...An Attitude of Gratitude

So here I am. On my way home from St. George and a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Seriously, it was so relaxing in every way, I’m totally bummin’ that it’s already over. Bridget and I drove down Wednesday morning, and made excellent time. And that’s not just because I might drive just a wee-bit faster than most people….not at all….Anyways, we get there and my nephew Thomas is so ready to play. For reals guys, he’s freaking adorable! Look at this boy!

So Wednesday we just played and held sweet little baby Ella, and started getting some things ready for the next day’s feast. Thursday was Turkey Day! We started cooking early and we were right on schedule with having everything be ready on time. Brady’s parents were there as well, and his brother Paul came later that day to join in the festivities. It was great to be able to have everyone there together, just cookin, and eatin, and havin a muy bueno time.  

                                                                  Bridget holding baby Ella

                                                     Me, Tom, and Brady's mom starting Thanksgiving   

This was probably one of the best Thanksgiving’s I’ve ever had. Megan’s turkey recipe far exceeded delicious and I would most definitely consider our meal a feast. Everything was perfect. Nom nom nom.  And the decorations around the house made the spirit of the holiday be that much more present and made the atmosphere in the home so wonderful- everyone was in good moods.

After dinner, it was nap time for everyone. Thomas practically fell asleep at the table, and that turkey had definitely started to take its affect on everyone. Later that evening, everyone gathered around the piano and we all joined in making music. Brady’s dad was on the piano, Brady on the acoustic guitar, Bridget on the bass, Paul and Brady’s mom singing, and the rest of us just enjoying the music, singing along, and holding the baby. We played for who knows how long, but it was wonderful. I love music. It really is something that can bring the family together, ease the stresses of life and the day, and bring a feeling to the soul that I do not think could come any other way. Music is truly one of my deepest passions, and it’s something I always want in my home. If you have a talent in music, build it. Don’t let it go. Use it regularly and allow the power of music of work inside your heart and soul.  If not, at least find a variety of music throughout your life that you can always rely on, music that you could listen to anytime, anywhere, music that will make you feel good and just make you happy. For me, that type of music comes from many sources: it comes when I take time to play the piano on my own. It comes from listening to Rocky Votolato and Led Zepplin, tastes of which I acquired through spending many days and hours with my favorite person ever listening to such music. Though the styles may be quite different, I can always listen to this music, and it always makes me feel happy.

On Friday, Paul and the parents left in the late afternoon, after Megan and Brady returned from buying a Christmas tree!  Those of us that were there that night jumped right in to getting ready for Christmas and decorated the tree and put up the decorations around the house, while listening to Christmas music, of course.

Christmas is by far one of my favorite holidays. Everyone seems to get into the holiday spirit, and while it can easily become stressful in the gift-buying, decorating, and traveling, it is such a special time of year as we reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ and the importance of His coming to this earth. During the next couple days, we continued in the Christmas spirit and the power of music, with playing Christmas music at the piano, Bridget  accompanying on the bass once again. It was a wonderful time to be with family and to get the new season started.

                                                               Just playin some Christmas music 

Saturday was just a fun play day. Bridget, Brady, Thomas, and I went to the park and then we just played at home. That night, after making delicious vanilla ice cream and pomegranate milkshakes nom nom nom we had a dance off using their Wii, and I am sad to say that I am supes (super) sore, but in my defense, Bridget and I played for almost 2 hours and it was intense!  But that’s probably not a very good excuse for just being out of shape…

                                                                                  Seriously guys. Sooooo much fun!!!

Now for a special word on Thanksgiving.  It’s typical that we all take at least a few minutes during this season to count our blessings and say what we’re thankful for. But something that has been crossing my mind over and over again these last few days has been: Why aren’t we this grateful every day?  Doesn’t our Father bless us every day with the things we need to get through the day such as breath, a home, food, clothing, warmth, a job, education, nature and the sun, family and friends, a feeling of comfort and peace, and so much more?  Every single day we are blessed with what we need to survive one more day, and not just to survive, but to endure well.  Why not make the spirit of thanksgiving we find during this holiday season a part of our daily lives?

