(aka: appreciation, meekness, acknowledgment, etc.)
I started this post earlier today at lunch, but I didn't finish it. Now, past 9:00, I wanted to add a preface. A good friend and woman I admire deeply wrote recently about how she often compared herself to others. I completely related. Blogs are so much fun to write and even more fun to read! Who doesn't love reading about fun adventures, cute kids, successes, and a lot of other good things. Exactly. We all love to read them, but I often find myself sighing about other's lives, talents, jobs, skills, etc.
However, tonight I had a breakthrough when I realized that instead of comparing myself to one of my friends (and her many incredible qualities), I felt true happiness and joy for her. It was an uplifting feeling so, with that in mind, I hope this post conveys an uplifting, positive attitude. It is, after-all, about gratitude.
This quarter, BYU Wellness is sponsoring Wellopoly, a Monopoly game that involves a lot of exercise and 8 mini-challenges. I have loved this challenge because it has helped me stay relatively on track with my training routine.
On of the mini-challenges is to "Write down then things you are grateful for at the end of the day." So, last week I grabbed a post-it and started scribbling. Lucky for me, I get to share my list with my readership, or at least with Grandpa Davies (I know he reads the blog :).
But first, I really like President Hinckely's quote from the mini-challenge:
"Cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving for the blessing of life and for the marvelous gifts and privileges each of us enjoy. The Lord has said that the meek shall inherit the earth. I cannot escape the interpretation that meekness implies a spirit of gratitude as opposed to an attitude of self-sufficiency, an acknowledgment of a greater power beyond oneself, a recognition of God, and an acceptance of his commandments. This is the beginning of wisdom. Walk with gratitude before him."
So with that in mind, here is my list of gratitude, appreciation meekness, and acknowledgment:
1.) I am grateful for the Plan of Salvation that provides a context to our mortal existance and meaning to our lives.
2.) I am grateful for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, my Savior, who by Divine Design came to earth to redeem his people.
3.) I am grateful for my best friend, Ryan. He is the most incredible, thoughtful, hardworking, and charming man and I am forever in awe that he chose me.
4.) I am grateful for my little girl, Adrielle. She is the most darling little girl with the most charming personality (she must be her father's daughter) and I can't imagine my life without her!
5.) I am grateful for my family. Last week my older brother, Chris, had his appendix out. In a moment of panic I thought of terrible things that could go wrong, and in that moment I turned to Heavenly Father for peace. Looking back, it just goes to show that growing up my dad was right... When we used to fight he would lecture us about the fact that friends come and go, but your family is forever, they should be your best friend. Looks like there was a lot of wisdom in that. I'm grateful for wonderful parents and awesome brothers who keep us on our toes and love my little girl.
But...
When I say I am grateful for my family, that is only half of them. I have the. most. amazing. in-laws. ever. It always makes me wonder when people complain about their in-laws, I wonder what could be so bad, and sometimes, it really is. But I feel so lucky to have married into a family of wonderful, caring, intelligent, and incredible people. And, how lucky was I to get not only another set of parents and brothers but a sister (and then another one) and grandparents too! What a wonderful life.
6.) I am grateful for friends. Despite the fact that many friends come and go, I believe friends come in and out of our lives at various stages for specific purposes. Some come in to teach us valuable lessons and leave just as quickly as they came, while others become life-long confidants and supports. I'm grateful for those who have taught be to be courageous and kind, others to be confident and self-assured. And while you know who you are, if I had to divulge a few names, I would have to mention Bahii, Erin, and Adriel. And, a new friend, who inspires me to be a better friend, mom, wife, and person, Bailee.
7.) I am grateful for my education. When I was in graduate school, an old man said smugly, "Is that [my graduate degree] going to make you a better mother?" I answered smugly and with a smile, "Yes." I loved my time at BYU as both an undergrad and a graduate, the fun and challenging classes, the spirit of the Y, the knowledge (secular, religious, etc) that I was acquiring. It has made me a better mother... and wife, and daughter, and visiting teacher, and friend, and I could go on. Looking back, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. And you know what, some days I even pause and realize that I did all that. Neat.
