Post #1: Gratitude

“When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.”

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

     Hello everybody! Welcome to my new blog! This is my first post, and there were a few topics that I wanted to post thoughts about. After tossing them around in my head for a few minutes, I realized that it would probably be appropriate to share a thought about gratitude, seeing as it is Thanksgiving and all...  I love the quote above by President Gordon B. Hinckley. I know that this is so true. If you live your life with gratitude and are thankful for all things given to you, it truly will make you a better person.

    
     What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday? Wouldn't you wish that you had showed more gratitude for what you've been given? You can tell when a person acknowledges what they have. Generally, they are more willing to give of themselves because they realize that they really are blessed. There is a quote by Pavithra Mehta that says "What you truly acknowledge is truly yours." How true that is.

My dad shared something with me that can be a reminder for us all to be thankful.

- If you woke up this morning with more health than illness... you are more blessed than the million who will not survive the week.

- If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

- If you can attend a religious meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death... you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world.

- If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep... you are richer than 75% of this world.

- If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealth.

- If your parents are still alive and still married... you are very rare, even in the United States.

- If you can hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful... you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

- If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder... you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch.

- If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over 2 billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

Doesn't that make you a little more grateful for your blessings? It does for me. Something like that can really give you a renewed perspective.

I was looking in my scriptures for a story of gratitude. There are many such stories in the scriptures. I'm only going to share one, however, and it is one that you are all familiar with.

Luke 17:

 11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Bishop Merrill J. Bateman taught: “In becoming a whole person, the grateful leper was healed inside as well as on the outside. That day nine lepers were healed skin deep, but only one had the faith to be made whole”

See what gratitude can do for us?? It can make us whole.

Alright... to finish, here's a lovely video that the church posted on facebook... enjoy...

I'm thankful for: the gospel, my testimony, my family, my scriptures, my Savior, the piano, my ward family, a roof over my head and food in my pantry, school, and the wonderful country that we live in.
And oh, so much more...

Psalms 100:
4- Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5- For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

I hope that we can all remember that being thankful is not just for Thanksgiving... It is a lifestyle.