Thankful Thursday: the Temple, Air Quality, and Being Close to Home

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. Please take this time to share with us what you're thankful for as well. If you have a blog expressing your thankfulness, please share the link! 

I am thankful for the temple being so close by. Some mornings I decide to run up to the temple, and let me tell you, it is hard. It is all uphill for about 2 1/2 miles, and the incline keeps increasing. The hill next to the temple is brutal, as it takes extra effort and determination to get to the top of it. My muscles start burning even more, my head starts to spin, and my excessive, very heavy breathing sometimes throws passerby's off-guard. After reaching my goal, I can see a wide stretch of the Utah County valley, and it is such a sight to see. Even more than that, I can see the brass Angel Moroni statue on top of the steeple below. I love the incredible, peaceful feeling that stays close to the temple grounds. After moments of stress or worry, it brings comfort and assurance that everything will work out well. It's always quiet and unlike any other feeling. I then pull out my headphones in respect, and slowly jog down the hill right next to the temple grounds, thanking our Heavenly Father for the ability to run, good health, and much more.

Not only is there a temple about 2 1/2 miles away, but there is another one that is being built closer to my apartment.A cool experience was back when I carried the desire to run to the temple, and I did not feel like I would ever reach the temple more north.. I was running south of campus one morning amid the strangeness of Provo that I usually can't stand, the busy traffic, narrow streets, and construction.However, as soon as I looked up at the stoplight I was at, there was the new temple being built.

Not only are there temple runs, but most importantly, being able to go not far to the temple to do the Lord's work is special. I swear that the past few times I have gone, it has been busier and busier, filled with more people, no matter which temple it is (whether or not it's in Provo). After talking about this to my mom, we decided that the Lord's work is picking up, and it's exciting.

As simple as it may seem, I am thankful for when the skies are clear. Lately, there has been so much inversion. (On a side note, here is a funny story--when my mom came to pick me up from Provo a couple of nights ago to go back home for my CF appointment, I pointed out how it smelled like fires and how the sky was an orange, brownish color. She then casually said, "Well, I think there is a bbq over by the church." She was being serious. Ha ha very funny...) Anyways, the inversion this summer has kept me inside more often, which can be lonely and boring. I can't wait for this pollution to clear out!

Last but not least, I am thankful that I live close-ish to home. I have had the opportunity to go to Brandon's and tonight, my dad and step-mom's birthday parties. I also had a CF clinic appointment, which really doesn't take long to get to comparing to if I lived in another area or state.I have been back and forth from Provo to Salt Lake a lot this week, but am glad that I live close enough to home where I can do so.