Gratitude

I have found that gratitude has been something that has always come easy for me. A silly thing to say or even think about I suppose, but I have always been.....well.....thankful for that. Even in the hardest of times I have always been able to find things I am grateful for. As a new year starts and things look a little bleak in many respects I am grateful for all that I have. I am especially grateful today for the kind thoughts and acts of others. This past Christmas was great. I was thinking of the wonderful gifts I received and I thought about how I was just as grateful for the thought that went into them as the gift itself. Matt and Chantile got George and I a cool lantern / radio / cell phone charger that you crank up, so no batteries are needed. They knew we have been trying to follow the counsel from our church leaders and be prepared. Kind thoughts and acts. Amber and Zane got us a foot massager. They knew how it could be a good stress reliever and how George and I both have trouble with our feet at times. Kind thoughts and acts. Joe and Tabby got me a beautiful book with collections of Greg Olson paintings that go with the song "If the Savior Stood Beside Me." I took it to share with my nursery kids the very next Sunday and they were mesmerised with it. The best part of the whole book was Griffin's little signature in the front. Kind thoughts and acts. LJ got us a gift certificate to Pizza Hut. He knows how busy we are and how we often get a bite to eat on our way home at the end of a long day. Kind thoughts and acts. Perhaps the gift that touched my heart the most wasn't for me or from me. I received a call a few days before Christmas. Vicky, my sister, had an unusual excitement in her voice. She had read Amber's blog about wanting a certain nativity set but lamenting that the expense was going to leave her wanting it still. Vicky happened to have the set and packed it up and sent it to Amber. Vicky's joy about the surprise was very contagious and I found myself giddy with excitement to see Amber's face when she opened the package. Well, a comedy of errors pursued with incorrect zip codes (MY FAULT!) and UPS sending it all over the country, but finally the package arrived. And it arrived on a day that I was babysitting so I could see Amber's face first hand! Tender mercies for sure!! Well, needless to say she was thrilled beyond words. I found it hard to hold back the tears as a spontaneous cheering erupted in the room. Zane was snapping pictures, Ciara was dancing around singing, "I love it, I love it!" Dalin was squealing with delight, not knowing perhaps what was really going on, but feeling the spirit just the same. It was wonderful. It was an amazing Christmas gift for everyone. Kind thoughts and acts indeed. I am grateful for that. I am grateful for my family. I am grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who gave us the ability to have emotions.