Gratitude 2011

At the beginning of the month I was surfing on Pinterest and I saw a quote that literally stopped me in my tracks. It said,

"What if today you woke up with only the things that you thanked God for yesterday."

It was about 11:00pm and I sat for about five minutes just pondering that thought.  I realized in that moment just how ungrateful I am to my Heavenly Father.  I feel gratitude, but  don't express it often enough.  I have been richly blessed and I take it for granted.  I am so grateful that someone posted a simple thought that I can honestly say has changed my life over the past three weeks.  I know that it has made an impact on my family, too- mostly because I am hearing more gratitude reflected in their prayers.

The only thing that bothered me about the quote was that the chance for action was past.  As I presented the quote to my family I changed it up a bit:

I printed this and put it in a frame in our mud room where we see it several times a day.  (If you would like the printable version, please go to my creative blog.) It reminds me to be grateful in all my thoughts.

Here are my top five things that I am grateful for in 2011.

My family.  I am married to a truly wonderful man who treats me like a queen.  Ihave been blessed with three strong, smart sons who are kind and loving.  They are good to me, too!  I love that I never have to open a door for myself.  I enjoy watching them grow and change.

My faith.  I get tears in my eyes just thinking about the impact that the Gospel has on my life.  I am not perfect- far from it.  I know that Christ died that we might be saved and I know that families can be forever.  This is the rock of my faith.

My parents, brothers and ancestors.  I have been loved, taught, and protected by a wonderful family.  I had traumatic events in my childhood that could have ruined me, but thanks to the people in my life, I grew up to be strong and confident.  (Maybe too strong and confident. . . but that's a post for another day!)  These people helped me turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.

My education.  My parents demanded good grades.  They knew I was capable and pushed me.  That is. . . until I learned to push myself.  I still regret that one A- I got in my Masters Degree!  What a blessing it is to have a good education.  It has opened so many doors in my life and allowed me to be involved with such fulfilling activities.

My home.  I love my home.  It represents safety and security.  It is a haven from the physical elements, but also from spiritual buffering.  Although we are blessed to live in a very beautiful house, I know that I can be happy in much more humble circumstances.  When we moved to Utah we moved from a large, beautiful home to a shabby 4-plex.  Guess what?  It was still home.  I hope I don't have to do that again, but I know we would survive and thrive.

And you. . . thanks for reading this blog and supporting me.