A trinket I am thankful for

I thought long and hard about this gratitude challenge. I even read and re-read the definition for "trinket" several times yesterday. In the end I could not choose just one thing, and I'm not sure they fit the definition of trinket, but it was the best I had.

First is my little cherub. I have had to have that little angel resaudered to the heart so many times in the twenty-one years I've had that charm. The chain was also broken several times, and last year was sold to help pay our bills, but there is no way I could ever part with the angel. My grandfather, John, gave it to me at my baptism. He told me when he gave it to me that when he had come to my baby blessing he was struck by one of the things said: that I would always have angels to protect me. My confirmation blessing contained the same promise, as has almost every major blessing I've ever had.

Seeing my grandfather is one of the few things I remember about my baptism. I remember standing in the cold water as my dad said the prayer, and glancing quickly at my family gathered to be with me on that day. I remember my grandpa was wearing jeans and boots, and he had his legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles, and his arms folded. He was smiling a gentle smile, but I was shivering too hard to return it. I know that I had other family members there that day, a special thing as none of them are members, but for some reason Grandpa John and my mom are the only two faces I remember from that moment.

As a signer this held special meaning from the get, but it was made more special because I received it the for Christmas or my birthday (I can't remember which, they're only five days apart) before I got married. It was a gift fron my Grandma and Grandpa Black. I was wearing it the day I found out I was pregnant with David, which was also the same day I found out Grandma had passed away.

My last trinket I am thankful for not because of the trinket itself, but because of the work that went into getting it. While tested a lot, these last few years especially, it is the faith gained through the Personal Progress program that has gotten me through a lot of personal trials and struggles. What started out as a way to earn candy at church quickly became a great source of comfort. The trinket is merely a reminder of those things I learned in my youth that have helped me as an adult.