un poco mas...

ahh! it's the day and i am so behind. how my birthday got here so quickly it is beyond me, but here i am, 30 years old. so here come the rest and be ready because this one will be long.

12. technology. i have seen the exponential growth of technology in my lifetime. i remember the days before cell phones and email. and now i seem to not be able to survive without instant messages, texts, and emails. i love that i can be in contact with all the important people in my life almost instantaneously.

13. communication. i believe it makes the world go round. and though at times it is not my strongest talent, i try my best to let people know how i feel. it is what ties us together and draws us close to one another.

14. gifts. and i don't mean presents necessarily, but more of gifts of love, time, talents, the spirit, kindness, etc. i have been abundantly blessed with more gifts than i deserve.

15. guilty pleasures. though these are not meaningful i enjoy having them. whether it is a particular tv show, movie, magazine, song, or any other form of "entertainment" i am grateful for them.

16. art. i have discussed this in a previous post. very few things move me as much as this. to have beauty created in various forms, the contrast of light and dark, shapes, colors, mediums. i love it all.

17. school. this is pretty much my life. i am an educator through and through. although at times when i am challenged i want to quit, i know that i could never really desire anything else.

18.the ocean. there is something about staring out into that vast expanse and feeling so small yet a part of something greater.

19. new beginnings. i am so grateful to be able to make changes and start anew.

20. hope. i think my life would be unlivable without hope. even when life and experience dictates that i should let go of my hope, i don't. and for that i am grateful.

21. prayer. i could write many things on this topic but worry they would come out sounding trite instead of sincere. i am humbled by the opportunity and ability to communicate with god.

23. music apparently most of the things i am grateful for also happen to be my passions. so with that i ask you to see "passions" and "in a little while..." for more on this topic.

24. simple pleasures. i've feel that i have been blessed with the ability to enjoy the simple things in life. a calvin and hobbes comic, a funny commercial, seeing the sun shine through the clouds, flowers growing on the side of the freeway, a good parking spot-the list could go on. these i consider my simple pleasures.

25. home. in the literal as well as figurative sense. i've been blessed to live in comfortable, clean, warm homes my entire life. i know this is something i take for granted when so many in this world lack a roof over their heads.

26. sadness. this may seem odd to most as something one would be grateful for, but this emotion is so raw and deep. there is a beauty to it that i have always felt. i find it in books i read, music i listen to, or moments in my life that have captured that beautiful tragic sadness.

27. contrast. light and dark. despair and joy. love and hate. hot and cold. i appreciate the contrast that is found in the world. i love it because of the perspective and hope it has brought into my life.

28. memories. i have also blogged about this in the past. i feel so lucky to be able to relive a moment, day, week just by my memories. i love the reminders they give when my hope does wane. or the smile they bring to my face as i look back on moments, whether fondly or with a bit of sadness, and see what i have learned and how i have grown.

29. virtue/purity. i appreciate the concept of being clean, of being whole and pure. not only that, but also the virtuous and pure objects, concepts, ideas, and people that i am able to interact with.

30. gospel of jesus christ. this probably should have been first on the last, but somehow it seems fitting to place it at the 30 spot. at the culmination of it all. as i thought about why i didn't place it earlier i realized that it is because everything i have in my life, everything on this list, i have because of this gospel, because i have been blessed with the truth. to know of a plan, to know of a god who loves me and cares for me, to know of the mercy and renewal that come through the atonement of jesus christ. i am fortunate that the gospel has managed to seep into all areas of my life. i'm not sure how it happened, but hope to continue on the same path.