Month of Gratitude

7 Nov.

gripe - "Are you kidding me???"

Seriously.  Are you?  HOWEVER . . . today I am quite grateful to have been born and raised in The United States of America, where my parents enjoyed the protected freedom to raise me with the values and morals that have guided me throughout my life; and where I am free to pass those same values on to my own children.  My prayer is that my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren for generations to come will be able to enjoy and express that same gratitude.  God bless America!

Food for thought:

"Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion all have a double aspect - freedom of thought and freedom of action." -Frank Murphy

Month of Gratitude

6 Nov.

gripe- "I hate mornings!"

NOPE!

"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."  -Psalms 118:24

 ". . . this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."  -Alma 34:32

Honestly, the first thing in the morning has not always been my shining moment.  However, I can also honestly say that before I go to bed every night, I commit to myself and to my Father in Heaven that when I wake up the next morning I will do my best to be who He would like me to be.  Some days I come closer than others, but so far I've been allowed to keep waking up and trying again.  There will come a time when I don't get to try anymore, and that will be okay, too.  But for now, I am profoundly grateful to be able to wake up in the morning, put my best foot forward, reach for my God-given potential, and hopefully bless the life of someone else before the sun goes down.  YAY for mornings!

Food for thought: 

"When we are young, it seems that we will live forever.  We think that there is a limitless supply of sunrises waiting just beyond the horizon, and the future looks to us like an unbroken road stretching endlessly before us.

 "However, the older we get, the more we tend to look back and marvel at how short that road really is . . . . And we begin to think about the choices we made and the things we have done.  In the process, we remember many sweet moments . . . But we also remember the . . . things we wish we could go back and change."  

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Month of Gratitude

5 Nov.

gripe - "I am fed up with my children's arguing!"

Hmm . . . I really am, but NOPE!  I am grateful for teaching moments when I can learn to help my children learn to communicate feelings of hurt or frustration, and to love someone even when they may not always see things the same way.  I am also grateful they have each other with whom they can learn to sincerely apologize and forgive.  I love to see my children trying to work things out! 

Month of Gratitude

4 Nov.

gripe - "I hate the way I look!"

NOPE!  I am grateful for my body!  It has done and continues to do amazing things.  It has grown from a tiny 7-pound infant to a fully grown woman.  It has walked me through breathtaking places from the corn fields of northern Illinois to the mountaintops of the Swiss Alps.  It has danced on stages with my friends, and around my living room with my children.  It has grown, given birth to, and fed six perfect and precious babies.  With it, I have held the people I love, comforted people in pain, and served people in need.  It has allowed me to sing and sing and sing.  What an incredible gift.  I love my body!

This is me, 34 weeks preggers
with babies 3 & 4.

Month of Gratitude

3 Nov.

gripe- "I'm sick of this dog!  He's always in the way."

NOPE!  I'm grateful for our dog Tex!  He's the sweetest dog I have ever known.  Wherever I am, he likes to be.  He's perfectly obedient, never chews on things he shouldn't, never has accidents in the house (which is especially nice, considering how ancient he is), never jumps on anyone, and is friendly to all our visitors.  I especially like it when I'm sitting on the couch or at my computer and he comes and nudges my arm with his nose until I show him a little love.  Nothing like a good belly-scratch!  He's such a good-natured old friend. I love my sweet dog!

Month of Gratitude 

2 Nov.

gripe - "I hate the fall in south Texas.  It's still so hot, it's like there's no fall at all!"

NOPE!  I love the winter in south Texas!

Month of Gratitude 

1 Nov.

gripe- "I despise my kitchen.  It is waaaay too small for my family of eight!

"NOPE!  I am grateful for my kitchen!  I have a stove and oven I can cook with instead of having to cook over an open fire.  I have a microwave oven for added convenience.  I have a running dishwasher of the non-human kind.  I have a refrigerator and freezer to preserve food for later consumption.  I have running water with which to wash and prepare food, and clean my kitchen.  And to show how grateful I am for the kitchen that is sufficient for our needs, I dedicated 120 uninterrupted minutes to cleaning and making it shine from top to bottom.  I love my beautiful kitchen!