I can't believe I made it to my 50th post. I was looking back on some of my old posts last night, and I laughed at some of the memories that came back even if they happened only a few months ago. I think one of the joys of blogging is being able to find humor in the little things of daily life. So, in the spirit of this weekend, I want to give a list of 50 "little" things that I am thankful for. Of course I am thankful the most for the big things like family, faith, freedom, friends, and other things that start with letters other than "f". These are the most important things in life, but for this post I want to acknowledge some of the more "overlooked" blessings and joys of life. This week I came across a journal that I haven't seen in at least five years. I had written in quite a few pages a list of things that I was grateful. Many of them were roommate and school-oriented, and refelective of the daily blessings of my early 20-something life; nevertheless my gratitude for these things still stand years later. Here are 50 of them, in no particular order, taken from that journal:
1. Sunday phone calls from the family.
2. The way the grass looks a little bit greener after I water it.
3. Plumbing that works
4. Professors who remember my name
5. Being able to laugh everyday
6. Air conditioning, even if it freezes me in class/church/work
7. Performing in a good concert.
8. Left-overs
9. Eating ice cream with friends.
10. October daylight savings time when I get an extra hour of sleep.
11. High-5's.
12. Wintergreen mints.
13. Seeing people that I know in the temple.
14. Walking to school when it's still dark and seeing the moon and stars still out.
15. Laughing at myself when I am soaking wet from rain or snow.
16. Coming home from a long day at school and seeing that my roommates (or mom) have already finished making dinner.
17. Sales on bananas, especially when they're slightly under-ripe.
18. Remembering good/funny dreams the morning after.
19. Making homemade hot chocolate.
20. Dancing silly with roommates.
21. Movie nights with friends.
22. Clean restrooms.
23. Sharing a new CD with friends.
24. Getting email from people from the mission.
25. Evening conversations with a friend on the porch.
26. Being able to stay awake in the most boring classes.
27. Being involved in the education of others and watching them succeed.
28. Beautiful Sunday weather.
29. Free bus fare in Utah.
30. Rain, especially the sound of it at night.
31. The feeling of confidence and relief after a test.
32. New sweatshirts.
33. Laugh attacks.
34. When people understand and laugh at my jokes.
35. Cool-looking clouds on full-moon nights.
36. Smell of fresh-dried laundary.
37. Hearing the weather report before leaving the house.
38. Catching the bus or train just in time.
39. Flannel pants.
40. A camera with a new roll of film (this was before digital of course)
41. The silence that hangs in the night air after a fresh snow fall.
42. The feel of new socks.
43. Eating cold cereal at any time of the day.
44. Hearing a frog croak.
45. Roadtrips.
46. Making homemade tomato soup.
47. The feeling after a funeral of wanting to become a better person.
48. Canadian geese.
49. Walking in soft grass barefoot.
50. The moment of the day before the sun goes down when the landscape glows for one last moment.
Showing posts with label gratitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gratitude. Show all posts
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Happy Father's Day!!
Yay for fathers!!
I love this man!!
Some of the things that I have learned from him or that he has instilled in me include: trust, love for current events (news), how to make french toast, work, finances, service, family history, driving Virgin River Gorge, patience, dilligence, generosity, how to make a grilled cheese sandwhich, how to handle telemarketers, public transportation, faith, and love.
If you care to leave a comment, what are some of the things you have learned from your dad?
I love this man!!
Some of the things that I have learned from him or that he has instilled in me include: trust, love for current events (news), how to make french toast, work, finances, service, family history, driving Virgin River Gorge, patience, dilligence, generosity, how to make a grilled cheese sandwhich, how to handle telemarketers, public transportation, faith, and love.
If you care to leave a comment, what are some of the things you have learned from your dad?
Sunday, May 25, 2008
For the Coach
School is over now, the thought of no longer going to class or calling myself a student has sunk in, and I'm almost finished with my thank-you cards. At a moment like this one reflects back to the family and friends that have supported them along the way, whether it be a simple, "How's school going?" or my peers coming up with a way to get me out the house and rescue my sanity. I have been so blessed with so many wonderful people in my life who have helped me along this path. One of them I would like to recognize publicly. Although I gave him a thank-you card about four years ago, I wish I could give one more word of praise and gratitude.
Dr. Kent Van De Graaff had lived an amazing life, one that has impacted thousands of people, including myself. He wrote some of the top-used anatomy textbooks throughout the world, was published in research journals, and guided hundreds, if not thousands, of pre-med students into medical school. He even became a mnemonic for cranial nerves (O-O-O To Touch And Feel Van De Graaff's Very Accessible Hair!) He had his share of adversities in his life: losing both of his parents in his childhood, surviving over three decades after stomach cancer, and the death of his wife from complications of cancer treatment. Such resilience is to be admired. After being rejected for admission from vet school, he decided to pursue a Master degree and chose the education path, teaching zoology and acting as pre-med advisor at schools such as Brigham Young University and then returning to his hometown and alma mater Weber State University.
