4 thankful.

In honor of Thanksgiving, the other day I pulled out Gordon B. Hinckley's "Standing for Something" & read the section on gratitude. If any of you have that book, I recommend you pull it out & read through that chapter. I wanted to share a few of his thoughts:

"Gratitude is a sign of maturity. It is an indication of sincere humility. It is a hallmark of civility. And most of all, it is the divine principle. I doubt there is anything in which we more offend the Almighty than in our tendency to forget His mercies and to be ungrateful for that which He has given us. Where there is appreciation, there is also courtesy and concern for the rights and property of others. Without these, there is arrogance and evil. Where there is gratitude, there is humility instead of pride, generosity rather than selfishness."

My family's always teased me for being somewhat of a diva. In the past few years though I've learned how to do things for others. Really getting my hands dirty & serving has made me realize how much others serve me & shined a light on all the blessings in my life.

{my Savior, the gospel, my wonderful family, supportive roommates, my health, my home, great friends, my job, my darling kids, my education, my body, beautiful outdoors, my parents, freedom, good examples, service, talents...}

I'm truly blessed so the list goes on.

Happy Thanksgiving to my family & friends! Love you all & I'm so grateful you're in my life!

I don't have my camera cord in Tennessee so photo booth pictures will have to do for now. We cooked & cooked & ate & laughed til we cried today. Family is good for the heart.

happy.

stuffed.

"...It is my prayer that in addition to all else for which we are grateful, we may ever reflect our gratitude for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His glorious gospel provides answers to life’s greatest questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where do our spirits go when we die? That gospel brings to those who live in darkness the light of divine truth.

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.

Ultimately, He stood alone. Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His words. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude. 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."

-Thomas S. Monson