Thankful Bag 2008

 Our family has one outstanding Thanksgiving tradition: The Thankful Bag. When we were younger, some Monday night early in November, our activity at Family Home Evening would be to each trace our hand on a piece of blank white paper and color it however we wanted (the goal to be that it resembled a turkey). We then cut it out and glued it to a brown paper grocery back. It was deemed “The Thankful Bag”. Throughout the month, we wrote down things we were thankful for on little pieces of paper and dropped them in the bag. The last excruciated minutes of hungry anticipation before the Thanksgiving feast were spent passing the bad around the table and taking turns hurriedly reading each slip, one by one.

This year, the (real) turkey was taking too long, so the 4 of us (me, Mom, Dad, and my younger brother, Chris) gathered in the living room and commenced the age-old tradition.

Some entries come back every year. Some are humorous, others of a more serious nature. Sandy, my younger sister newly on her mission in North Carolina, had even e-mailed some things that Mom printed out, cut up, and put in the bag this year.

It was interesting to realize who some entries really came from. At some, it seemed painfully obvious who had written them (“my loving husband”…. “Linville…”) at other times, someone would jokingly remark, “I wonder who wrote that?” only to be presently surprised that it was my 17-year-brother, for example, and not my gung-ho early-morning seminary-teaching father who wrote that he was grateful for “seminary to start the day off right”.

I think that’s when I started choking up. And hiding it really well. No one had any idea I was being deeply, spiritually impacted by this. But I started paying more attention and reflecting more on the things being read out loud. I was touched by the things my family was grateful for. I was touched to read the things written by my missionary sister, knowing the way the spirit was so much a part of her life and understanding well the blessed life our Father was letting her experience right now—and grateful she had that opportunity. It was fun to the see the repeats: I think every one of us wrote something about the mountains! J But mostly, I felt a deep peace and joy as I saw how many of the entries centered around the Gospel. We must be on the right track--wherever we may be on the track, at least it’s the right one. I am so grateful to have been placed in this family.

So here it is: the Depew Family Thankful Bag, 2008. It’s probably funnier with the running commentary between Chris and I, and if you don’t know our family well, some it may seem a bit odd. (We are the Depews, after all.) But if you know us well, you can probably even guess who said what. Except for the little surprises. Enjoy.

The chance to serve a mission (and a supportive family!  THANK YOU.)

Books, need I elaborate?

Answers to prayers

House people!

Seminary to start the day off right

Prayer

Beautiful Mountains

Cars

Scholarships and grants

Sister Jones, Sister Kuttler and Sister Condie

Mountians

A sound mind

Faithful friends

Missionaries

Righteous sons and daughters

Servicemen and women who give up time and risk their lives to protect our freedoms

Adopted children

My piano

Felton

Teachers who give a crap hoot

WONDERFUL ward members (especially Jordan Starnes! J )

Cars that don’t break down or take a lot of gas

Being able to see and hear

The priesthood

M*A*S*H

Doctors, firemen, policemen, paramedics

Living close to the mountains

Oceans

Electricity and indoor plumbing

Shelter – and a home

Food to eat and a refrigerator and freezer to keep them in

A modern prophet

Computers – desktops and lappy’s

Forgiveness and repentance

Prayer

Linville

Airplanes

Letters from home

Being healthy so I can go to work every day

Righteous children who work hard to do their best

A warm house

The scriptures

God’s trust in us

PRAYER

The Plan of Happiness

Missions

Washing machines and dryers

Hand and eyes that work

Friends. Period

The Truth

Modern medicine

Bishop Roundy

AP classes – AHHHHH!!

General Conference

The fall colors of North Carolina

Humor to get through the tough times

Being a member of the true church

Grandchildren

Pretty girls

Family

KNO₃

Blessings

Food

The mountains (boom-dee-adda boom-de-ay)

A patient, loving, supportive husband

Extended family

Having a testimony of the Gospel

Music—and the ears to hear it with

Disney studios

Heated houses

Friends to play airsoft with

Sleep! And naps

Family

Jin Kim

Rain

Jesus Christ and the Atonement

The Spirit, its guidance, help and power.

President and Sister Hobbs

Dawn dish soap

Hard times to show how good we’ve got it

Dinero (that’s Spanish. You gotta pronounce it right)

Temple

Living prophets

Cars that work

Small miracles/tender mercies

H₂0

The ability to read, and think, and learn.

The PLAN

Knowledge and testimony of the truth

Christ

Food

Music

Friends

Missionaries

Combat boots

Ice cream

Good religious kids who share my morals

PIZZA – root beer

Computers

The Priesthood

Silver Mine subs

Stripling warriors

The love and respect of children

Snow

Sunrises and sunsets; clouds and rain

Email, especially from missionaries

Sons and daughters

A loving wife (cute, too)

Heavenly Father and the Plan of Salvation

Nieces and nephews

Disney studios (side note:  2^nd time he put this in!) J

Books

Having a job

Healthy body

The scriptures

Temples

Good movies

A mostly healthy body

THE ATONEMENT. And that it makes it possible for us to be happy, it makes up for our weaknesses, and makes it possible for us to have a “more excellent hope”