My first interaction with Dr. V. came when I was a high school senior. I was looking at some of the Utah schools and when I went to visit Weber, he took me in during his lunch break to sit and talk for almost an hour on everything I need to do to prepare for med school and what the school had to offer me in preparing for it. I left his office in amazement and a folder full of handouts. I did decide on Weber and looked forward to my next four years there. His lectures were amazing! He always had interesting points and stories and even some specimens. He welcomed his students to his office anytime. If we were overwhelmed or just feeling down, he offered us some "Damitol" (they were really jellybeans in a jar) and offered to write us a prescription for it if needed. He referred to us as the "Team" and so of course that would make him, "Coach." When I was taking the dissection lab, I realized my project was going to need some time outside of our weekly lab. Every Friday and Monday morning, he would hand me off the extra lab key between classes so I could work on my project over the weekend. He joked one day about our consistency, smiling and said" "We have to stop seeing each other like this." His humor was one-of-a-kind. At the end of that lab he asked me to co-instruct the advanced anatomy lab with another student the next year. Me?? I thought. I was only 20 years old, there's so many other smart and capable students...other reasons why I shouldn't have been asked to teach could go on; but his confidence in me built up my own confidence. He had a way of doing that with so many other students. He showed support for me when I told him I was taking a break from school to go on a mission, telling me that it will be a great experience and will benefit my own teaching. When I came back from my mission, his health was not very good. Having contracted hepatitis from his stomach surgery, his liver was poor and in need of a transplant. He took a sabbatical my last semester of college but he still wrote me an amazing letter of recommendation for PA school, a copy which I still have today. I took a year off to work after that, so I don't know if I ever told him that I made it into PA school. At the end of my first semester of PA school, I got an email that he had passed away. I flew to Utah for the funeral and it was one of the most inspiring moments I ever had. The stories of service and love shared by former students and his family were amazing. My grandfather said that his years at Weber State were his best years of education. I have to say it is the same for me and it is largely due to the influence one teacher had on me.
Many teachers hope to have an impact on the next generation just like Dr. Van De Graaff did to me. Maybe it's those movies and stories like "Dead Poets Society" and "Stand and Deliver" that renews hope and gratitude for the teachers who have impacted our lives. As a daughter and granddaughter of three teachers, I have been raised with an appreciation and respect for them. Five years ago I read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. It's one of the few books that have made me cry, mainly because I have had my own Morrie in my life. There's a quote from it that I want to leave off on that describes Dr. V. and I also wrote it in my last thank-you card to him. Feel free to leave a comment if you agree with it or have had a teacher or other person impact your life in some way.
"Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine? If you are lucky enough to find your way to such teachers, you will always find your way back. Sometimes it is only in your head."
Dr. Kent Van De Graaff had lived an amazing life, one that has impacted thousands of people, including myself. He wrote some of the top-used anatomy textbooks throughout the world, was published in research journals, and guided hundreds, if not thousands, of pre-med students into medical school. He even became a mnemonic for cranial nerves (O-O-O To Touch And Feel Van De Graaff's Very Accessible Hair!) He had his share of adversities in his life: losing both of his parents in his childhood, surviving over three decades after stomach cancer, and the death of his wife from complications of cancer treatment. Such resilience is to be admired. After being rejected for admission from vet school, he decided to pursue a Master degree and chose the education path, teaching zoology and acting as pre-med advisor at schools such as Brigham Young University and then returning to his hometown and alma mater Weber State University.
My first interaction with Dr. V. came when I was a high school senior. I was looking at some of the Utah schools and when I went to visit Weber, he took me in during his lunch break to sit and talk for almost an hour on everything I need to do to prepare for med school and what the school had to offer me in preparing for it. I left his office in amazement and a folder full of handouts. I did decide on Weber and looked forward to my next four years there. His lectures were amazing! He always had interesting points and stories and even some specimens. He welcomed his students to his office anytime. If we were overwhelmed or just feeling down, he offered us some "Damitol" (they were really jellybeans in a jar) and offered to write us a prescription for it if needed. He referred to us as the "Team" and so of course that would make him, "Coach." When I was taking the dissection lab, I realized my project was going to need some time outside of our weekly lab. Every Friday and Monday morning, he would hand me off the extra lab key between classes so I could work on my project over the weekend. He joked one day about our consistency, smiling and said" "We have to stop seeing each other like this." His humor was one-of-a-kind. At the end of that lab he asked me to co-instruct the advanced anatomy lab with another student the next year. Me?? I thought. I was only 20 years old, there's so many other smart and capable students...other reasons why I shouldn't have been asked to teach could go on; but his confidence in me built up my own confidence. He had a way of doing that with so many other students. He showed support for me when I told him I was taking a break from school to go on a mission, telling me that it will be a great experience and will benefit my own teaching. When I came back from my mission, his health was not very good. Having contracted hepatitis from his stomach surgery, his liver was poor and in need of a transplant. He took a sabbatical my last semester of college but he still wrote me an amazing letter of recommendation for PA school, a copy which I still have today. I took a year off to work after that, so I don't know if I ever told him that I made it into PA school. At the end of my first semester of PA school, I got an email that he had passed away. I flew to Utah for the funeral and it was one of the most inspiring moments I ever had. The stories of service and love shared by former students and his family were amazing. My grandfather said that his years at Weber State were his best years of education. I have to say it is the same for me and it is largely due to the influence one teacher had on me.
Many teachers hope to have an impact on the next generation just like Dr. Van De Graaff did to me. Maybe it's those movies and stories like "Dead Poets Society" and "Stand and Deliver" that renews hope and gratitude for the teachers who have impacted our lives. As a daughter and granddaughter of three teachers, I have been raised with an appreciation and respect for them. Five years ago I read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. It's one of the few books that have made me cry, mainly because I have had my own Morrie in my life. There's a quote from it that I want to leave off on that describes Dr. V. and I also wrote it in my last thank-you card to him. Feel free to leave a comment if you agree with it or have had a teacher or other person impact your life in some way.
"Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine? If you are lucky enough to find your way to such teachers, you will always find your way back. Sometimes it is only in your head."
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