Gratitude Journal

Tonight my ward had a Relief Society Enrichment night about gratitude. The night focused on a talk given by President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the first presidency, given in October of 2007 entitled O Remember, Remember. President Eyring focuses on writing down the things we are grateful for so that we might recognize and remember the hand of God in our everyday lives. Following is one quote that I really liked from the talk about President Eyrings experiences.

"I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized
in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.

"More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened. "

Our leaders had asked a few sisters to keep their own gratitude journals over the past month and they were invited to share with us their experiences in doing so. Many of their entries were humorous in addition to the serious and spiritual. It exemplified how simple keeping this journal can be as well as the power it can have in your life. We were then given our own gratitude journals and challenged to write everyday, even just a few sentences, something that we were grateful for and try to be different everyday. I feel that there is much that I have to be grateful for. I truly am very blessed by my Heavenly Father and I am excited for the push to recognize and record the many blessings he has given me. I have decided to do some of my entries here.

Today I am grateful for:

• my Relief Society sisters and the program that brings us together in the gospel
• being able to go outside and feel the wind and sunshine
• my key deciding that it is going to turn and start the car after all
• the restoration of the priesthood and a husband that holds and honors his priesthood
• Elijah saying "she's not cute, she's beautiful" when Josh says I'm cute
• Verizon and Vonage that let me talk to Christina and my mother as long as I want to (or rather as long as my kids will let me)