Week 13-A Journey of Grattitude

This week as we studied about gratitude the talk "An Attitude of Gratitude" by Thomas S Monson particularly stood out to me. He said, "we can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. He then went on to list some specific things we can focus on being grateful for.

The first was gratitude for our mothers, he talked about how they sacrifice so much for their children and families. He quoted a writer who said, “God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers.” Next is gratitude for our fathers, of this he said; “Daily he toils to provide the necessities of life, never complaining, ever concerned for the well-being of his family. This love for children, this desire to see them well and happy, is a constant in a time of change.”

Third, he listed teachers and of them he said, “The teacher not only shapes the expectations and ambitions of pupils; the teacher also influences their attitudes toward their future and themselves.” Fourth is friends Pres. Monson said, “Fourth, let us have gratitude for our friends. Our most cherished friend is our partner in marriage. This old world would be so much better off today if kindness and deference were daily a reflection of our gratitude for wife, for husband.”

Fifth is gratitude for our country and those who died and fought to protect it. Finally, sixth is our Savior Jesus Christ, of Christ he said “He taught us how to pray. He taught us how to live. He taught us how to die. His life is a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved.”

Reading through President Monson’s list helped me to realize that I am not as grateful as I would like to be daily, the act of gratitude can change our hearts, and minds. It is a powerful principle and one that I want to do better at living. When I served my mission, I made it a practice to daily look for the good, even when and especially when times were tough journaling the good I saw or felt that day changed so much for me. It changed my perspective from the inside out and helped me have happiness no matter what was going on around me. It is time for me to recommit to that practice.


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