Shauna's letter on Gratitude

Shauna's letter on Gratitude

I want to start by thanking all of you for all that you have done for me and my family these past 9 months, let alone my whole life! There are no earthly words to express my love and gratitude!

I am so very grateful for my Savior and for the gospel! I honestly don't know how anyone can go through loss without the knowledge that we have and mostly the atonement. Without it I don't know if I would still be here let alone be sane.

I am so very grateful for my Husband, and for every one of my children! And for the time I had with my sweet boy Bralyn. He brought so much joy to our family, he was always bouncing up and and, zooming through the house, and hugging us! Tynon still says, "Mom" I just felt and heard Bralyn Zoooom by saying, zoom".

All of your letters and talks on Gratitude have warmed my heart and soul! I am so grateful for such a wonderful family, the spirit is so strong with each and everyone one of you, and it lifts my spirits!

I love you all so very much!

With all the love in my heart,
Shauna

Madyson's Letter

Madyson is working on writing with a "main idea" and supporting sentences, so she thought she could choose only one thing she was grateful on and then support that main idea.

Gratitude

I am grateful for pencils, they give me something to write with color with and draw with. I just thank Heavenly Father for these wonderful things. I just think he loves us enough to give us pencils. He did this just for us. It is wonderful if you just sit down and write what you are grateful for.

Written by
Madyson

Sent from my iPhone

Tynon's letter on gratitude

Tynon's letter on gratitude

cindy's thoughts

When I tried posting as an attachment I couldn't open it. I don't know if it didn't go through or I was just doing something wrong. I posted it again by copying and pasting. Sorry for sending it twice :)

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"A Prayerful Life is the Key to Possessing Gratitude."  These are not my own words, but President Monson's explanation of the meaning of a quote giving by President Joseph F. Smith. 

 

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!"

 

 

Reflect for a moment the type of people you love to be around. What do they all have in common? I would venture to say they are happy, loving individuals, with a positive outlook on life. Rather than focusing on what they don't have or what is wrong in their life, they focus on the good things in life and the blessings they have been given. In essence, they have cultivated an attitude of gratitude.

 

While there is so much evil in the world today, there is also so much good. Focusing on the little tender mercies we experience every day will not only lift us, but those around us as well.

 

A couple weeks ago I was complaining to Joel about my house we just moved into, and that I don't know how I will make it 2 more years here. -We live in a 4 story house that has me going up and down stairs CONSTANTLY. In the first 3 weeks of living here I fell down the stairs 3 times.  After the first time falling, I walked down so carefully each time, that I still don't understand why I fell two more times, and was terrified of how many more times I might fall in 2 years.- Joel's response was "Think about being homeless and living in a bug infested, flea ridden condemned building." I suddenly went from being very discouraged and just wanting to cry if I had to use the stairs again, to being very happy and had a great day. Just like that. The minute I felt truly grateful, I felt happy.

 

Elder Uchdorf beautiful worded, "How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?" He continues, "Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges."

 

Trials and difficulties of life will pass swiftly as we keep an attitude of gratitude.

 

I was so amazed at this experience, that my feelings and disposition could change so quickly, that I immediately called Debbie to tell her my experience. She too was excited to share that she and Kim had been recording every day how they saw the Lords hand in their lives on a daily basis. She challenged me to do the same, and it really does make a difference in keeping a positive and grateful perspective.

 

We have been counseled many times to count our blessings and to recognize the Lords hand in our lives. While this is very important, I love Elder Uchtdorfs suggestion to not just be grateful for things, but to be grateful  in our circumstances.

 

He says," Perhaps focusing on what we are grateful for is the wrong approach. It is difficult to develop a spirit of gratitude if our thankfulness is only proportional to the number of blessings we can count. True, it is important to frequently "count our blessings"—and anyone who has tried this knows there are many—but I don't believe the Lord expects us to be less thankful in times of trial than in times of abundance and ease. In fact, most of the scriptural references do not speak of gratitude for things but rather suggest an overall spirit or attitude of gratitude. Could I suggest that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation? In other words, I'm suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances—whatever they may be."

 

We all have different situations, and experience different trials, yet the promise stands for each of us that, "who [receive] all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto [them], even an hundred fold, yea, more."

 

I know we all want this promise, and the blessings of peace and happiness that can be experienced through gratitude. So, how do we attain an attitude of gratitude? Through prayer. Have your heart drawn out in thanks in all things and in all times and in all places to our loving Heavenly Father for all he gives and does for us, recognizing His hand in our lives each day. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

 

Cindy's thoughts on Gratitude

Fwd: Thoughts on Gratitude

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don Conover <donconover@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 11:06 AM
Subject: Thoughts on Gratitude
To: Craig Conover <cconover2@gmail.com>

I'm actually quite afraid of gratitude.  And I mean this very seriously.  Whenever I hear the advice that one should take the time to recognize the many blessings enjoyed in life.  I think, "That's nice; such good advice!  I will do that soon."  Even this invitation from Craig worried me.  I wanted to do it, but I also could see, if I was truly honest with myself, that I kind of hoped the opportunity would slip by, and my lack of contribution would go unnoticed.  Then came the reminder message from Craig, this morning.  Something like, (imagine the high-pitched, playful voice of a parent, calling out to a two-year-old, whose feet remain visible, though attempting to hide behind the couch) "I see you guys...yes Don, I see you too...come on out now and write something down for me."   

