So this year we did Thanksgiving a little bit differently. Usually its the homemade rolls, the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and one VERY stuffed stomach afterwards. This year however we spent it in Hawaii (which was awesome!). Though this meant none of those typical foods on the dinner table. Instead, we did a good second choice of Hamburgers on the grill near the beach.
It was amazing, but it also kind of made me miss the typical foods and traditions. Despite this, Thanksgiving isn't about eating all kinds of good food, but its about recognizing all the many things that we have been blessed with and that we are grateful for. As I sat on the beach watching the sun go down, I couldn't help but realize just how blessed I truly was!!! I am healthy, I go to a great school, I have family and friends who love me, and I have the knowledge of the true gospel which provides me guidance in my life.
I have been given so much but I think often times I fail to express gratitude for some of the smaller things in my life because they seem to go unseen, or I fail to express appreciation of my trials and all that they have/are teaching me. Countless times I have been carried through my trials or even carried through my daily tasks. I may have nights where I go to bed completely exhausted and not thinking I would be getting enough sleep to keep functioning the next day, but then I wake up with the energy to accomplish the tasks before me.
D&C 46:32
"And ye must give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever bessing ye are blessed with."
So for this month, I am grateful for the missing ceiling in our apartment that we had for 3 weeks. Because of it, I learned patience. I grew closer to my roommates as we continually just sat and laughed because there was nothing we could do. I became grateful that we live in a place where the ceiling isn't supposed to leak, because I know there are many around the world who have no ceiling at all, or who's ceiling is never capable of keeping all of the rain out. I'm thankful for warm beds, that allow me a peaceful sleep. I'm thankful for clean running water, so I can shower and feel clean rather than using the dirty water that may be caught on our roof (or through it!). I'm thankful for comfortable family rooms that give us a place to relax, study, grow, and interact.
The list could go on forever...
2 comments:
Hey, I got your blog from the D&C list and I just wanted to say thanks for your comments on gratitude. Especially since something like a leaky ceiling isn't something you'd normal be grateful for. It made me think about if there is anything that I complain about that I should really count as a blessing. Thanks again!
Hey Katie! Thanks for the blog. It remind me about when I was a missionary in Chile. I didn't have a leaky celing but I did have to shower with cold water for 4.5 months. Didn't enjoy it very much but lookin back I'm pretty grateful for it. COld showers really woke me up and got me up and ready to do my scripture study. They're quite refreshing as well! Whether in good or bad times, there's always something to be grateful about. Thanks for reminding everyone about that. You rock!
Post a Comment