Things I am grateful for after 8 inches of snow and 52 hours without power:

1. Heat (we have a gas furnace, but the fan is electric)
2. Lights
3. A campstove and propane to use with it.
4. Food to cook on the cookstove.
5. A husband with the motivation and the willingness to help me do the work of doing ALL the dishes with water boiled on the campstove.
6. Children who put up with a cold house for 24 hours.
7. Elder Bryant and Elder Buchanan who, on their way out contacting, stopped and took over clearing our driveway of all the snow (we only had two shovels anyway)--and then helped Steve maneuver turning the van around in the snow that was left so we could get out.
8. My sister Marian and her husband Tommy who opened their home to all of us for the second 24 hours.  Her children, Erik, David, and EmmaLeigh, and mine were VERY excited about it.  I just had to put up with the stress of 7 children--plus a babysittee--running through the house!  (Didn't seem to bother Marian much--I was amazed.)
9. Having the feeling of Sunday even if we didn't go to church.  (The roads were still slick, and the parking lot wouldn't have been cleared.)
10. Having lunch at Mom's (well, that would have happened anyway, but I am always grateful for her putting up with--and cooking for--so many people in her house.)
11. Quantity and Quality time with our children--we played more games in the last two days than we usually do in a week, and Benjamin especially was very happy!
12. Ancestors that lived--happily, in most cases--through life harder than the one I put up with from Friday night 'till Sunday night, and still found the hope to find the gospel and move across a wild country to Zion.  The last two days have made me very very grateful for them--and very grateful for the life I have right now.