Alright! It’s official… again. I have the BEST husband ever! A couple Sundays ago in joint Relief Society and Priesthood, Family Home Evening was up for discussion and basically tailoring it to our individual families was the key point. Conor planned FHE this week and it was awesome. Definitely the best one so far. It was incredibly perfect. We opened with the hymn, “Count Your Many Blessings” sung loudly by ourselves and continued into a lesson on gratitude.
I’d like to share some quotes from our lesson:
“Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likeable…
“Gratitude turns a meal into a feast and drudgery into delight. It softens our grief and heightens our pleasure. It turns the simple and common into the memorable and transcendent. It forges bonds of love and fosters loyalty and admiration.” -Elder Haight
“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. Pride destroys our gratitute and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a gratful 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!” – President Joseph F. Smith
“Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. It bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self-sufficiency. It expresses itself in ugly egotism and frequently in wanton mischief…
“Where there is appreciation, there is courtesy, there is concern for the rights and property of others. Without it there is arrogance and evil.” – President Gordon B. Hinckley
Conor shared a really great lesson and then… we designed 2 different Thank-You cards together, printed them off and wrote thank-yous! It was SO MUCH FUN! And completely tailored to our little family of two. We thought we would just design the cards and write a couple because it was getting late, but no! We were way too excited and had to finish the job – stamps and everything! Best husband ever.
The lesson got me thinking that I would like to be a more grateful person. I can be a really spoiled brat sometimes. Writing all of this has also had me thinking back to the times I would wash the floor for my Mom or blitz clean or make dinner so that when she came home from work, her load was a little lighter. One of the reasons why I enjoyed doing these things for her so much is because she was so grateful! Often she would shed tears and tell me how much she appreciates me and that I would never understand to what extent unless I have a daughter like me. And you know, I really did feel appreciated. I always have found serving my mother to be extremely rewarding. And for that I’m grateful!
I am very thankful for Conor. He is so sweet and is always willing to give me a hand when I ask for it. He’s always quick to express his appreciation for me and the things I do (especially when I make food he likes!). It really is a blessing to live with someone who has such a grateful heart!
As I think about my life, it is easy to recognize all the things that I have to be grateful for! I am so blessed and I really need to take the time to appreciate everything that I have. And so I shall!
