We have recently received counsel from God's prophet to cultivate a spirit of gratitude. President Monson said, "Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love. We have all experienced times when our focus is on what we lack rather than on our blessings. Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings."
I think that this is something that I need to work on. While I see beautiful things all around me, I also have a tendency to notice the flaws. I remember a story I read years ago that was in the Church News. My mom sent it to me on my mission. It was part of an article called Look for Good (August 1998). It talked about a philosopher who would spend hours in the woods studying nature and then sharing what he learned with the people in his village. One day as he was getting ready to go, three of his friends stopped by. They each asked him to bring home something so that they could study those things that the philosopher had given lessons on. One asked for a hawthorne twig, one asked for a rose, and the third asked for a lily. When the philosopher returned that night he gave each of his friends the requested item. The first man complained that there was a dead leaf on his hawthorne twig. The second one was upset because there was a thorn on his rose, and the third man found dirt on the roots of the lily. The philosopher took each gift back and removed the offending items. Then he gave the dead leaf, the thorn, and the dirt to the three men. Then he said, "Now, each of you has what attracted you first. You looked for the dead leaf and found it. You looked for the thorn; it was there. You found the dirt on the roots of the lily. You may keep what attracted you first. I will keep the hawthorn twig, the rose and the lily for the beauty I see in them."
That story has stuck with me. It is easy to look at the world and see everything that is going wrong. It is easy for me as a teacher to notice the students that are not doing what they are supposed to do. Maybe it takes a little bit more of an effort (at least for me) to notice the good things. I don't think we need to ignore the bad. We can't help correct it if we just look the other way, but we should be making an effort to recognize the blessings that we have been given. Some people are very good at this already. I am blessed to have several such people in my life: family members, co-workers, and friends. How wonderful it is to have people around you that are optimistic and grateful. They are good examples for me.
I have been very blessed. I have a wonderful family. We all get along, and like to be together. I was watching some television show the other day and the character in the show was saying how much she hated Christmas because she had to spend time with people she didn't like (including family). I don't understand what it is like for some people to not get along with their family members. I love being with my family. When we have a chance to all be together we have a lot of fun. I have beautiful little nieces and nephews that are just a delight to be around. I am very grateful to have such a loving family and that all of us have testimonies of the Savior. I have also been blessed with health. I'm around sick children frequently as a teacher, but I haven't gotten sick very often (I hope I didn't just jinx myself). I have a good job, and fantastic people to work with. Financially I have been able to meet all of my needs and even have some of my wants. I am so very thankful for the gospel and for the Savior's love and forgiveness. I am thankful for the knowledge I have that He lives.
