Gratitude month a month early

This morning while I was downstairs devoting all of my energy to laundry and a meaningful phone conversation with my sister in law, Andy, the boys were upstairs taking apart their bedroom.  I could hear this happening, and even popped my head in the door a few times in passing, just to make sure everyone was alright and that nothing was being damaged or written upon.  They stripped all of their bedding, took down the curtains, picked everything off of the floor and loaded all of it onto Noah's bed then took the top mattresses off of Jack and Taylor's beds to be used as trampolines. 

For 55 uninterrupted minutes, all four boys happily played together, minus one bump to Austy's head.  He recovered quickly, though, and wanted to be right back in there.  It will take me 10 minutes to set it all right again.  So, I say it was worth it.

I am definitely nesting this week...finally getting things done around here.  It feels GREAT, and I'm not sure how long the energy will last, but I'll ride this train as long as I can. 

This morning my mom sent an email and shared this except from President Thomas S. Monson's (the current prophet of our church) recent conference talk:

"We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude.  If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.  Someone has said that gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.

 

How can we cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude?  President Joseph F.  Smith, sixth President of the Church, provided an answer.  Said he, “The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil.  Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life.”  He continued, “Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place.  How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!”

 

"And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.'

 

Isn't that wonderful?  She challenged us all (her children) this month to keep a record of how we've seen the Lord's hand in our lives each day, to become more aware of all of our blessings and of the ways He is guiding us from day to day.  I'm really excited to get started.