The other night I attended my 10-year high school reunion. Long live Granite High! I guess it will have to live on in our memories since the stupid school board closed it down this year. I'm still bitter about that. It was doomed to fail when they turned it into an alternative school. Anyway, we had a great turn out and it was a lot of fun to see people from the past and walk the hallways of Granite again. The experience also caused me some reflection. I thought about the events of the past ten years and the choices I've made. In such situations as these one inevitably observes the trajectories of other lives. As I left I felt very grateful for the course my life has taken, and for my lifestyle. I judge no one and I appreciate that people can find joy and fulfillment in many ways, but for me, I was filled with thankfulness for what I have and what I don't have. It is more than I ever would have hoped for! Here are just a few reasons why I am such a lucky man, with pictures from our summer.
First, I live in such an incredible world, full of amazing beauty. Occasionally, I even get to enjoy some free time in it, like vacations to Lake Powell.
Second, I am part of the greatest family ever. I am so thankful for the friendship and fun that we share together.
Third, I live in the greatest little town with my little family in the very place where my forbears lived and worked. I even get to take care of a garden (which is thriving, by the way) in soil that was likely tilled and worked with their own hands!
Fourth, we have the good fortune to be able to build a home that we have picked out, in a neighborhood full of good families, in an awesome ward, in a great town, in a beautiful valley. Progress is being seen daily.
Fifth, I am married to an incredible woman, who does SO much for me. What's even more, she is pregnant with our little girl and so far mom and baby are healthy. These two blessings are especially amazing to me. They may seem quite ordinary to many, but to me there is no question that they are miracles!
Above all, I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am not naive enough to believe that you must have the gospel to have a happy, productive, and wonderful life. I am not naive enough to believe that with the gospel you are guaranteed a happy, productive, and wonderful life. Nevertheless, I feel blessed beyond measure to be a witness of its wonder and a recipient of its promises. It is the foundation of my life. It is my strength and my joy. Life can be complicated and life can be hard. God requires the sacrifice of that which will stretch us the most. Sometimes the stretching seems almost too much to bear, but I join the psalmist who said, "In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul!"
