Almost 6 years ago, a leader of my church, President Eyring, gave a talk about gratitude. He tells about how he was inspired to write about one way he had seen the hand of the Lord in his hand everyday in his journal. Not long after this talk was given, I started writing about one thing I was grateful for everyday that I wrote in my journal. He talks about how by doing this, he would come to recognize blessings that had occurred throughout the day that he hadn't noticed in the moment. I noticed the same thing. This simple thing compelled my to have more gratitude in my heart as I tried hard to think about something wonderful that had happened each and every day. It also caused me to recognize more blessings as I went throughout my day. President Eyring talks about how he wrote something down every single day, no matter how tired he was. Though I did quite well for a couple of years, I haven't had quite the same success. As this August will be the last full month before I head to the Missionary Training Center, I want to start writing down specific blessings from everyday again. Though I notice plenty of tender mercies, I rarely write them down anymore and they are quickly forgotten. I created a handy printable to help me be deliberate about recognizing my many blessings this month.
You can download the PDF here.
thankful thursday
1:: mi familia. off to Park City with the gang today. 2:: the gospel (www.mormon.org) 3:: great music (currently Cold December by Matt Costa) 4:: great color. as much as I hate ferris wheels, they make for some seriously awesome pictures. 5:: the kindle app. seriously brilliant. I get to read without having to get out of bed to turn off the light. 6:: all things crayola. no explanation needed. 7:: fingernail clippers. on my key ring. best 59 cents ever spent. since you can't have a pocket knife at school & all. 8:: all the lifesavers in our house have finally been consumed. everyone got their own book of sugary goodness the night before mom & dad left for the weekend. box of sugar=horribly dramatic weekend. 9:: pinterest. it's true. i'm an addict. 10:: balloons. who doesn't love balloons?