Blessings Through Trial

I'm thankful for my health.  I've been in the hospital 3 times within the last year or so.  That's not what I want to have happened at this point in my life.  Thankfully, the doctors have been able to help me improve, but it's been a trial on so many levels.

I've learned a lot from having had sickness.  It's opened my eyes to what living is.  It's helped me develop greater compassion.  Having been sick in the last year or so, helped better prepare me for my Dad's passing.  I'm thankful that Heavenly Father works all things together for our good (Roman's 8:28).  Even when I was experiencing those times of trial, He was helping me to grow.

Today I am well.  I am well and I am thankful for my health.

Gratitude

I read a quote somewhere (probably on Facebook) earlier this year:  

"What if you woke up tomorrow with only 

the things you thanked God for today?"

That meant something to me.  What a profound question.  I realized that although I try to say at least a morning prayer, and an evening prayer (and try to remember to give gratitude at mealtimes), my prayers are often too short and too insincere.

We live in a very fast-paced society.  My mom (who is now in her mid-sixties) is truly convinced that time is actually moving faster.  I can't say that I disagree.  With so much amazing technology available today, one might think that it would be easier to accomplish MORE in less time.  

Unfortunately, while that may be true, we now have higher expectations of what is to be "done" every day.  Not that the stuff to be done is harder (I would've worn dirty clothes for weeks had I to wash them on those old-fashioned washing boards with wringers); it's just that we seem to want to cram a million things into every waking moment (and even the non-waking moments.)  

But, busy-ness is not now, nor has it ever been, an excuse for a lack of thoughtful gratitude.  While it's easy to get caught up in thinking that by doing so much, our lives will be full and meaningful, it's simply not true.   Doing is well and good, but it really doesn't mean much if we don't stop to appreciate the blessings we have.  

Heavenly Father has blessed my life with such abundance.  I take so much for granted.  Now, I'm not saying that I'm going to spend hours in prayer every day (though my soul could probably use it!) thanking God for each little bird's chirp, each pair of shoes, each raindrop on my face.  That would just take too long.  But, I can CERTAINLY stand to spend MORE time than I currently do truly giving thanks for the countless blessings He graces me with daily:  a comfortable home, health, family, friends, food, sight, smell, touch, taste, sound.  Where would I be without ears to hear and eyes to see?  

I have to try to remember the things that matter today.  I WANT to give thanks for them always.  What if I DID wake up tomorrow and all I had was the things for which I'd previously been grateful?  How I would regret not having given more thanks.