Being Grateful

This upcoming Sunday, I will be teaching a Young Women lesson on why it's important to be grateful. As I've been studying and preparing to present this lesson, my heart has become very full. Thinking about everything I've been through in my life has made me stop in my tracks. Yes, I've gone through a lot of hard times - yet I am such a blessed woman! I am truly so grateful for every single day I've had on Earth, and I'm grateful I get to continue my days here...however long they may be. I am grateful for each moment our Heavenly Father (God) sees fit to give me in this wonderful body! (Quirks, issues and all!) I won't take one second on this planet for granted, oh no, I won't! :)

I've read so many great quotes, talks and scriptures tonight that have been greatly uplifting. (If you'd like to read them too, click here.) No matter what any of us have been through, or what is to come in our lives, we need to thank our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, daily. In fact, here's what Psalms 100:4 tells us,

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."

Similarly, here's one of my favorite scriptures from "The Book of Mormon", Alma 37:37,

"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."

Of course, it's vitally important that we show gratitude to those around us. I can think of (nearly) nothing more annoying than not being thanked when I've done something kind for someone else. And I'm sure endless others feel the same way. It's not that I'm looking for recognition, or praise, or even a thank you card. It's just that I want to be thanked - just once! One tiny little verbal "Thank you!" is enough for me. :)

Because I feel the way I do about thank yous, some people might find me a little over the top when I thank them for the kind things they've said to me, or done for me, or given to me. The same idea applies to when those kindnesses have been given to my lovely family members. Yes, thanking others is high on my priority list. But I understand that sometimes we simply forget to say "thank you", and that's okay. After all, we are all human and very imperfect!

One of my main goals in life is to never have people doubt my appreciation for them, or leave any loose ends in a relationship. I never want people to wonder how I feel about them. I completely agree with what President Thomas S. Monson said in his wonderful talk, "The Divine Gift of Gratitude",

"We often take for granted the very people who most deserve our gratitude. Let us not wait until it is too late for us to express that gratitude...

"The loss of loved ones almost inevitably brings some regrets to our hearts. Let’s minimize such feelings as much as humanly possible by frequently expressing our love and gratitude to them. We never know how soon it will be too late. 

"...Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it. Someone has said that “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

"...My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven."

Brilliant words, right?! :)

Lastly, I had so much fun (!) creating this happy typographic design for my lesson. President Hinckley's words always inspire me to be a better person. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! :)

P.S. I'm also grateful that I figured out how to use PicMonkey! I think we're going to have a lot of fun times together in the future! Ha ha.