In sacrament meeting at church, the speakers were talking on gratitude, and both of the adult speakers said something that has already made a profound impact on me. The husband of the couple that was speaking said this: “In today’s world in the areas of science, art, technology, and everything else, everyone always says ‘We did it’ and the individual, ‘I did it’ whenever a new advancement or discovery has taken place. No one gives credit to God anymore.”  Everything we have on this earth, everything that is a part of our lives, has been given to us by our Father in Heaven. Many people would argue saying, “I work. I make my own money. Therefore, everything I have comes from my own skill and work.”  But aren’t you given those skills and talents and opportunities to work by God? Don’t you have the means to work and the materials needed for these discoveries because of what people have done before you to advance this far, based on their means, materials, talents, and skills that were given to them by God?  If you really look at it, EVERYTHING we have comes from God, even the breaths we take:  Christ made this earth under the direction of the Father, and during the creation He created plants, and it is through plants that we receive the oxygen we need to breathe. And not only that, but God allows us to breathe every breath because we still have a purpose on this earth and our time is not yet up.  God’s hand is in everything. It truly is.  Take some time to really think about this. Take a few minutes at the end of every day to see where God has helped you during the day, and to see what you have been able to accomplish because of the gifts and blessings He has given you.

Now what the wife of the couple said in her talk had an even greater impact on me. She got this from a friend, but she said, “What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you had thanked God for today?”  I wouldn’t have woken up with much…I would have my family, a few close friends, and really not much else. I would have woken up to have the atonement of Christ no longer affective in my life, which was a sad, honest, realization to me. Hearing that has completely changed the way I look at the world around me as well as the way I pray to my Father in Heaven.  But that statement is actually quite true. Why shouldn’t we thank our Heavenly Father for every little thing we have, because it is through Him that we have it, and, ultimately, He could make it so that we could wake up with only the things we thanked Him for. And wouldn’t that be an eye-opener.  Gratitude is not something we should make a part of our lives only during this holiday season during the last two months of the year. But instead, it should be something that is a part of us, a part of the way we live and who we are.                MY CHALLENGE TO YOU:  Take time to look at your life and the world around you, look at what you have, and really see what the Lord has blessed you with in your life.  Take time daily to thank Him for what He has blessed you with that day, and really thank Him for what you have and what you really are grateful for. If it helps, keep a gratitude journal, and just take a few minutes every day to write down some things you noticed throughout your day that you are grateful for. Doing this, I believe, really helps us to see how prevalent God really is in our lives, and I promise you it will change your life. It has already changed mine in ways I couldn’t even thing possible.  Let us be a grateful people, with an attitude of gratitude every day, even during those hard days. Be grateful for ALL that you have. And even if you have a crappy day, thank Him for it, for it is during those struggles that we are given the chance to change our hearts, and to grow and learn.  I am grateful for my own life, for a family that loves me and supports me. I am grateful to have the opportunity to continue my education at a University that has already given me opportunities to expand my future. I am grateful for parents who pay for my schooling, and for my scholarships, so that I actually can go to school. I am grateful for my job, which surrounds me with great people and provides me with the opportunity to provide the necessities for myself. I am grateful for my apartment, even if it does have problem after problem, for the food I have and for my roommates who keep me company and are examples to me daily. I am grateful for my missionary and the choice he has made to serve the Lord, for the blessing he has been in my life, and for the happiness he has brought to my life that I have never known before. I am grateful for his family as well, for the people they are and for accepting me so warmly.  I am grateful for the scriptures and for prayer, as a means to communicate with God, and I am grateful for the Holy Spirit that guides my life and has revealed unto me confirmations, impressions, and direction pertaining to everything in my life. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, who knows me personally and has provided the means for me to live with Him and my family forever. I am grateful for His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to this earth to atone for my sins and to die for me because He loves me, and so that I can repent of my sins and draw nearer to God.  I am grateful that He sacrificed Himself in that way to serve as a mediator between me, and imperfect, sinful being, and my Heavenly Father, so that justice and mercy may both be served and I may still be able to live with my Father in Heaven. I could go on and on for what I am grateful for now that my eyes have been opened to the much bigger picture. Take time today to thank God for what He has given you, and tell Him what you are thankful for.