I realized as we were driving home from break in the beautiful northwest that I didn't get one picture of anyone besides Ryan and I. I promise we didn't spend Thanksgiving completely alone... One the contrary, it was a total party. I'm happy to report that Ryan's extended family is just about as loud as he is himself.
I LOVE THE SALT FLATS. SO COOL.
^^ City where I got my first speeding ticket, on the way back from Ragnar last fall. Curse you, East Carlin. Curse you.
On a more serious note, I can't post about Thanksgiving without mentioning how thankful I am for what I have. There are millions who would do anything for the abundance and freedom we have in this part of the world. I could have been born in Tibet or Xinjiang, oppressed by the Chinese government and not allowed to worship freely or speak my native language in school. I could have been born in southern India, where my day-to-day life would revolve around finding a clean water source for my family's needs. But I was born in America, and I have never had to even think about those things. I take them completely for granted. I don't know why I am so fortunate, but I know where much is given much is required.
Mosiah 4:21-22 "And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another. And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth."
In this newlywed period, despite the fact that I as the wife am supposed to try to make our apartment look cute and homey, I've recently become relatively disenchanted with the concept of 'stuff.' None of it matters. I want to help other people. We are so blessed in the United States. To anyone who might be reading this, just take a minute to think about what you have, realize it's incredible, then look outward and help someone who needs your time, substance, or words. I am so, so thankful for the portion of God's creation and substance that I have been lent during this life. I want to show Him that He can always count on me to never hold it out of reach of one who needs it more than I do. It was never mine anyway.
Happy Thanksgiving, all.
