Thankful, Grateful, Blessed.

I wanted to spend the weekend challenging myself to be more in the moment. So although Thanksgiving is a few days behind us, I wanted to share the many things in life that I am grateful for.

My Growing Family

This past week, I was beyond blessed to become an Aunt to the most beautiful, and wonderful baby girl. I was able to watch my sister become a mother, and see her little family grow. Having the opportunity to watch her and her husband become parents over the past 9 months has completely magnified the appreciation that I have for family and the ability that we all have to be together for all of eternity. I am so excited for the day that Brent and I are able to become parents and continue building our own little eternal family. (Not any time soon! haha) I am thankful for the wonderful family that I have and for the love we all share.

My Husband

There is no one on Earth that I have ever been so grateful for than my sweet boy. If you saw where I was a little over a year ago compared to where I am now, you would never expect me to find such a catch like Brent. He has completely recreated the way that I saw the relationships around me, the ability that I have to feel safe with others, and even the ability to accept the mistakes of my past and to forgive and move forward. Brent has truly helped me grow and move forward in life. No one on Earth carries so many Christ like attributes the way that he does. The strength, compassion, love, and care that he has for everyone around him always puts me in awe. I strongly encourage everyone to find themselves a Brent and to never let go.

The Gospel

I could go on and on with the Church and what it has done for me. But to keep it short and sweet, I would have to say that I have been through much change in my life and have gone through much hardships. And through all of the pain, challenges, and change, there was always three things that stayed consistent. The Church, the words in the Book of Mormon, and the feeling of the Spirit when I am on my knees, saying a prayer throughout the day asking for comfort. Without the comfort, support, and ever so strong structure of the Church, I do not believe that I would be here today.

The Atonement

I have touched up on being thankful for the Gospel, but I feel that the level of appreciation that I have for the Atonement deserves its own explanation. As i have touched up a little bit before, my life has carried lots of challenging and sometimes scary experiences. The Atonement is what has allowed me to feel at peace while fighting to move forward and recover from those hard times. I developed a better understanding of the love of Christ and the love that can be received from Christ. The Atonement is more than just a comfort, it is also the one way that we can truly repent, and move forward from our past mistakes. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I was able to move forward, be forgiven, and even forgive myself from the past. Because of the Atonement, I can attend the Temple and be sealed to my husband and future family for all of eternity. The Atonement brings so much peace into my life and I challenge you to invite it into your own life. I PROMISE you that it will bring nothing but strength, comfort, and peace. For those who aren't familiar, the term, Atonement of Jesus Christ, is what we use to describe the events of His suffering for our sins and pains, crucifixion on the cross, and His resurrection 3 days later.

Armed Forces/ Veterans

I was raised with a family filled with Veterans and with parents who have a very strong love for this Country. I am thankful for the amount of love that those who serve this Country hold for not only the United States, but for us who live in it. I am thankful for the bravery, strength, dedication, and love that you all hold. For those of you who have served or are currently serving, THANK YOU! You are loved, prayed for, and supported.

Trials

As difficult as it is to go through something hard at the time, there has never been a point where I regret going through it at the end. Looking back at the roughest and most painful times in my life, I now see and acknowledge that those times were there to make us better humans in this world. Sometimes it is hard to accept, and find a reason. But I encourage you to look past the reason for that pain, and accept that there is always one consistent reason of going through things like this and it is only to become stronger.

New Beginnings

Since being married, Brent and I have experienced SO many changes. And when there is change, there is always a new start. At first, these changes were very difficult for me, but over time, I have found that I appreciate and love these beginnings for what they are. New opportunities to learn and grow. We are about to start another new beginning in a few weeks in our new apartment, and I am so excited to see where this new beginning will lead!

YOU!

I would not be able to end this post without sharing the tremendous amount of gratitude that I have for all of YOU! I am thankful for the constant support, comments, and kindness that has been shared towards me. But even placing my blog aside, I wanted to share how much I appreciate and look up to the strength that I see in all of you. Whether it is online or in my personal life, I promise I see it. It is the strength and positive light that I see in so many of you in that motivates me to be a better, more happy, and stronger person. So thank YOU for allowing me to find it so easy to have things in life to be thankful for.

With Christmas season finally here, I plan to share some of my favorite Christmas family traditions. So stay tuned, and have a wonderful week!

XO, Andie Rose