Attitude of Gratitude

"You could have an experience with the gift of the Holy Ghost today. You could begin a private prayer with thanks. You could start to count your blessings and then pause for a moment. If you exercise faith, and with the gift of the Holy Ghost, you will find that memories of other blessings will flood into your mind. If you begin to express gratitude for each of them, your prayer may take longer than usual. Remembrance will come. And so will gratitude." - Henry B. Eyring "To Draw Closer to God"

My friend Angie had that quote on her blog and it truly made me realize just how much I have to be grateful for. I have been blessed with so much in my life. I have an amazing husband who is so patient with me, and who is so willing to help others out, even if it means giving up some of his very hard-earned free time. I am lucky that he was so willing to have 13 members of my family here this weekend (that's enough to drive any a little crazy) and so lucky that he enjoyed it. He takes care of me in ways that I didn't even think I would need taking care of and he never ceases to amaze me with his capacity for love and fun and generosity.



I have been blessed with an amazing family. I was lucky enough to have 13 members of my family here this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving, as well as to be here when we blessed Camden in church (the other 4 members of my family were GREATLY missed). I am lucky that I have been blessed with such great sisters and a brother who truly bring out the best of me, and who remind me constantly that it's ok to not be perfect, and that sometimes you really just need to sit back and relax and let life happen. I'm so lucky to have a family that is willing to play silly board games (even when it's a little late and we are all a little punchy and willing to laugh at just about anything). I am lucky that they are so willing to play with and entertain my kids with no rest in sight (Uncle Ben will be sorely missed when he goes back to Utah by Keegan). I'm lucky that I will be able to carry those memories with me always, and that I will have the opportunity to make many more with my family.



I have been blessed with two amazing little boys who have made me a mother. They have demanded more from me than I ever thought would be possible for me give, and yet, whatever they have gotten from me seems to be enough. I am blessed to have such a happy little baby boy who smiles and coos and giggles and snuggles with you like no one's business, no matter what kind of chaos might be going on around him. He is seriously the happiest little baby in the world. Yes, he does cry, but those moments are usually pretty few and far between. I am lucky to have an almost 2-year-old(!) who every morning has to come into my room and check where every member of his family is before he can settle down into my bed and snuggle with me and his baby brother before our day really begins. I will always love hearing him say "Dada? Momma? Baby? Me Me (his name for himself) and then seeing his smile of satisfaction that everyone and everything is in it's place and that all things are as they should be. He gives loves like no one else can and is so gentle and loving with his baby brother (and Kaitlynn too when she is here) and could not be a better kid.

I have been blessed with great friends. Some new, some old, some that I have lost touch with, but I have amazing friends. All of them have, in their own way, shaped a piece of who I am today and I will always be grateful to them for their friendship. It amazes me to see the strength that so many of them have when they are faced with some truly trying times in their lives, and it gives me hope that I too will have the strength that I need when I face my own challenges in life.

I have been blessed with health, with financial security, with a home, with modern conveniences that make my life so much easier, with freedom to think for myself, to make my own decisions, to live as I see fit, to believe as I want and so many other countless things. The Lord is truly amazing, and I am truly grateful for all that I have been given in my life.