Thanks for the Reminder

School is winding up for the semester and things are getting a little hectic. With papers due and finals to start studying for anyone would feel a little run down. Add to the mix the fact that I'm extremely home sick of late and facing some personal decisions and challenges, I've been feeling like I couldn't handle any more. I think I really was still enjoying life, but finding it hard to focus on the good things, instead of the bad. And then the Lord gave me a beautiful reminder of how blessed I am. No, my worries and troubles didn't disappear, but the Lord showed me things that I have to be grateful for.

Yesterday, I sat watching Conference with my roommates in our living room. Let me just list the things I can be grateful for that popped into my head at the moment:
1. I am attending a University where the gospel plays an important part, where I can sit down with my roommates and watch Conference!
2. I have amazing roommates, who are all different and add so much to my life, and accept me for who I am
3. We have a prophet of God on the earth today, he speaks to us in our time. I can listen to words of council from him and other men of God that has been revealed for the challenges I face now, in my day.

Then, in between Conference sessions I called my Dad to talk about something really quick. I hung up the phone with an overwhelming wish to be home and it was hard that I wasn't. Yet at the same time I felt so blessed because:
1. I have a family that I know loves me, and I know that we can be together forever.
2. I live in an age of technology where I can call or e-mail my family every day and stay in touch even when I can't be with them physically.

Later yesterday evening I got to add one more thing to my list of things to be grateful for: the girls I lived with last year. Us girls who live in the Villa this year (along with Amy, one of Danielle's friends) took Danielle out to dinner, kind of as a bachelorette party since she is getting married next month. As I sat there laughing with them all, I realized just how lucky I was to meet them all. For the most part, we are all extremely different people. Yet somehow, we built friendships with each other that I know will last through eternity. They have gotten me through some tough times in the last couple of years, and now I can't imagine life without them in it.

As I went to bed last night and thought about my day I realized something. Sometimes God can't take away the challenges we are facing, but just when we may begin to doubt his love for us, he'll remind us that he is always there and always loves us. All we have to do is take a moment to recognize all the little blessings with which he shows us his love.