Sister Fulton and I just got the November Ensign of conference and looked up President Thomas S. Monson's talk from the Sunday Morning session where he talk's about Gratitude. I just wanted to put some things on that i loved about his talk. Since it is the time of Thanksgiving what a more perfect opportunity than this to share an amazing talk on just the thing?"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."
A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort—at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude. Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it. Someone has said that “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”12
"This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teachers who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways.
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.”8
How can we cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude? President Joseph F. Smith, sixth President of the Church, provided an answer. Said he: “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!”9"
I'll just leave you with my testimony about gratitude! I am so greatful for this opportunity i have to teach the gospel! and to learn so much! I am grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ, for his loving sacrifice and his life that he gave for me and for everyone that will accept him and follow his teachings! i'm grateful to be in the California Santa Rosa Mission! Its the best mission on earth, in my opinion. I'm grateful for President Bunker and Sister Bunker and the love that they have for us and accepting us at there own! I'm grateful for my wonderful companion Sister Fulton! she is such a blessing to me! She teaches me so much!
My dearest Sister Kenemore,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your thoughts today. I have really been focusing the negative a lot lately. Your words really touched me and reminded me that I need to focus on the good in this life, the love of family's and the goodness of people. The student has become the teacher :*)