Monday, February 15, 2010

Be Grateful

The last week or so, I've been struggling to come up with something to begin my "Be Better" posts. The first B, Be Grateful, has been hard for me to focus on. Perhaps that's God's way of reminding me how much I have to be grateful for. Between things breaking in our apartment, no time to spend with my hubby, my job(s), etc. I've been feeling pretty down. I even considered skipping on to another B, and coming back to this one. I feel truly humbled. How silly I was!

I have SO MUCH to Be Grateful for! In the midst of my blog stalking, I came across 2 blogs, this BLOG and this BLOG. As I read through each and prayed for each member of those families, my heart was tremendously softened. Lately, every simple thing I do, I try to be grateful for. Yet, I still occasionally catch myself... complaining silently. As I was vacuuming last night, and fuming about how much dog hair there was, wondering how on earth the onion skin got into the living room from dinner last night, grumbling about Betty's toys all over the floor... I silently chastised myself and started to tear up. Stephanie can't even pick up her own children out of the bathtub. I should Be Grateful that I have the strength to push the vacuum. Sara didn't go home to clean her house for days because she was by her sweet little boy's hospital bed. I should Be Grateful that my family is healthy and strong, and my husband would be home in a few minutes to help.

God has promised, "He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious." (D&C 78:19). When Gordon B. Hinckley gave his talk about the "B's", he said this about GRATITUDE:

Be grateful. There are two little words in the English language that perhaps mean more than all others. They are “thank you.” Comparable words are found in every other language, such as gracias, merci, danke, obrigado, domo.

The habit of saying thank you is the mark of an educated man or woman. With whom is the Lord displeased? He names “those who confess not his hand in all things” (D&C 59:21). That is, those who walk without grateful expression. Walk with gratitude in your hearts, my dear friends. Be thankful for the wonderful blessings which are yours. Be grateful for the tremendous opportunities that you have. Be thankful to your parents, who care so very much about you and who have worked so very hard to provide for you. Let them know that you are grateful. Say thank you to your mother and your father. Say thank you to your friends. Say thank you to your teachers. Express appreciation to everyone who does you a favor or assists you in any way.

Thank the Lord for His goodness to you. Thank the Almighty for His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who has done for you what none other in all this world could do. Thank Him for His great example, for His tremendous teachings, for His outreaching hand to lift and help. Think about the meaning of His Atonement. Read about Him and read His words in the New Testament and in 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon. Read them quietly to yourself and then ponder them. Pour out your heart to your Father in Heaven in gratitude for the gift of His Beloved Son.

Thank the Lord for His marvelous Church restored in this great season of history. Thank Him for all that it offers you. Thank Him for friends and loved ones, for parents and brothers and sisters, for family. Let a spirit of thanksgiving guide and bless your days and nights. Work at it. You will find it will yield wonderful results.


I have been blessed with so much!! As I sit down and try to come up with everything I am grateful for, I can't even begin to come up with every single one. So if I miss anything, I'm sorry... I'm sure there's much more!

My Sweet Hubby: I have the most wonderful hubby in the world. (Sorry girls, I know you think yours is great... but mine wins!) I even wrote an entire blog POST about him recently because I am so ridiculously in love with him.

My Family: I have an amazing family. I have a fabulous Dad and Sister. My sister and I are still working on our relationship, but who isn't? My niece is the most adorable, fabulous baby on the planet and I love her more than I can possibly say. Her smile lights up my world. I was lucky enough to have the most incredible mother a little girl could ask for. My time with her was cut short. But my memories of her are some of my most treasured. My cousins, aunts, uncles, etc are all wonderful people who I love spending time with. In addition, I have a biological family that has recently come into my life and blown me over. My bio-Dad was 17 when I was born so I was put up for adoption. He is married, with a wonderful wife and two sweet little girls. I got to spend the weekend with them in Baltimore a few weeks ago, and it was WONDERFUL. Along with my new-found family I got countless more aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, etc. My family has quadrupled overnight.


My Betty: I have the best dog in the world. Hands down. Sure she gets smelly sometimes, and I can never wear black pants without carrying a lint roller. But she's a fabulous snuggler and such a sweet girl.

My Friends: They are wonderful. I don't know where I'd be without them. I can't even begin to name each one, and say what I am grateful for about them... if you want to know. Just ask! And know that I love you!

My Health: I went to have a physical in January and I am healthy as can be! So many people are not, and it's something I take for granted daily.

My Job(s): I have a job! That's something that a lot of people can't say right now. And I am grateful for it. I also have a part-time job. On top of that, I just got a promotion and a raise.

My Home: I have a roof over my head. Yep, it's an apartment, and I'd rather have a house. Yep, my linen closet door has fallen off track 3 times since we moved in. Yep, my kitchen has half the cabinet space of my old one. But... we have a huge apartment and the rent is less, thus we can save for our house.

Shoes: A silly thing to be grateful for? Perhaps. But shoes always fit. It's easy to find a fabulous pair on sale. They can totally transform an outfit and my attitude. So yes, I am grateful for shoes.
Lastly, but most importantly...

My Faith: I would be nowhere without it. I would be nothing. I would have no purpose. Through my faith in Christ, I know why I'm here and where I'm going. My life has meaning. And I know I can be with my family forever.

It doesn't get any better than this. I am so blessed. I am a lucky lucky girl. And I have SO SO MUCH to be grateful for. I am so glad that this was the first "B" I got to focus on. Hopefully I can continue to be more grateful, and show gratitude to those around me.

1 comment:

  1. Alright, now that you've finally posted this, I can say it...when you told me you were having a hard time with it, I was shocked! I figured you were probably just in a funk, and sometimes it's hard to see the big picture in your day to day life. But you are SO BLESSED! SO SO SO BLESSED! You have a wonderful family, friends, many of the same things I've been blessed with. We are very fortunate girls! It could certainly be a lot worse!

    PS, the shoes part was awesome. I'll have to remember that for my "Thanksgiving" post in November! :)

    LOVE YOU! xo

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