Gratitude

Today in Sacrament meeting, our speakers talked about gratitude. One of the first speakers mentioned that her mom had given her a gratitude journal when she was 12 . . . and she managed to write in it for a whole 5 days. I remember when I was in college, one of my roommates was really big on expressing gratitude . . . so much so that she put a huge sheet of butcher paper on the back of our front door that said, "I am thankful for . . . " on the top. She put a marker next to it, so each time we left the apartment, we would be reminded to think of what we were thankful for and add it to the list. It was a collaborative gratitude journal, and I still remember some of the things that we wrote on there. They ranged from the serious and mushy (having two engaged roommates at the time will do that to you) to the silly and unusual (like elbows . . . but really . . . imagine not having the ability to bend at the elbow!). As I thought about all of this, I realized it's been a long time since I took the time to say what I am grateful for . . . or at least attempt to say some of the things I'm grateful for.

I am Thankful For . . .

• The opportunity to attend church each week. I may not always enjoy being in a single's ward, but the fact of the matter is the church is true . . . no matter where you are. And if you go with that knowledge in mind, you are bound to gain something from your church meetings.
• A knowledge of eternal families. Perhaps this one is fresh on my mind because of the recent passing of my Uncle Larry. But knowing that he is no longer in pain and reunited with his eternal companion makes the difficult task of losing him more bearable.
• The people and experiences that have lead me to where I am today. I fully attribute going on a mission to many good friends, neighbors, and roommates in college who set that example for me and never once doubted I would be able to do that. While I am not in contact with any of those folks now, I will forever be grateful for the influence they had on my life. My decision to attend BYU was not an easy one . . . especially having to turn down a full ride scholarship to USU, but in retrospect, I have no doubt that was where I was supposed to be at that time in my life.
• A supportive family . . . through all the good, the bad, and the ugly.

There are a million things I am grateful for . . . probably way more than can fit in one blog post! I am so grateful for the reminder today that taking the time to sit down and think about what you are grateful for can refocus your perspective, and bring a feeling of peace in the midst of the chaos of daily life. And so, in closing, I simply have one more item to share . . . I am grateful for

• A sense of humor. I am a firm believer that without a sense of humor, life just isn't bearable. The times in my life that have been the hardest have generally been accompanied by a loss of my sense of humor. On the other hand, when I keep things in perspective and maintain my witty (and sometimes snotty . . . ) outlook on life, I'm a whole lot happier. Even in the midst of my icky time at my previous school, I was able to glean a priceless gem from my former principal. On one of our weekly schedules she would send out, it had the following on the bottom . . . "I wish I was a glow worm, a glow worm's never glum, 'cause how can you be grumpy, when the sun shines out your bum!"