Thankful Thursday

1. I am especially thankful for Grandpa Mann this week. This is Joe's grandfather. He has been here visiting the last several days and it was wonderful to see him. Zachary and I spent most of the day with him my mother-in-law and her sister on Monday. We drove to Bountiful (where he was born and lived until the 8th grade) and listened to him tell us stories about when he was young and various family members. We visited the Bountiful Cemetery and saw the graves of his parents, grandparents, and many more extended family members. It made me want to jump back into family history research! I love all of the many stories that Grandpa Mann has to tell. Not only about the days of old but of his experiences overseas during WWII. We miss him already and cannot wait to see him and hear more stories.

2. I'm thankful for Visiting Teaching. VT for those of you that don't know is a program in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints where women are paired together in "compainionships" and visit other women in their congregation on a monthly basis . The purpose of VT is to create lasting friendships and to provide support and comfort when needed. I'm thankful for my own Visiting Teachers who without fail stop by my house and visit every month. I know that I can call on them for the smallest of things and they will be there when I need them. I am also thankful for my own Visiting Teaching companion. I have built a lasting relationship with her as we have visited several sisters.
In the VT message this month, Margaret D. Nadauld stated, "Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind... We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith." Sure there are times when I think of the worldly stuff and of things that I want (Jessica, I'm really jealous that you got a new fence!). But I would be perfectly happy making my family happy and knowing that my children think of me as a woman of faith.