1. A young, newly married woman was called to our ward’s nursery. A week later, she called and asked if she could come over to our home and get to know our nursery age child. She spent an hour on the floor with our two year-old, reading and rolling balls, laughing and singing. Thank you, A, and all of those who serve with love.
2. At one point in the last year, I was feeling low. I was overwhelmed by my faults and the impossibility of overcoming them. One Sunday, Brother J got up and bore his testimony about how hard it was to be good, and how he prayed for strength and, even though he felt like he fell short, he knew that he was acceptable in the sight of the Lord because of his desires, and that all he could do what continue to strive. Thank you, Brother J, and all of those in my ward and on the internet who are willing to open their lives and share their struggles. It has made a huge difference in my life.
3. Several of my home teaching charges have really needed me these last few months. I have received phone calls in the middle of the night, had involvement with law enforcement at several levels and grieved with a family over the death of a father and husband. It has not been easy, and I have been required to make some tricky decisions. I alos recognize that I have thrived spiritually and socially. I am grateful for a community which requires me to take my commitment to the Gospel out on the mean streets, to take the question of what Christ would do above the level of cliché or rhetoric.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Feel free to share your Mormon thanks.
By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog 
Great thoughts. I’m grateful beyond words for my wife, my brilliant, compassionate, ethical, insightful, patient, beautiful wife without whom I would be utterly lost. And I am grateful for my children in their very specific personalities and skills. They are kind to their father in ways far beyond their years.
And this year particularly, as I close in on two full decades of Theism, I am grateful to God for making of my unruly mind a vessel for his light, however fleetingly, way back in 1990.
I’m grateful for siblings like you, Norbert.
I am grateful for my new baby girl. I wanted her so bad – even before I had four sons. Anything I’ve tried to write just sounds cheesy, but this Thanksgiving, I am so grateful for the blessing of a little girl in my life.
I am grateful for the community of Saints, and for everything that means. I am grateful that our religion requires much of us, and that we are so frequently asked to reach beyond the confines of our comfortable lives. I am grateful for the brilliant minds and gifted words of my BCC co-bloggers, and their willingness to open their hearts and unzip themselves in the process of sharing their faith in God.
I’m grateful for my son, who teaches me in so many ways, and challenges me to become an example of the kind of person I hope to see him grow up to be. The Lord has blessed me beyond measure by trusting me to raise him. My son is such an amazing, strong person to have survived all he has with his sense of humor intact. I admire him and am inspired by him every day.
I’m grateful for our cozy house and for things like dishes, furniture and glazed windows. For running water and flush toilets, electricity and central heat. These are luxuries most opulent and most rare, that almost none of humanity throughout history and today have experienced. Especially for plentiful good food and for the delight of cooking and eating it. For cleanliness and health. For dentists and the opportunity to keep my own teeth into old age.
For technological society as a whole, which has brought me such boons as these. For the scientific method and inventors throughout time. For power plants, factories, big oil, big ag, and big box stores, which feed and clothe us and keep us warm and safe. These things all are tremendous, and for them I’m thankful. I’m especially thankful for the spirit of cooperation and lawfulness that lets all these systems work. I’m so glad our government and our society actually do work, and are not rotten with violence and corruption as they are in so many places. For the opportunity to live in a just, peaceable, and lawful society I feel profound gratitude, and I’m thankful for all the people who put themselves in the path of danger to keep it so.
For the opportunity to live within the community of Saints, I feel such gratitude, as well. For service and friendship, and simply for the blessings of knowing so many wonderful good people.
For the web that enriches my life by connecting me with the smart, kind people of the bloggernacle, and with people like Dr. Sunitha Krishnan, Mawi Asgedom, Greg Mortenson, Lynea Lattanzio, and all the other brave, crazy, and wonderful folks who are building tomorrow’s world. Particularly I’m glad for the opportunity to join them and do my part.
For my Mom who’s worked tirelessly for sixty years to give her children what they need and teach them how to live. Her love inspires me daily.