If Gratitude were a place, I would liken it to the Temple.  I like to go to the Temple, but I often keep it at arms length.  The perspective of actually being in the Lord's house, is difficult to hold onto.  I can go there briefly, stand in awe for a moment, but then I need to return to a perspective that is more natural for me.  It's easier to think of the Temple as a beautiful building, spiritual to be sure, a place of prayer and contemplation, but more like an ornate chapel than an actual abode of the Most High God.  Gratitude too is easiest for me if taken in little doses.   Like my visit to the park the other night with Jeff and my kids.  They were doing the monkey bars.  The thought occurred to me that I could go over there and attempt a pull up.  But I was content to just HANG by my arms for a moment, pleased that my fingers didn't give way.

Deep gratitude, the kind I know my soul needs for the development of meekness and other essential virtues (as Craig so beautifully taught about) is hard for me.  Nephi says, "the guilty taketh the truth to be hard."  I can't shake how perfectly my experience fits with this description.   Gratitude, at it's finest, is seeing things as the truly are, seeing our own condition for how hopeless it is, and then seeing the Salvation of Christ for how all encompassing, and eternal, and glorious it is.  So if guilt prevents me from experiencing wholeness and truth, without being so overwhelmed that I hide behind the couch, then at least I can see where I need to go.  That's right, repentance.   So now I'm trying to find a better place to hide...ahhhh haaa, the dryer, Craig won't find me there!  

"For whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth."  Dryers are not the best places to hide...hot, cramped, and absolutely brutal once they are turned on.   It's like the Lord gives us places like dryers to hide so that we will realize, at some point, that hiding is not the answer.  I'm grateful for dryers; every attempt to hide in them reminds me to stop trying to find the easy way - because the easy way is harder, to stop just hanging from my arms - because there's no grow small endeavors, to stop treating sacred things casually - because if God just wanted us to have pretty things, he could have stopped at sunsets and flowers, whereas Temples bring us into His presence!  

I love how life has so many days.  Today I can repent and step further into Gratitude.  And tomorrow, I can go further still.  

A BIG thank you to those who have contributed thoughts on Gratitude.  And WOW, to read some of the profound insights of the children!  Yes Luke, "Gratitude changes everything!  Gratitude is like a light to happiness!"  And Chelsea, "Gratitude is turning sadness into happiness," how did you know that?!   Our children will bear up the Kingdom of God amidst the most severe attacks ever launched by the adversary, in the history of the world.   The heavens have dropped the best they have to fight these latter-day battles, and to think we get to have them as our children!  I can't even handle how grateful I am for that!

Family Letter

Dear Family and Friends,                                   November 21, 2014

I would like to begin with one of my favorite quotes...
"Thus, the Savior had suffered not just for our sins and iniquities - but also for our physical pains and anguish, our weaknesses and short-comings, our fears and frustrations, our disappointments and discouragements, our regrets and remorse, our despair and desperation, the injustices and inequities we experience, and the emotional distresses that beset us," by, David A. Bednar.

I am so grateful for the Lords atonement in my life.

 

This past year was a roller coaster ride, I have had a lot of up's and down's. The Lord will not give us more then we can handle, this past year I feared that the Lord thought I was stronger then I felt. We are told to prepare for natural disasters; I believe the Lord prepared me as much as possible to pass through the heart ache and hardship of this past year. This same year I have been given so many miracles. I have been humbles by the love and support of so many kind individuals. I know that God hears and answers prayers; my prayers have been answered in miraculous ways time and time again. Through it all my prayers have changed, I pray for His will more because I know he is aware of me.

 

I have been trying to focus on the Lord's tender mercies. I have started recording them in my journal, and so by doing have been in a state of gratitude. Jesus gave thanks for the fish and bread before he broke them to feed 5,000. Only after he gave thanks for what he had, did a miracle follow.

 

Russell M. Nelson said, "We live to die, and we die to live again. From an eternal perspective, the only death that is truly premature is the death of one who is not prepared to meet God." I am so grateful I had the opportunity to know and love Bralyn. Bralyn was full of love and life. Loosing Bralyn has been heart breaking. My prayers and thoughts constantly go out to his family. My heart is full of gratitude for Shauna and Cliff. They have showered us with Christ like love. The scriptures teach us to loose ourselves through the service of others, and to love another. They have been perfect examples of this to my family. I am eternally grateful for their love and kindness.

 

"The Savior teaches that we will have tribulation in the world, but we should "be of good cheer" because He has "overcome the world" His atonement reaches and is powerful enough not only to pay the price for sin but also to heal every mortal affliction," by, Dallin H. Oaks. I believe the best way to "be of good cheer" is to have a heart full of gratitude.

 

Love you all,

Kimberly Coates