Gratitude

Everywhere you turn on Facebook, you find notes of gratitude that people are posting through the month of November. I'm apparently a bit of a scrooge about this, not because I'm not grateful, and not because I don't want to share, but I've been handling my thoughts of gratitude a bit differently this year. I've been (attempting) to write down my things that I was grateful for. Among those things are things that I'm blessed with, but I have also been including daily experiences I've been having. My intent was to put them in a mason jar and fill it up throughout the month. But they've gotten as far as my purse, and it's getting full. I just have to share a few.

1. Making new friends and feeling apart of something.
2. The testimony of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His restored gospel, and the opportunities I have to bear it. The day I wrote this came a day after having had the opportunity to voice my testimony of the importance of marriage and family and missed it. I didn't turn away from it, but I just wasn't with it. I prayed that night that I wouldn't let that opportunity pass by me again. I was blessed the very next day to have an opportunity to tell a coworker of my testimony of the importance of marriage and families and how that is something that I'm striving for.
3.Words of the modern day prophets & apostles and the strength and direction they offer.
4. Tender mercies!! The day I wrote this I had a CRAZY busy week and couldn't see how I could possibly get everything done that I needed. And then I got an email that the assignments for one of my classes and been postponed and entire week! Amazing!
5. Jesus Christ, the gift & power of the Atonement, and for His restored gospel.
6. Good music that lifts the soul.
7. Family! I am fortunate to be blessed with such wonderful parents. They raised me well and taught me to work, serve, and love others. They taught me the importance of church attendance, family prayer, and quality time together. For some reason they love me despite my sometimes awful attitude and silly quirks. My sister is my best friend! I grow more and more thankful for her every day! I'm grateful for my older siblings! I don't know them as well, but I'm beginning to and I LOVE spending time with them. I'm grateful for all of these wonderful and amazing people that I get to call my family!
8. Children who love me and give me hugs! I'm grateful that they want to be my friends (my philosophy in life is that it doesn't really matter if any other adults like me, as long as there are children who do, I'm all set).
9. I'm grateful for trials I've gone through and the mistakes I've made, and for the lessons both have taught me. There are lessons I couldn't have learned any other way than going through a trial, and there are some lessons I learned as a result of my mistakes that I wish I hadn't learned, but all have strengthened me and have helped/are helping me become the woman I want to be.
10. I'm grateful for the knowledge that families can be together forever. I've been lucky that death hasn't been a very large part of my life to this point, but recently tragedy has come to many that I know and love, and I know that one day it will also happen to those that I know and love personally (and it will even happen to me). I know that the separation has got to be so difficult and heart breaking, but how truly comforting to know that it is only temporary, that they, and we, will live again and that we can live eternally with our families!

This is certainly not a comprehensive list, but are the things that I felt I wanted to share tonight. My heart is overflowing in gratitude for the many gifts, blessings, and opportunities the Lord has given me! I'm learning that the best way to find contentment in life is to be grateful.