Quotes and thoughts taken from President Monson's talk on Gratitude, Oct. 2010:
Said the Greek philosopher Epictetus, “He is a wise man who does not
grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he
has.”
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. Someone has said
that “gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of
all others.”
“The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with
him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light
drives darkness out of his life.” He continued: “Pride destroys our
gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are
in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should
be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful
attitude toward God and man!”
The English author Aldous Huxley wrote, “Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.”
My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable,
to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude
ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.
My sincere, heartfelt prayer is that we may in our individual lives
reflect that marvelous virtue of gratitude. May it permeate our very
souls, now and evermore."
An attitude of gratitude as President Monson taught shapes how we view the world, and how others view us. Through a lens of gratitude we can see and feel heaven around us even in the midst of trials.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Saturday, August 21, 2010
What matters most
Life has a way of getting ridiculously busy to the point that I forget what matters most. To do lists, constantly running around, and the noise and chaos of every day life seem to suck the meaning out of everything. It's not until I stop, stand still, and listen that I remember and see what truly matters.
A wise man, a prophet named Nephi who lived in ancient America pointed out the importance of observing the tender mercies of the Lord in our lives.
He taught that the Lord's tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness and obedience enable us to receive these important gifts and, frequently, the Lord's timing helps us to recognize them.
The tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and our Savior is eager to bestow such gifts upon us.
For the last two days I've been feeling ill down in bed(literally), with some kind of stomach flu. First let me say I am not a good sick person, I can only handle being stuck in doors for a small amount of time before I start to feel like a trapped animal. So after two days of being indoors I went out to the back yard.
I sat in my chair and breathed in the fresh air. Not having been outside for days it felt wonderful to feel the breeze on my face. I looked around and saw the beautiful mountains of red that surround our home, the plants in our garden,(the few that have survived our first year of gardening and the harsh summer sun.)
These are just a few of the tender mercies I saw today. My hope with this blog is that by being more aware and looking for the tender mercies of the Lord I and those that follow and comment on this blog will be able to more clearly see what truly matters, and remember that all good gifts come from our loving Father in Heaven.
A wise man, a prophet named Nephi who lived in ancient America pointed out the importance of observing the tender mercies of the Lord in our lives.
He taught that the Lord's tender mercies do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Faithfulness and obedience enable us to receive these important gifts and, frequently, the Lord's timing helps us to recognize them.
The tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and our Savior is eager to bestow such gifts upon us.
For the last two days I've been feeling ill down in bed(literally), with some kind of stomach flu. First let me say I am not a good sick person, I can only handle being stuck in doors for a small amount of time before I start to feel like a trapped animal. So after two days of being indoors I went out to the back yard.
I sat in my chair and breathed in the fresh air. Not having been outside for days it felt wonderful to feel the breeze on my face. I looked around and saw the beautiful mountains of red that surround our home, the plants in our garden,(the few that have survived our first year of gardening and the harsh summer sun.)
These are just a few of the tender mercies I saw today. My hope with this blog is that by being more aware and looking for the tender mercies of the Lord I and those that follow and comment on this blog will be able to more clearly see what truly matters, and remember that all good gifts come from our loving Father in Heaven.
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