Happy Thanksgiving

I am grateful for the blessings I have received.

Alma taught that we should "live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which...[the Lord] doth bestow upon" us (Alma 34:38). Bonnie D. Parkin said:

"Gratitude is a Spirit-filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of a living God. Through it, we become spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which gladden our hearts with their messages of God’s love. This grateful awareness heightens our sensitivity to divine direction. When we communicate gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and connected to those around us and the Lord. Gratitude inspires happiness and carries divine influence.” (Bonnie D. Parkin, "Gratitude: A Path to Happiness", Ensign, May 2007)

The hymn Count Your Blessings teaches me of blessings that flow from a grateful attitude:

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed.
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost.
Count you many blessing; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what The Lord has done. 

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count you many blessings; ev'ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by. 

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has proimised you his wealth untold.
Count you many blessings; money cannot buy,
Your reward in heaven nor you home on high. 

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged; God is over all.
Count you many blessings; angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end. 

Count you blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count you blessings;
See what God hath done.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught"

"The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy."(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Forget Me Not", Ensign, November 2011)

I hope that I will recognize and be grateful for my blessings not just today but every day throughout the year.