I remember at 24

I remember at 24 being thankful for my first job as a teacher. I spent a large portion of that summer making calls to principals every week trying to get a job. There just weren’t enough available for how many people needed them. And I was getting nervous. Grandpa Giles drove me to the interview and I sat in the front office wearing my suit and crossing my fingers. The person being interviewed before me came out of the principal’s office wearing jeans and a holiday sweatshirt and I thought to myself at least I’ve come more professional than that.

In the interview they asked what I would do if I had students who didn’t speak English. So I was able to tell them what I’d done in Mexico. They asked why they should hire me. And I told them because I’m good at what I do. That afternoon the principal called back two more times with additional questions. Five o’clock came and went and I figured I’d have to wait till the next day to know. And then the principal called one more time to offer me the job.

Later when I picked up my keys and was getting a tour of the school and seeing where my classroom would be I noticed a plaque outside the library. The plot of land the school was on had been the farm of one of my ancestors at one point. It seemed like it was meant to be.

I was thankful for my very first apartment that year as well. I’d outgrown both roommates and singles’ wards and so I was living on my own and attending a normal ward. I bought a queen sized bed (planning for the future) and had a lawn chair and two bookcases when I moved in. And then I was able to pick up a lot of furniture from my cousin, some that had belonged to her, her parents, and our Grandpa Nelson. And suddenly my apartment was completely furnished. That was all the furniture I had when we got married and it was amazing how the furniture for my 600-ish square foot apartment filled our entire house (Brett had furniture too, but we could fit all of his in the kitchen, and did when we cleaned the carpets before we got married).

I didn’t have a car that year. So I was very grateful that there was a bus that picked me up a block from my apartment and dropped me off a block from the school. There were a lot of schools I could’ve gotten jobs at that weren’t on the bus routes. That was a definite blessing.

The things I have to be grateful for grow every year. I don’t know that I really could count all my blessings now.