Pain Comes With Goodness

   My life is beautiful. I am struggling a whole lot but there is so much that I am overwhelmingly grateful for. I am thoroughly enjoying spontaneity with people who matter a whole lot. Yesterday, I went with my lovely friend Leah to volunteer at a therapeutic horse ranch early in the morning before our Risk Management class. We helped a little girl by keeping her steady (we walked with her and the horse, keeping her legs pushed against the horse) as she rode the horse and did some simple activities. It felt so pleasant to be there with that sweet girl and those wonderful animals. Later as I walked through the Manwaring Center on BYU-Idaho campus and after I had bought myself a delicious turkey and pepperjack cheese bagel, I "found" a girl I know and it happened to be her birthday. She was telling everyone about it, just for kicks. I asked, as I sat by her, if she wanted a bite of my bagel sandwich and happily she said yes and had a few bites (she had a first bite and said she'd have another after a while and I gave her the last of it after I'd eaten most of it) and I was so happy that she let me share! (I get quite embarrassed when I offer something to someone and they say no.) In the evening, -after my ward's last get together for the semester- my fantastically crazy friend Courtney convinced me to go to a drive-in theater on a whim, 10 minutes before the movie began and we even stopped for snow cones on the way (she had one called pink sour and mine was coconut and pomegranite, yum!) We watched "BRAVE" and it was brilliant. I sat on the roof of my car while she and our friend Luna who came with us sat in the front seats. There was lightning in the far distant sky and a perfectly pleasant breeze. It was a good first drive-in theater experience.
  Today, I found a long lost item and even though it wasn't important and came over a month too late, it was a warming feeling to find a missing part of me ( I really treasure my possessions, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant; I remember just about every item I have ever lost that meant anything to me, in fact currently I am missing a small, painted, metal good luck turtle; I mostly miss it because it was a gift; he'll turn up someday, I'm sure.) Today was full of more goodness, such as the fact that I found a new journal (I just finished my most recent one) that when I see it and hold it, I feel inspired and hopeful and I have chatted with so many pleasant people. I have had good food to eat and my mother called to tell me about my dad's job and how Hannah was able to go on a half-day ride and how they (my mom, Hannah and my dad) have all been involved with the business. She wanted to tell me as well about how involved I can become and I my heart thrills at the idea. I am so hopeful, and I know that hoping for things has broken me many many times but this time feels right. There is too much good in life to waste precious time on brooding over the unpleasant things.