Attitude of Gratitude

 21 September - 27 September 2020

Howdy y'all! Top of the mornin' to ya. It's actually evening. But I felt like typing that that :)

Okay, so the beginning of the week was pretty boring. Just school, work, and homework. No fun. So I will combine it into one section. But good news. My weekend was pretty chill. Literally ;).

Welp, I tested negative for covid. You're welcome. That was pretty anti-climatic. I spent the morning grading papers and then had a work meeting at noon. I am still feeling a bit sick, but it must be an actual cold since it's not covid. I got to attend my meditation and basic mediation classes in person again this week! I still despise having to wear a mask. I have also been practicing gratitude and have sent letters and texts and messages to lots of people. It truly does make you so much happier to focus on mindfully being grateful. One day this week, I planned on staying home for my 8am class, but then the Wi-Fi was HORRIBLE and I kept getting kicked off my Zoom class. After 15 minutes, I got so fed up and decided to trek to campus to get better Wi-Fi. On the walk there, I was angry and fuming--something I actually haven't felt in a while. I remembered that I am practicing gratitude this week and decided to think of one thing I could be grateful because my Wi-Fi was sucky. I started noticing how beautiful the trees were with the changing leaves and breathed in the fresh morning air. I became calm and grateful for the beautiful surroundings. I sat on a blanket next to a tree and become content and happy and grateful for the opportunity to experience the nature because I was forced out of my home due to crummy Wi-Fi.

Friday: I met with two students this morning from the class I TA for. The first student didn't join the Zoom link, and I was worried he had forgotten, so I turned into a stalk and looked up his info on the BYU website and texted him. He was actually really grateful that I reminded him because he had slept in and forgotten! I met with some girls from my Abnormal Psychology class and we worked on a study guide in preparation for our test next week. I spent the afternoon working and doing homework. That evening, I decided to go to the college night ice skating event, even though it was from 10pm to 12am. I just wanted to meet some other kids my age who like to ice skate! It was super fun (despite falling and bruising my elbow and getting a blister).

Saturday: I slept in pretty late since I got to bed later than normal. I went grocery shopping at Sam's Club and ran into an old mission companion and her husband! They're super cute, but I will admit it's a bit awkward because I don't really know what to talk about with her anymore. I spent the afternoon working on a PowerPoint for Tuesday. I get to teach the class I TA for! It's all about APA 7th edition formatting. Yup, super interesting, I know... So that's why I had to make it super interesting and fun! It's Star Wars themed. I also bought candy to throw out to student's who answer questions. I was super groggy all day. That evening, I went over to Whitney's apartment. We took a trip to buy ice cream at the store and then watched Ever After. Again, I got home super late... well, like midnight. That's two nights in a row! Yikes. But it was fun to hang with friends.

Sunday: I got a new calling this morning! Bishop video called me and asked me to be a Family History Consultant. While I didn't expect to receive that calling, it came as no surprise because it felt like Heavenly Father was giving me an opportunity to get better at consistently doing my own family history. I got sustained in church! I went to give one of my ministering sisters a treat (aka laughy taffies) and I talked with her and her roommates for a hot minute. We all talked about going ice skating together sometime! I travelled back to the church building to get set apart. There was a line of people, so I got to talk to a new guy in the ward and get to know him better. I had Come, Follow Me at Whitney's apartment complex, and I got to share two insights with them that I could tell really touched them. One thing that I learned today is that one Christlike attribute Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ practice perfectly is Gratitude. They are both so grateful for my time serving as a missionary for them. Because of their gratitude, they bless me. That thought touched me so much. They are grateful for the service I do. The other insight I had was about the beatitudes that Jesus taught. Each one involves hardship, sacrifice, or pain in order to gain the listed blessing. I have been wanting to change my perspective on pain and trials, to really appreciate and love them and view them as good because they help me grow. 

Much love,

Emily Burnham