Our little family sat around the table, surrounded by a bounty of food, enjoying plates heaped with delicious morsels. My husband looked at our family and said, “Why don’t we share what we’re grateful for today?”
Ella, our four year-old, spoke up enthusiastically, and said without a moment’s hesitation, “I am grateful for my family!” As we took turns, Ella took every other turn to share more of the gratitude in her tender heart. Unprompted, she told us how she was grateful for the food her mommy makes with her, the things that help her stay healthy, and (my favorite) “the hugs I get all day from mom.”
Dad talked about how thankful he was for our home to keep us safe and warm, we guessed that Ezra was grateful for cars and his Daddy, and I shared how thankful I was to know that my family could be together forever.
My heart flooded with gratitude and the rich blessings surrounding me overwhelmed my soul. I experienced one of those moments where you say to yourself, “It can’t get any better than this.”
As I prayed with my family throughout the day and knelt down last night, I poured out my thanksgiving and felt such peace and joy as I considered that I could never properly thank my Heavenly Father for all that He has blessed me with.
It can be easy to focus on the negative and to air our grievances as they happen on social networking sites (and I do more than my share of this). Jeffrey Holland said, “No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse.” I have found this to be so true in my own life. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude can bring so much more joy and satisfaction. Gratitude always reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from the leader of my church:
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. – President Thomas S Monson
Gratitude is a positive experience, an attitude, a way of perceiving life, a habit to be cultivated, and a coping response to challenging circumstances, according to Vaughn Worthen, who is part of the counseling department at BYU. When I read this today, this felt so true. We can define how we respond to the world around us, how we process negativity and challenges, and, most importantly, how we perceive the people and circumstances of our lives through gratitude.
I am grateful for my amazing husband who helped me prep, cook, and clean (multiple times) throughout the day yesterday. I think that spending a day with him, talking, laughing, and simply being together is a piece of heaven.
I am thankful for my two children who fill our home with giggles, tiny running feet, endless questions, treasured insights, and the most amazing hugs and kisses.
I am grateful for Cook’s Illustrated and their Deep Dish Pie recipe, which helped me make the pie crust I’ve always dreamed of.
I am thankful for a delectable Thanksgiving dinner and a wonderful holiday!
My life is imperfect, but wonderful. I have all that I need and so much more. I am richly blessed.
Great post, Mindy. I, too, have so much to be grateful for. And sometimes I need to remind myself to just BE grateful!!
-Ally
Awesome list Mindy! You made me tear up a little bit at happy you were made!