Last week, I gave a lesson at my Stake YSA Family Home Evening, and I decided that there can never be too many lessons on being thankful, and so taught on "Living in Thanksgiving". Quite a few members of the class came up to me afterwards and said that they enjoyed the lesson immensely, so I thought I'd put it here, and hopefully those reading it will enjoy too :)
LIVING IN THANKSGIVING
“Merrilee Boyack – “The Little Things”
I spend a lot of time saying little prayers of thanks. I am grateful for the weirdest, small stuff. It makes life interesting. Maybe I’ll share a few.
I am grateful for the guy who invented Post-It Notes. OK, maybe it was a woman – or maybe a committee. Bless them. I write the odd things I need to remember to buy on those wonderful notes and slap them on my chest. Then when I go to the grocery store, the clerk turns her head to read my chest and says, “Did you remember the sour cream?” Often I have forgotten. So bless them. I’m grateful.
And those “flag” critters – the skinny Post-It Notes – are killer. Now I mark all the books I read with things I want to go back and read. Sherri Dew’s last book looks like it has a green wig sprouting out of the top. That’s the sign of a good book.
I also really appreciate nail clippers. Is it not the coolest thing? Who in the world thought of sticking two pieces of metal together like that? Very clever. And they’re so handy! They’re great for clipping off price tags, stray threads, nails, you name it! I’m so thankful I live in the modern day with these handy gadgets!
I’m so very thankful for my microwave oven. I pray often prayers of gratitude for my microwave. It is just amazing how fast I can whip out a meal. And it gives us so much extra time to do wonderful things.
And aren’t we grateful for those baby carrots? Hours saved on peeling and cutting. And sunscreen is huge. Absolutely miraculous. And who can say enough thanks for those mapping programs on the Internet. We appreciate answering machines, moisturising lotion, those groovy toggles on bracelets so we can put them on alone, and control top tights. We’re thankful for mobile phones and high-lighter markers.
A woman recently asked me how I stay so happy. This is how I do. Every day, all day long, I am grateful. I’m grateful that my legs work and I can stand in the shower (my friend can’t). I’m grateful for my pillow and blanket and include those in my prayer most nights (my friends in Africa don’t have these). I’m so very thankful for e-mail. I’m thankful for toilet paper, and air conditioning, and smiles, and curling irons. All day long it goes. And I’m so very happy!
So my days unfold – full of little prayers, thanking Heavenly Father for all the little things that make my life easier. I’m thankful for all my blessings. I appreciate each one.”
Each of us have a million and one little blessings in our lives that we don’t notice or thank Heavenly Father for each day, yet without them, things would be much more difficult. We remember to be thankful for the larger things in life, such as family, home, friends and employment, but we never express our gratitude for the little things which often mean just as much in our every day dealings.
(At this point, I asked everyone to write down on some Post-Its (from the above story…) some of the littler blessings in life which they were most grateful for. I then explained that they should keep these Post-Its sealed away, and on a bad day, when they felt the world was against them, they could take out their envelopes, and remember they still have little things to be thankful for.)
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Bonnie D. Parkin said, “Mercies and blessings come in different forms. Sometimes, as difficult things. Yet in D&C 59:7 it reads, “Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things.” In all things means just that: good things, difficult things – not just some things. He has commanded us to be grateful because He knows being grateful will make us happy.”
Doctrine and Covenants 78:17-19 reads, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.”
“The Spirit of gratitude is always pleasant and satisfying because it carries with it a sense of helpfulness to others; it begets love and friendship, and engenders divine influence. The grateful man sees so much in the world to be grateful for, and with him, the good outweighs the evil. 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 towards God and man.” – Joseph F. Smith.
Joseph B. Wirthlin told us that three ways in which we can recognise the blessings around us, and live in thanksgiving are:
Firstly, open our eyes to blessings around us, seeing what the Lord has provided.
Secondly, we must open our hearts, and take in the wonderfulness of the world around, and the joy therein.
Finally, we must open our arms, and embrace the blessings of the world, and take others into our happiness.
Elder Richard L.Evans explained that, “Gratefully we acknowledge the infinite mind of our Maker and gratefully ought to offer our consistent service in thanks for all that God has given, and keep His commandments in remembrance of the love and providence and purpose of the Creator, the God and Father of us all, the organizer and operator of heaven and earth; without whom things would not be so. Thank God for all this, and for what sustains it: for loved ones that make it more meaningful, for faith and purpose and continuance, always and forever. Thank God for all of this, and much, much more.”
Psalms 100:4-5 reads, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
My final thought, which I hope you’ll take with you today, is that during the course of today, God has given you 86,400 seconds. Have you used 1 of them to say “thank you”?
I quite enjoyed giving this lesson, as it made me think of all of the things I'm most grateful for. When everyone made their little lists of blessings, I was surprised by how much people wrote down, and how they really embraced the idea of finding small things to be thankful for! One friend wrote that she was grateful for baby ducks, as she explained that you can't be sad when you see them! Other expressed thanks for football as it gave them a chance to spend time with friends, others were grateful for lasagne and other food items that they enjoyed, and another friend wrote that he was grateful for my lesson (this made me smile a LOT).
I got to thinking about my own list, as I hadn't had a chance to write one, and then realised that were I to post it on here, I'd more than likely run out of room. But I'm going to put a few things, and hope that you (hello by the way readers, thanks for visiting!!) will think of your own lists, and use them on days when you feel you have nothing to be grateful for!
1. Lying in the grass on sunny days. It is the epitome of relaxation, and nothing can really go wrong when you have the sun above you, grass around you, and a chance to just chill out.
6. Bold Lavender and Chamomile Washing Powder. Yeah, ok, this is a weird one to choose for my final item. But there is a reason... Since I was a little girl, my mum has used this washing powder, mainly because I'm not allergic to it, so it's a helpful thing to have around (I'm allergic to sooooo many others.) So now, the smell of this reminds me of home, and of my mum. So whenever I catch the smell of this, I think of my house, and I smile :)
That's all for this post anyway, I fear I may have rambled on a bit, but go and make your own lists: you'll be amazed how much you have to be thankful for when you look around...
Love and hugs :)
Lau x
