Looking on the Bright Side

In our ward in Denver there was a sweet little lady who was a bit eccentric to put it mildly. I didn't know her well, but she struck me as the kind of person who probably didn't have a lot of close friends and family around. Well, one Sunday she stood up in either Fast and Testimony meeting or Relief Society (or maybe both) and said she would like to publicly thank all those who had tried to call on her birthday. She apologized that her phone hadn't been working so she hadn't been able to receive the calls, but she wanted to sincerely thank everyone who had tried to call to wish her a happy day.

As she spoke I got a little weepy and thought of how pure and sweet her gratitude was. She was just sure that everyone had remembered her on her special day. I thought how lucky it probably was that her phone had been broken so she couldn't be disappointed at the lack of calls. Maybe she would have been right, but either way her story made me think about what a beautiful, positive outlook she had.

I missed the main broadcasting of President Hinckley's funeral because I was on a Greyhound bus, but I've seen the replays and recaps on the BYU channel and that was what stuck out to me... what an incredibly positive man he was... and as a result what a dynamic person he was.

I thought of this little lady in Denver today on my birthday. My phone is still broken and though GK ordered new ones while I was out of town (stuff for a different entry) they didn't come in the mail yet. So I thought of how many people would try to call me to tell me they love me and are glad I was born. I did get many text messages and many emails from my family and GK's family. It made me so grateful for my two families.

I'm 29 years old today and this year is going to be a big one. Birthdays all of the sudden mean something really different. So on this February 4, I'm particularly grateful for my mom, for my sweet husband who tried to make every minute of today special, and for the upcoming birthday of our own little one.