just as the teacher was starting to read a book to the class. The kids were teasing the teacher, asking her if she was going to cry this time. Apparently she is a little tender hearted and has gotten teary when reading certain books to them. She told them that she wouln't cry this time, and started to read The Little Match Girl.

If you have not heard this story before, it is about a young girl, living in poverty, who is out on New Year's Eve trying to sell matches to make a meager living. She is cold, hungry and afraid to return home for fear that she will be beaten for not having sold any matches. By the time the teacher reached the end of the story, she had managed to control her tears, but I hadn't. I was impressed as she began to talk to the children about how fortunate they are and how grateful they should feel for the blessings in their lives. She explained that, like the little match girl, there are many children without adequate food, clothing, shelter, warmth, love. She encouraged them to be grateful during the holidays, rather than getting caught up in thinking just about the presents they hope to receive.

I was so grateful that day that Becca has a teacher who not only teaches her math, reading and science, but also reinforces lessons that we teach at home and at church. I was even more grateful tonight, as Becca said that she is grateful for "everything [she has], because some people don't have the stuff [she has], because I realized that the lesson that her wonderful teacher taught that day made an impact on her.

Finally, I am grateful that I got to go out on a fun date last night with Jeremy and my niece, Angela and her husband, Nick. We celebrated Angela's birthday by going out to dinner and then to Yuletide Celebration, which is the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's Christmas concert.

Yuletide Celebration was beautiful in every way. The music, the dancers, the scenery...it was all quite magical. What touched me most though, is that amidst the acting out of Twas the Night Befor Christmas and the tap dancing Santas, there were moments of profound spirituality as the musicians expressed testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Too often in today's society, we are made to feel that it is inappropriate to express devotion to our Savior. It is wonderful to me that, during the Christmas season, music that testifies of Jesus is everywhere - in the stores, on the radio and in concert halls - and very few question it. I am so grateful for this. I am grateful for these rare opportunities for the divinity and mission of Jesus Christ to be sang from the rooftops! What a glorious time of year!