Being grateful is the first "Be" of Pres. Hinckley's "6 Be's" that he talks about. I love what he says so much I thought I'd put it below...
"There are two little words in the English language that perhaps mean more than all others. They are “thank you.”
"The habit of saying thank you is the mark of an educated man or woman. ... 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. .."
"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."
On this day, the day of Thanksgiving, I just wanted to share a few of the things that fill my heart with so much gratitude.1. This past year I have been especially grateful for my heritage, those that have gone before me. On Tuesday I lost my last grandparent, Dorothy Carlile. After her passing I was thinking about all that she had brought to my life - she always encouraged me to develop my talents, a level of independence, what it meant to work hard, persist, be strong and stalwart, an appreciation for things truly beautiful. I was so blessed to grow-up near all 4 of my grandparents, and now recollect how each of them contributed to building who I am today. For my wonderful grandparents who are all happily reunited, I am grateful.
2. This past year I have been especially grateful for the ability to learn, and always be learning. This life and this world becomes even more amazing to me as I experience and learn new things. Learning can be so fulfilling, from the small learnings - how to change my house with just color, differences between authors, how to snorkel - to bigger things - how life changes through marriage, what a friend is. For this life in which I get to learn and experience so much, I am grateful.
3. This past year I have been especially grateful for my family! Not that I haven't been especially grateful for them every year for the past 26 years, but I JUST LOVE MY FAMILY. I think this year has been especially fun though....or this past year and a half....We've had 4 new additions to our family in a very short time - my sister-in-law Whitney, brother-in-law Brandon, niece Jocelyn, and the best addition...my husband Trevor. These 4 have been such great additions. We have so much fun together. For my family, who are truly my best friends, I am grateful.
4. Speaking of family, I have been especially grateful for the family that now consists of Trevor and I, the new Winn family. There have been so many times this past year, and especially since July 21, 2007 that I have felt almost overcome with gratitude for my best friend and husband. I could never imagine being married to anyone else. I'm thankful for all the fun we have together, all the laughter, how smart he is, sharing so many passions, working on projects together, and figuring life out together. For the big guy that I'm so lucky to be with everyday, I am grateful.
5. Lastly, this past year I have been especially grateful for the guiding truths in my life. I can't imagine life, making life decisions, or just living life without those guiding truths. It's through the Gospel of Jesus Christ that these guiding truths or founded upon and for, and for that I am grateful.
4 comments:
Amen sister. Very touching. I like the thought of George, Ida, Lewis, and Dorothy together again.
It has been a good year for our family. I can barely remember what life was like without Whit, Jocey pants, Brandon and Trevor.
BYW, maybe you can add a bullet to your resume along the lines of "excellent blogger?" I can see that you've really developed your talent in this area and I appreciate all the effort.
Daughter of mine, you are eloquent in your expressions of gratitude. I am grateful for you and your thoughtfulness in expressing them so beautifully!
Our family has grown closer over the past year and a half with these new familial additions of which you have spoken. It is interesting to me that we may be miles apart, but we seem to be getting closer as a unit.
Yesterday at the Thanksgiving table I mentioned being thankful for communication: prayer, internet, cell phones, television, etc. How thankful I am that I can contact you in one form or another at almost any time, and that we can pray for each other anytime!
First of all, great post. You guys really have had a lot of amazing changes in your life this last year. I love that you refer to your family as your best friends.
Secondly, I am so glad that you guys are Bachelor fans too. I really liked him more and more too as the show went on and then BAM...he ruined it for everybody at the end. Why couldn't he have just kept dating one and not proposed? Whatever, I guess my life will continue. By the way, Tom's not as open about it, but he loves the show too and was right along with the rest of us with a dropped jaw when the bachelor made his decision.
I'm dying for the black Friday post!!! Don't keep us in suspense any longer.
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