Gratitude

I have a deep sense of gratitude to the Lord today for how blessed we have been the last few months. Who knew that living in a camping trailer on the side of a highway in Texas would be a precursor to living in London?!!? A year ago I never would have dreamed that any of these incredible experiences we're having were on the horizon, and now here we are globe trotting and learning so much about different cultures!

One of the things I'm most grateful for is how comfortable the kids are with the international school they're attending. In addition to it being the coolest school on the planet (beautiful old mansion with exquisite grounds), they're making great friends, learning a ton, and truly enjoying the experience. I also like that the school actually still believes that the arts are important. (Jess even played the key board in a rock band last night at the school's spring music performance.) AND, they seriously go on the most amazing field trips! Jess went with the rest of the 8th graders last week for three days and two nights to Stratford--Shakespeare's birthplace. While there they visited museums, saw a Shakespeare play, and were basically cultured 'til they dropped. (Both my literary side and my mother's heart think that's wonderful!) Aubrey left this morning for a three-day, two-night high adventure trip to a place called Marchant's Hill where she'll go rappelling, shoot bows, etc.--in fifth grade! Derik is headed next week to Cambridge--for "a field trip designed to enlighten the students and support the current course of study in geography and English. Had the kids been here to sign up earlier in the year, they would have gone this month to Spain with their Spanish classes, and the 6th graders went to Switzerland right before we got here for their big field trip. It just goes on and on.

I'm also grateful for the eye-opening cultural experiences the children are having. In addition to our traveling experiences, both the school and church environments are richly multi-cultural. It's hard to be quite as ethnocentric when you've been exposed to so many wonderful cultures, being surrounded by people from Africa, India, Asia, etc. In a lot of ways, the children are adopting a "that's just the way some other people do it" view point that I'm really pleased with. I think it will make them better people in the long run.

I'm even grateful for the things I miss and the things that make daily life challenging. I don't think I'll ever take roads that are wide enough for more than a cart and buggy, a high-capacity washer and dryer, cupboards and closets, a lack of lime scale on everything in the house, or living in enough space for a family our size for granted again. I'll also never look at a U.S. fridge or an actual garage and not think they look immense.

So I guess what I'm really trying to say is that "WE" AS A FAMILY AND "WE AMERICANS" ARE SO BLESSED! Even in a country like the United Kingdom where things are very modern compared to a great deal of the world, a lot of things are 20 or more years behind the U.S. Many of the conveniences we have at home simply are not enjoyed by people in other parts of the world, not even here. (Some of those conveniences I'm not sure if I need or want anymore, but others I'm REALLY looking forward to having again.) People live in such different material circumstances, too! We have families in our ward who are multi-generational in a smaller space than what we consider to be a very small town home in the states. We have other members of our ward whose "home" consists of a single, small room on multiple levels of a building and the connecting stairs and others that live in a tiny flat with only a couple of rooms for a whole family. Most Americans even living what we consider a very frugal life and in very modest circumstances have a much higher standard of living than a majority of the people here.

So, in the spirit of personal reflection, may we begin to see things for what they really are. May we never take what we have for granted. May we experience THIS day, realizing that this day will only happen once. May we never forget that the people in our lives are a gift from God and are our greatest treasure. May we love a little deeper and laugh a little longer. May we live a life of gratitude for our Savior and strive each day to become a more like him. May we make the world a little better for having been in it...