Several weeks ago, author Kerry Blair inspired me to start a "Gratitude Journal." Alas, I suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which has a component of short-term memory loss. This means that unless I can embed a task into my schedule so deeply that I cannot forget to do it, the task will go undone.
I do have a few thing in my schedule that almost always get done. I pray when I arise, I take my pills. At night I reverse that sequence. If I am interrupted, I may forget my pills, but that does not happen too often. I have my medications in a weekly container so I know at a glance if I need to catch up on the day's allotment.
Unfortunately, after three days of entries, my Gratitude Journal got buried under a map and a couple of credit card statements, and I stopped writing in it.
Today I listened to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir before LDS Conference began. Such waves of gratitude to my Heavenly Father swelled over me that I knew I needed to unearth that brightly-covered little book and jot down my feelings. I went to get it, and now I will list a few things that came to me.
1. Gratitude that a young boy sought a private place to pray about which church he should join, thus opening the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times.
2. Gratitude for the orderly succession in the Presidency of the Church, and a new Prophet of God.
3. Gratitude for music--another passion of mine. Especially, I am grateful for the clear way music brings me messages from my Heavenly Father: "Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand" (Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, #85, "How Firm a Foundation"). I needed that message of love and uplift when we sang it as brothers and sisters all over the world.
4. Gratitude for the opportunity to listen to prophets of God twice a year in General Conference.
5. Gratitude for the chance to stand during a Solemn Assembly and raise my hand with my Relief Society Sisters--and later, with all the members of the Church,--to sustain a new prophet of God and presidency of the Church, and a new apostle, through the exercise of the principle of common consent that we use in the Church.
6. Gratitude that I am not the person needing the helicopter that is circling overhead.
I am going to put my Gratitude Journal in a new place, and intend to embed writing in it into my rising or bedtime schedule so that I will draw closer to God through my expressions of gratitude.
Oh my stars! What a nice treat!!! I absolutely know you...You have one of my most favorite voices on earth and probably one of my favorite people I have ever met. Please stay in contact and I will add you to my faves. Love and miss you, and am so jealous that you are in the pines and not me.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that I'm already back here in your comment box, but I was reading your earlier posts and saw the one about Karen. Your daughters, both of them have touched my life. I was at the hospital in Scottsdale with my severely injured husband and there you all were and I was blessed to be in the room when Karen left this earth, she was so beautiful. I will never ever forget that experience. Your daughter, Audra, sat with me in the hall at church one day just visiting and visiting and she was going into the bishop's office and later she let me know because of something I said to her, she had decided to serve a mission. I do not even remember what was said and know I truly had nothing to do with that decision, it came from with in her. Your daughters have impacted my life and hour hubby Bob was so loved by Phillip. Thanks again for stopping by my place of fun.
ReplyDeleteYour post reminded me that I need to write in my journal. I too let things get burried far too easily and I can't tell you how many times I look at my vitamin bottle and think, "Did I take that already, or just think about taking it?"
ReplyDeleteI think I need a mom.