I am blessed.

Last year, I wrote a list of 100 things I'm grateful for in celebration of Thanksgiving. It was a tough list to write, but turned out to be a good exercise in counting my blessings and realizing everything awesome I enjoy.

This year, I've seen this video pop up on friend's blogs and Facebook pages--and I love it. It made me cry (not a huge feat, people...). I realize it says "Mormon Messages," but I'm pretty sure gratitude is a universal concept...

My favorite part: "If you're having a hard time, you can always overcome that...there's always positive in the future." Some dude on the street said it...and I couldn't have said it better. There really is always positive in the future! There have been several occasions in my life where I have struggled and muddled through, but what I've always discovered is that things work out. Life is good.

On Saturday afternoon, I was in the car with my sister and her family. My 7-year-old nephew started singing all of the Primary songs about Thanksgiving. Wow...how cute, and yet, what an example! We sang about being grateful...the "For Health and Strength" round seemed like it lasted a lifetime, but we had a good laugh. Moments like those are the snippets of life that make me realize how many great things fill up mine.

During this Thanksgiving holiday season, I'm grateful for the fundamentals in my life, the big things that make the little differences. I don't often get religious or preachy on my blog, but I want to express my gratitude for my family, my friends, and of course, my Savior, Jesus Christ. I feel extremely blessed.