I am
really excited to share on gratitude and blessings today. It seems that when a topic comes up for
discussion, it is usually one I need to work on or have recently had an
experience with. Or both. As we the
holidays, our hearts start turning to feelings of gratitude for our families,
the Savior, our neighborhood, friends, and everything we have in this
life. We reflect on the stories of our
ancestors and their journey to get to a place called Zion along with the
stories created with our families today. Although the conditions are a bit
different, there is a common denominator and that is gratitude and counting the
blessings that surround us.
Now
I didn’t say that gratitude and blessing pop out of the ground like daises and
come sweat free. When things are going great in my life, I am so thankful for
what I have been given. I have a
positive attitude and all is well. This
is what I would think most people would feel like too. Funny enough though, when things are rock bottom,
scary, or too much to handle I start thinking in a similar way. Not necessarily
right off the bat but it happens. I am
thankful for the ones I have around me to support me, I am thankful for the
power of prayer and priesthood blessings, the love Heavenly Father shows me,
and so many other blessings that seem to rush in.
I
see those blessings with the highs and lows but sometimes I forget that they
are present in the middle are of my life.
The middle for me is a normal day of chasing two four legged fuzz balls
around, postponing cleaning as much as I can and then frantically clean before
Eddy gets home, running errands, making dinner, and spending time with my
amazing husband when he gets home. With
all the hustle and bustle, I often skip over recognizing just how many
blessings I have. I get at least 2-3
miles in just walking to the door to let my indecisive dogs outside or inside,
I get to make a mess of the house for no reason and blame it on “reorganizing”,
and last but not least I get to stay home and take care of the house while my
husband supports our outrageous vet bills and my sewing/fabric addiction. Ok on a serious note though I am very
grateful for him and all that he does to support our family. There is so much that we can find in the
middle days to be grateful for if we just take the time to look for them.
I
want to share a story with you about a man named Henry Glegg Jr. Henry Clegg Jr. was a finisher. He joined the
Church with his family when the first LDS missionaries went to Preston,
England. Henry had a view of his destination in his mind as he and his wife,
Hannah, and their two young boys immigrated to Utah.
While
crossing the plains, Hannah contracted cholera and died. She was laid to rest
in an unmarked grave. The company then moved on, and at six in the evening,
Henry’s youngest son also died. Henry retraced his steps to Hannah’s grave,
placed his young son in his wife’s arms, and reburied the two of them together.
Henry then had to return to the wagon train, now five miles away. Suffering
from cholera himself, Henry described his condition as being at death’s door
while realizing he still had a thousand miles to walk. Amazingly he continued
forward, putting one foot in front of the other. He stopped writing in his
journal for several weeks after losing his dear Hannah and little son. I was
struck with the words he used when he did start writing again: “Still moving.”
When he finally reached the gathering place of the Saints, he began a new
family. He kept the faith. He continued his story.
The
pioneers have a very special place in my heart and as I read their stories, I
am filled with gratitude for what they did and the blessings I receive from
them making that sacrifice. I am thankful for our Savior and the ultimate
sacrifice he made for each one of us so we can return to our Heavenly Father in
heaven. I am so thankful for my sweet
Eddy. One of the biggest blessings in my
life was a cold December day last year when we were ceiled for time and all
eternity. I am so blessed to call him
mine. Finally. ;)
Monthly
Challenge:
As
we approach the new topic for the month, yes I’m late on posting but I promise
to do better next month, my challenge to you is to post a comment. Let us know what you think on the topic at
hand. Do you have similar stories that
you want to share? We need the support
of each other and that means we need you too. If you need help getting into the
comment section email us and we would be happy to walk you through it. Remember you are important and your
thoughts. Please share. You never know who needs to hear what you
have to say.
