Gratitude

Being that it's November and I have been jealous of my friend Chantal's ability to express gratitude on her blog, I thought I'd give it a shot; however, for those of you that frequent both pages, remember she has a law degree and so by default can write way more eloquently than I can. I was asked last week to speak in Sacrament Meeting the Sunday before Thanksgiving on Gratitude for the Atonement. It has left me for the past ten days thinking on the subject and making me realize how really blessed we are that we have a Heavenly Father who gave us His Son and how blessed we are that the Son was willing to come here and take upon Him our infirmities. I wish sometimes that I was infirmity-free, but since I can't be, I stand in awe of the One who has already been there. By the same token, I am grateful that Heavenly Father in His infinite wisdom decided to place us here on earth in family units so we wouldn't have to figure out this earth life alone, and then just in case the support system of familes wasn't enough he gave us other people: friends, acquaintances, and sometimes smiling strangers to help us in our quest for His kingdom. I really am so happy that I have so many wonderful supports out there. In the interest of time, space, and fear that I'll miss someone, I'll just say that if you think you are one of my support system you are right. Most of you may not even know what you mean to me, but I really do have such love for all of you that it's hard to express even what all of you mean to me. I am also, on a slightly less sappy note, so grateful for the beauties that surround me. I still stand in awe everytime I look outside or at pictures of what's going on outside somewhere else (Chantal's pics of a New England fall). I'm grateful for a living prophet, who leads and guides the church and for so many local leaders that pick me up when I fall and help me understand my true worth as a child of God. To quote one of my favorite hymns "my heart is full, mine eyes are wet, oh help me Lord lest I forget." I really just hope that all of us can take a moment this month and not forget.