An Attitude of Gratitude

 "And live in Thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies which He doth bestow upon you. . ."

I know I am writing after Thanksgiving, but I want to devote most of this posting to "gratitude". Our Mission President's wife, Sister Gilliland, presented this theme at our last Wednesday morning training meeting--just before Thanksgiving Day. This is a tender time for us--we miss our family and friends so much, and would give anything to see their faces, hear their voices, and smother them in hugs. Skype and Facetime just don't suffice for the real thing! But we know that is not going to happen, so we just want to share our thoughts with you at this glorious time of year. We have SO much to be thankful for.

"Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings but also unlocks the door of heaven and helps us feel God's love." (President Monson)

We should all be living in a spirit of "Thanksgiving" every day. We don't have to wait until this time of year to recognize our blessings. Unfortunately, we all have a tendency to notice things less and less because we see them so often. So the challenge for us is to open our eyes and our hearts and notice the people and their faces, nature, night time and daytime sky, stars and moon and sunlight, clouds and rain or snow, the birds and animals, plants and trees, colors, smells, tastes. . . and on and on. How can we make memories if we don't take the time to really relish the happenings of every day?

Thanksgiving was a busy, fulfilling day here. We helped with the planning, setting up, and organization of all the food for the dinner. We fed over 260 people--missionaries from the sites, the temple, and family and friends who were here visiting them. It was a traditional meal of turkey and ham and all the fixings (including green bean casserole and sweet potatoes). Yum! But the program was the highlight. The choir sang, which I am privileged to sing with, "We Give Thee all our Thanks". There was a reading of a wonderful story of "Paying it Forward". The highlight was the family of one of the missionary couples. There were four teenage boys and two younger children along with mom and dad singing a version of "I Am a Child of God" that I have never heard, with the piano and violin. It brought tears it was so beautiful.

Afterward, we played games with several couples. Being alone would not have been easy that night. These are such wonderful people here--all here to serve the Lord and to serve each other. Their stories of sacrifice to be here are amazing. I am truly humbled by all of them.

November was a busy month of pulling up dead or dying plants out of pots and flower beds. Then we quickly planted thousands of tulips and some daffodils. The spring will be outstanding again--can't wait to see it. The last few weeks have also been spent raking and mowing leaves. LeRoy and others spend each day on their mowers catching leaves and piling them high. They are then put into a dump truck and taken down to our compound and piled for composting. They use the composted leaves in the summer to pile deep under each tree. Wish we could transport some of these leaves back to Virgin with us!

Meanwhile, several of us women rake up stacks of leaves to be sucked up by the interesting truck they have created here. (Wish I had a picture for you!). It is a large dump truck with a big hose attached. (It reminds me of Mr. "Snufflupagus" from Sesame Street) The hose sucks up the leaves and they are piled high in the dump truck. Needless to say, it has been good exercise. The days are getting cold though, so our noses and fingers are often pretty painfully cold since we start working by 7:30 each morning.

Time is getting short to get all these leaves up before the snow or ice covers what is left. LeRoy likes to drive me around old Nauvoo and show me the clean lawns after they have worked so hard--because the next day there are new leaves covering up all their daily efforts.

Our new home is so toasty warm--we love it. And all the space is amazing. We don't have to rub behinds as we try to get in or out of bed or into the refrigerator! We do miss our little RV though. We check it every week--hoping little critters don't try to take it over while we are gone.

Ashby House on the left side, white front door

Every month we have the opportunity as a group of missionaries, a district, to clean and beautify a particular historical area of Old Nauvoo. This last weekend we were out on a warm, beautiful Fall day cleaning the statue of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young which is along the edge of the Mississippi River pointing west. The members of the Church were forced out of Nauvoo in 1846 and they headed west to the Salt Lake Valley in order to find peace and a place to worship as they pleased. We love to take care of this place.

 Winter means working in the greenhouse for me three days a week and two days in the historical sites. LeRoy will continue capturing leaves until the snow flys. Then he will be pruning until that can't safely be done. We will be busy, and that is good! Visitors are coming more infrequently now, although this last Thanksgiving week was very busy. Lots of families and people who live close by. We love meeting and greeting them. They come to "Rendezvous" and laugh at all our silliness and make us feel like we really know how to act! A year ago we had no idea we could do such things!!

 The season is quickly moving to preparations for Christmas by making about 500 bows for wreaths and garlands. The wreaths are then decorated with beautiful pinecones from Oregon. It smelled so good in the warehouse as we worked on them today. Smelled like home!! When finished, they will decorate all of Old Nauvoo. I will have lots of pictures next month.

So, as you also prepare for Christmas, have fun! Don't get so caught up in the hurried shopping and stress that brings. We don't have to worry about that here, and I love it. We just want you to celebrate the Season for what it means--Happy Birthday to our Savior of the World.

We want all of you to know that we love you and appreciate your love and support for us. We could not be who we are without you. We thank God for you every day!

Just in case you might need a Christmas tree--try this one! I would!

Parker Lee Thompson

 P.S. Two dear and precious mothers of ours, Enid Thompson, and Geneva Short would have celebrated birthdays this week. Mother T, Enid, would have been 94 years old today. Mom, Geneva Short, would have been 97 on Thursday. How we miss them both!! We are who we are because of them.