It's Thanksgiving time... It's turkey time...

His name is Tom... He's a bird... That's the word.... Tom's a birrrrrrrd. " -Cosby show Olivia :]

On Monday we had a Family Home Evening Thanksgiving with Lahren.

Aren't these so cute. She cut everything out and then we could put together our thankful turkeys. There is suppose to be only one layer of feathers but Jarom didn't want to finish his turkey so now it looks like my turkey is on fire. 

Anyway these are the things Jarom is grateful for:

~Gospel

~Sports

~Temple

~Tayler :]

~Family

These are the things I'm grateful for:

~Jarom/Family (If I could have had more feathers Jarom would have had his own)

~Health/Doctors

~Jaroms Job

~Home/Decor (Maybe decor seems superficial but I do LOVE making my home beautiful and I love decorating it and I'm thankful for all the things I've been able to receive/buy to make my home more beautiful)

~Church(Sacrament specifically)/Temple

~Trials (Underneath I put I'm grateful for the knowledge I have of growing from them and that the can make me more like Christ)

Trials seems to be the thing that stands out most in my mind this year of the top thing I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for so many things but right now I'm so thankful for my trials. I can honestly say as I get older that I LOVE them! This doesn't mean they aren't hard or that I wish I didn't have them sometimes but I have the most spiritual experiences that come from them. Recently with everything going on with my feeding tube I have felt the spirit so strongly and have felt so close to the Lord. I have learnt so much and I have a sure knowledge that trials make me the person I need to be to return back to live with my Heavenly Father and eventually reach exaltation. 

Although I do feel there are many different trials and not all of them come from Christ. These are some trials I have discovered (I've highlighted the things that make each one different):

1) Lord trials-Trials the Lord gives us that we need no matter what to make us the kind of person we need to be to return to live with Heavenly Father... like C.F      

2) Trials the Lord gives us but last longer or are more intense then they should be because we are not doing our part... myself making C.F harder then it needs to be

3) Self Trials- Trials we bring upon ourselves... through our foolish actions... getting caught in an internet scam, making lots of phone calls, and having to switch credit card info (don't judge... it was for a good cause :])

4) Reminder Trials- Trials the Lord gives us that didn't need to be in our lives if were progressing spiritually on our own... not reading person/family scriptures, saying personal/familyprayer, FHE & the Lord says " If you don't start remembering me on your own I will help you remember." :]

Recently I also received new meaning to a certain scripture. Matthew 16: 21-23. Christ is on earth and is teaching his disciples. He is telling them that he will soon be crucified. It says:

21: "From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed, and raised again the third.

22: Then Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee

23: But he (Jesus) turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me Satan: Thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of me."

I believe that Christ rebuked Peter because....
1) Peter could not see what was truly of God and what was of man
2) Because of this Peter could not praise and rejoice in what was about to happen (which was that Christ was about to save the sons of men and bring us back to exultation)

This has a lot to do with why we (members of The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints/ Mormons) don't wear the cross.

When people tell me they would take my C.F away if they could or make sure nothing bad happened to me from it, I feel badly for them. Like Peter I feel they are totally missing the point. Although I know they mean well and I do appreciate what they are trying to say what they don't realize is that if they really could do this, they would be denying me exultation. They are referring to the fact that this disease came from man and not God. It absolutely came from God. I have C.F because God wants me to have C.F because he wants me to return to live with Him again and He knows that's how I'll be able to do this. People need to "savour" their trials and realize what is from God and what is from man. I LOVE my C.F and would live my life with it again. It has given me opportunities and experiences I would have never had without it. Like I said this doesn't mean it isn't hard or that I don't hope that there is a cure one day but it will come at the right day, whether I'm here to see it or not.

I rejoice in my C.F and I'm thankful for it. Today I'm thankful for all my trials. Even the ones that don't have to do with my C.F. :]