Grateful for elder Holland

 We sat for dinner this evening with elder Holland and elder and sister Clayton at elder Cornishes home. Elder and sister Zivic, elder and sister Martinez and the Wittakers were there too. What an amazing day this was and one I would always remember and be grateful for. Elder Holland blessed the food and said the most incredible amazing prayer. How neat is that! My heart is full of gratitude and hope to be of good cheer anytime I feel sad or upset at something.  I read somewhere someone who said: "Gratitude is an amazing thing. Gratitude can turn any negative into a positive. The fastest way to FEEL happy is to BE THANKFUL. Taking a moment to consider all the blessings that are in your life can  help tremendously to put everything into proper perspective; and it is proper perspective that will help you thorough the toughest trials and challenges in life. It is easy to get busy with things that we forget to take time to be thankful." The next article is one that has helped me feel inspired to be grateful and one worth sharing.

 Things You Can Do To Help You Be More Thankful

Relax.  It’s hard to cultivate a sense of gratitude when you’re angry, frustrated, or anxious. If these are issues that you struggle with, it’s important to resolve them, as they’re formidable barriers to thankfulness.

Live in the moment.  If you’re too busy dwelling on the past or thinking about the future, you won’t be able to fully notice how fantastic things are right now. Plus, thinking about the past and future opens the door to comparison, which is the only way you can perceive something as not good enough. What you have now is all that exists, and comparing that to something that doesn’t exist anymore (or yet) is an easy way to foster dissatisfaction and torture yourself. Like the old saying goes “Past is History, Future is a Mystery and Today is Gift and hence it is called the Present”. Enjoy today, this moment and don’t postpone your enjoyment.

Start with your senses. The most basic pleasures in life are usually accessible to us all the time, but they slip out of our consciousness because we get so used to them. Learn to notice the little things, and deliberately appreciate them:

Look around. Notice beautiful shapes, colors, and details. Notice things you normally take for granted, like sunlight reflecting off someone’s hair. Think of all the little things you’d miss if you were blind. It’s often the most minute joys that are missed the most.

Smell the roses. And the food. And the air. Recognize the smells that make you feel good: a freshly cut lawn, the air right after it rains, a fresh pot of hot chocolate.

Savor your food. Eat slowly. Don’t just gobble and chug. Identify flavors. Appreciate how they intermingle. Take notes from wine enthusiasts; they know how to enjoy the subtlest of flavors.

Appreciate the sense of touch. How do leaves, blankets, lotions feel against your skin? How many times during the day do people touch you affectionately, and you barely notice?

Listen to more than music. Listen when you think it’s quiet, and you’ll discover it’s not really all that quiet. You might hear the wind, leaves rustling, kids laughing

Cherish any kind of lightheartedness in your life. Things like laughter, affection, and playfulness are fleeting. Once a relationship has degraded so that those things don’t spontaneously occur anymore, it’s very hard to get them back. You might know that from experience. So treat those moments with care (especially with kids, who are at the peak of lightheartedness). Don’t be the person who takes life too seriously, who doesn’t have time to have fun, or who has no sense of humor.

Keep a gratitude journal. Challenge yourself to write down five new things every day that you’re grateful for. It’ll be easy in the beginning, but soon you’ll discover that you have to increase your awareness to keep on.

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BE THANKFUL   -By Author Unknown

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something,

for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.

During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,

because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,

because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,

because it means you’ve made a difference.

It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,

and they can become your blessings.