Gee Thanks!

By sharing her gratefuls, my good friend Laralyn has got me focusing on mine everyday as well. What are gratefuls you ask?
Well, they are the wonderful little things we notice in our lives that the Lord has blessed us with!

People, in general, often take so much for granted and tend to focus mostly on the frustration and mundane in their lives. There is so much to be grateful for ... and life is so much better when you focus on the good and the beautiful within it! One of my favorite hymns is "Count Your Many Blessings":

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. …


So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged; God is over all.
Count your many blessings; angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
(Hymns, 1985, no. 241.)

James Faust said;

"A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness. It is an expression of humility. It helps us develop such virtues as prayer, faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love, and well-being." D&C 78:19 says “And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more”

What a fabulous promise just for being grateful! Our hearts are lighter and our out look is brighter when we are filled an attitude of gratitude! I know my own life takes on new meaning when I focus on the blessings and gifts from my father in heaven, rather than whining and pouting over things I want but don't have! I have been blessed with such abundance in my life and from that has come great joy!

I used to keep a gratitude journal, I don't any more ...humm, maybe I do, I try to make my blogging a positive and happy evaluation of my blessings in life ... I think it is important for us to take inventory of our gratefuls every day! Start in the morning ... and find joy in every moment by counting your blessings!

Fill your backpack, purse, breifcase and heart with enough gratefuls to get you through each day. Write them down and read them when you are frustrated or overwhelmed!

President Gordon B Hinckley said, " Let a spirit of thanksgiving guide and bless your days and nights,” He encouraged each of us to incorporate gratitude into our daily lives. “Work at it,” he said. “You will find it will yield wonderful results.”

From today forward I will try to walk with gratitude in my heart. I challenge each of you who read this to do the same. Count your blessings ... write them down ... it only takes a minute and can bring you such personal joy and peace that I find hard to describe. but, it is real and I know you can feel it too!