Gratitude

A few months back our Prophet President Nelson gave us a challenge to heal through gratitude. He asked us, for the next week, to flood social media with gratitude posts. I tend not to get too personal on social media so this was a somewhat difficult challenge for me but I jumped (albeit thoughtfully) in to the social media stream. 

I admit I loved reading other's posts on what they were grateful for. And I loved that it lessened the amount of hate and frustration that pours forth from that venue. It was a beautiful week.

It's months later now and I felt I should go back and put my gratitude posts somewhere I can find them and remind myself of the time. Hence the following post. Since it's small, I will write out the post.

I am grateful for the technology we have to be close together even during the pandemic - even though we are many miles apart. Zoom calls, FaceTime, texts, IM's, instant video chats; we can even send videos through text! I hate to imagine this pandemic without technology! I remember the days of letters sent through the mail taking weeks to arrive. And now to be able to pick up the phone, actually see the person you're calling and not have that old stipulation of only calling after certain hours for the best price or to worry about "long distance charges" and so forth.

I am ever so grateful fo the loins from which I sprang and for that which sprung. My wonderful Starland & Barney grandparents; my aunts, uncles, and cousins; my loving and patient parents, my brothers, their wives, and my nieces and nephews; my mother-in-law, my husband, and little girl have all added to that which has become me. If I am anything good, if I can do anything good, it is because of their great influence and example in my life. They inspire me to choose the better part. 

This morning my daughter sent me this picture via our iPad. I am grateful after years of patience - of asking, begging, pleading, and assisting in the bed making process, she has made her bed on her own and is proud of her efforts. I am proud of her. 

I am also grateful for the symbolism: for a loving Savior who is patient with me and stands by me during the process of life, ready to assist at any time so that I can make my proverbial bed and feel the sense of pride in the completion all the while knowing I could not succeed without His help. 

I am grateful for my education. Parents and grandparents who taught me the value of hard work, a daddy who inspired me to become a music teacher, a mother who gave me the musical skills to be proficient with the piano and achieve a vocal scholarship to help pay for my education, amazing professors who believed in me - and even hired me to work at the Department of Performing Arts so I could spend copious hours in practice rooms. 

I am grateful I have never had to wash clothes down at the river. I am grateful for heaters, air conditioners, running water, indoor bathrooms, stoves, microwaves, etc and so on. I am also aware not everyone has those same blessings. And so I am also grateful to be a small part of an organization that teaches us to look outside self, to learn about the world and what's going on with others and find ways to share and or be of service, and that "True Christianity is Love in Action"; it also has a welfare program, humanitarian aid program, education and other programs to which I can donate in the hopes of helping others that I cannot otherwise reach. 

I am grateful for books. I tend to do a little reading now and then. With all that I've read I'm continually amazed at what I don't know. From history to sympathy, books can be phenomenal teachers. 

I'm grateful for a mother who stays on FaceTime to help me overcome my phobias of cooking and raw meat, all the while encouraging me and calming me by telling me to take deep breaths; who only after the turkey was out of the oven mocked me by comparing our morning FactTime with a scene out of MASH where Hawkeye has Father Mulcahy preform a tracheostomy by giving directions over the radio all the while Radar is in the background freaking out about how gross said tracheostomy was going.

One more: I am grateful for good people. I am grateful that the majority of the world is filled with good people. People who are good and kind, people who go out of their way for strangers, people who know you so well they can feel when you need a phone call. I am so grateful for all the goodness in the world. And I am grateful for a prophet who knew we needed to focus on the good there is in the world and to instead of only seeing the hard, to bring that goodness to the front of our eyes.