Make Them Count

“We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count.”
 ― Neal A. Maxwell

  November 24 - I am grateful for my daughter. It was a Wednesday night when she was born.  She came three weeks early but was healthy and strong.  I was so excited to be a mother!  I was trilled to have a baby girl all dressed in pink.  It was a glorious moment for Darrel and I.  We held her, kissed her, softly spoke to her and cradled her in our arms.  A sweet blessing she has been to us. Eight years have passed.  We have watched her grow.  I can hardly believe that our tiny baby girl weighing in at 6 lbs. is now EIGHT!  When did that happen? Daryl is bright, energetic, compassionate, a born leader, and a true disciple. She has been preparing for her baptism day and was ready to enter the waters of baptism.  She is so eager to do what is right.  I am so proud of her. It was a special experience for all of us. I love you, Daryl. You are special girl!

November 25 - I am grateful that I had the opportunity to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When I was 19, I attended a missionary fireside given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. In that meeting I felt within my heart a desire to serve the Lord. It didn't make much sense in my mind at the time because I was dating someone and a mission was 2 years away. I recorded my feelings in my journal and reflected on them again and again. As things turned out, my relationship dissolved and two years later I served a Spanish-speaking mission in Tempe, Arizona. It was the best decision I made at that time in my life. It has been a large part of the foundation of my life choices since then.

November 26 - I am grateful for my dear friend Tiffanie. We were mission companions for a short time but long enough to weld a friendship that has endured. It has been a blessing to have her as my friend as we have raised our families and experienced the ups and downs or motherhood. She listens to me and she gives me the opportunity to listen to her. When I need a lifeline, Tiff is there for me. When I want to rejoice, Tiff is there for me. What a comfort to know that when you need someone, they are there.

Happy Thanksgiving

"Gratitude may be increased by constantly reflecting on our blessings and giving thanks for them in our daily prayers."
- Elder Steven E. Snow

 November 18 - I am grateful for a warm winter coat, my Norwegian hat, gloves and winter boots. LET THE SNOW FLY!!!
November 19 - I am grateful for an active mind. May I continually seek knowledge and broaden my intellect.
 November 20 - I am grateful for fabric. I love the textures, the patterns, the colors. I am a fabric junkie. I just cannot resist textiles!
November 21 - I am grateful for my dad who has a talent for working with wood. A true carpenter. I have enjoyed working on a project of my own and have thought about him as I make my cuts, join my wood together and create something functional for for my family to use.
November 22 - I am grateful for family and friends. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast. Enjoyed by all who came. The best part of the day was connecting with one another as we sat and talked, ate lunch/dinner and watched the children play together. It was a memorable Thanksgiving.
November 23 - I am grateful for sleigh/wagon rides. Cutting down the Christmas Tree and enjoying a day out with the family.

What if...

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

November 17 - I am grateful for the light I see within my children daily.  The strength I gain from them.  The joy I experience with them.  The laughter I share with them.  My world would be so empty without them.

"Children are highly vulnerable. They have little or no power to protect or provide for themselves and little influence on so much that is vital to their well-being. Children need others to speak for them, and they need decision makers who put their well-being ahead of selfish adult interests."

 - Elder Dallin H. Oaks - 2012 October General Conference, Protect the Children.

Inspired Gratitude

“Neither wealth, nor force, nor any other instrument of power can ever be more reliable in assuring our security and peace of mind than the knowledge of having inspired gratitude in a great many people.” 

Dr. Hans Selye (The Stress of Life, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1956, p. 287.)

  November 16 - I am grateful for a hard working, dedicated husband.

Thank the Lord with all your heart

“If you will thank the Lord with all your heart, every night, for all the blessings of that day; you will eventually find yourself exalted in the kingdom of God.”
 - Joseph Smith

November 15 - I am grateful for our home (a safe and secure roof over our head), heat and warmth through the cold winter and food to fill and nourish our bodies.

The Importance of Gratitude

“Our society is afflicted by a spirit of thoughtless arrogance unbecoming those who have been so magnificently blessed. How grateful we should be for the bounties we enjoy. Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. It bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self-sufficiency. It expresses itself in ugly egotism and frequently in wanton mischief. We have seen our beaches, our parks, our forests littered with ugly refuse by those who evidently have no appreciation for their beauty.”

 Gordon B. Hinckley, "With All Thy Getting Get Understanding,’” Ensign, Aug. 1988, 2

November 14 - I am grateful for good friends. The opportunity to sit down and connect with one another. To talk. To listen. To understand. To be understood. To laugh and occasionally to cry when needed. What would I do without my friends?

We Need To Be More Grateful

"We need to be more grateful. It's one of the marks of strong character, to have a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude for blessings that are ours. We need more of that spirit in our homes, in our daily associations, in church, everywhere. It's so easy to cultivate the spirit of appreciation." Ezra Taft Benson, "All This and the Gospel Too," New Era, Nov. 1991, 4

 November 12 - I am grateful for gifts and talents that add to my uniqueness and allow me to serve others in a way that only I can.

 November 13 - I am grateful for those who have served our country and sacrificed so much for the freedoms we enjoy.

An Attitude of Gratitude

"This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help. "We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues" (Thomas S. Monson, "An Attitude of Gratitude," Ensign, May 1992, 54).

  November 1 - I am grateful for my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ in whom I trust and rely on.
  November 2- I am grateful for the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the ability and opportunity to seek and receive personal revelation.
  November 3-I am grateful for my loving husband.
  November 4-I am grateful for my six children who are patient, forgiving and kind.
  November 5-I am grateful for my mother and father who gave me a great beginning.
  November 6-I am grateful for my sister who has always loved me.
  November 7-I am grateful for my spin and core class which allows me to take care of and strengthen my physical body.
  November 8- I am grateful for a gardener to take care of our flower garden that has brought beauty and joy to our home and everyday life.
  November 9-I am grateful for a little snow.
  November 10-I am grateful for inspiring individuals that encourage me to Dare, Dream and Do.
  November 11-I am grateful for modern medicine when almost everyone in the house is sick.