8.) I am grateful for my job. Each day, I get to coach students on best practices to landing jobs, improving their resumes, developing networking skills, etc. It is quite rewarding, and if I have to be away from Adi, I'm glad I have a good job that I love. That having been said, there are days where I struggle, where things get tough, and where I wish I could just stay home. Opposition in all things, right?
9.) I am grateful for my physical body. Yes, I said it. I did not say I'm fat. And you know what, I don't want to say that ever again. If I thought this each day, I would be happier, healthier, and I would have a greater ability to influence others for good. I recognize that the feeling I get from exercising and at least trying to eat well is not only a physical response from my grateful body, but additionally a response from my spirit, demonstrating that body, mind, and spirit are one. This is definitely something I am always trying to achieve, but I thought it was worth sharing.
And, last, but not least...
10.) I am grateful for a home. I love our apartment. And, over the past 10 months, it has become our home. Above our kitchen cabinets we have a plaque that says "Having someone to love is family. Having somewhere to go is home. Having both is a blessing." It's true. I love coming home to my sweet family and being able to enjoy family time in a clean, safe environment.
Well, it's now 10:00pm. This took longer than I expected, but maybe that was the reason for the mini-challenge, to get us thinking. I hope this conveys the uplifting, positive message that I wanted to express. Here's to gratitude lists, go write yours, now. :)
But...
When I say I am grateful for my family, that is only half of them. I have the. most. amazing. in-laws. ever. It always makes me wonder when people complain about their in-laws, I wonder what could be so bad, and sometimes, it really is. But I feel so lucky to have married into a family of wonderful, caring, intelligent, and incredible people. And, how lucky was I to get not only another set of parents and brothers but a sister (and then another one) and grandparents too! What a wonderful life.
6.) I am grateful for friends. Despite the fact that many friends come and go, I believe friends come in and out of our lives at various stages for specific purposes. Some come in to teach us valuable lessons and leave just as quickly as they came, while others become life-long confidants and supports. I'm grateful for those who have taught be to be courageous and kind, others to be confident and self-assured. And while you know who you are, if I had to divulge a few names, I would have to mention Bahii, Erin, and Adriel. And, a new friend, who inspires me to be a better friend, mom, wife, and person, Bailee.
7.) I am grateful for my education. When I was in graduate school, an old man said smugly, "Is that [my graduate degree] going to make you a better mother?" I answered smugly and with a smile, "Yes." I loved my time at BYU as both an undergrad and a graduate, the fun and challenging classes, the spirit of the Y, the knowledge (secular, religious, etc) that I was acquiring. It has made me a better mother... and wife, and daughter, and visiting teacher, and friend, and I could go on. Looking back, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. And you know what, some days I even pause and realize that I did all that. Neat.
8.) I am grateful for my job. Each day, I get to coach students on best practices to landing jobs, improving their resumes, developing networking skills, etc. It is quite rewarding, and if I have to be away from Adi, I'm glad I have a good job that I love. That having been said, there are days where I struggle, where things get tough, and where I wish I could just stay home. Opposition in all things, right?
9.) I am grateful for my physical body. Yes, I said it. I did not say I'm fat. And you know what, I don't want to say that ever again. If I thought this each day, I would be happier, healthier, and I would have a greater ability to influence others for good. I recognize that the feeling I get from exercising and at least trying to eat well is not only a physical response from my grateful body, but additionally a response from my spirit, demonstrating that body, mind, and spirit are one. This is definitely something I am always trying to achieve, but I thought it was worth sharing.
And, last, but not least...
10.) I am grateful for a home. I love our apartment. And, over the past 10 months, it has become our home. Above our kitchen cabinets we have a plaque that says "Having someone to love is family. Having somewhere to go is home. Having both is a blessing." It's true. I love coming home to my sweet family and being able to enjoy family time in a clean, safe environment.
Well, it's now 10:00pm. This took longer than I expected, but maybe that was the reason for the mini-challenge, to get us thinking. I hope this conveys the uplifting, positive message that I wanted to express. Here's to gratitude lists, go write yours, now. :)
1 comments:
Ahhh thanks for this post! I often compare myself to other women...I don't really know why I do it but I love what you said about being grateful for what you have! I guess that when you're having a bad day at work and you see your friend's pictures from Italy or somewhere beautiful and exotic you can get a little more grumpy...but we all have our good and bad times. This is a great post!
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