GRATITUDE
It's been one month exactly since my cancer was diagnosed. What a month it's been! I can't say that it's been fun, but it truly has been a month of blessings. I have so much to be thankful for, and I'd like to share just a few thoughts about gratitude.
In 2007, Sister Bonnie D. Parkin gave a wonderful talk in our LDS General Conference, all about gratitude. I really liked something that she said, although it seemed hard to grasp at the time. I put this quote in my journal and have read it from time to time. "Mercies and blessings come in different forms--sometimes as hard things. Yet the Lord said, 'Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things.' 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. This is another evidence of His love."
When I first heard that talk and later read it again and again, I thought, "How could I be grateful for ALL things, even the difficult ones?" Well, now I'm learning that even those difficult things--and we all have them--are truly blessings if we can learn from them. The Lord wants us to be happy, and a great way to be happy is to be grateful.
I am so grateful for the blessings in my life. I've got a fantastic husband and wonderful kids who make me smile and laugh all the time. I've got the greatest extended family members and friends that a person could ask for. I've been flooded with cards, letters, phone calls, e-mails, food, and the most creative, delightful gifts that you could imagine, since this yucky cancer came into my life. I feel so spoiled! But even more than that, I've been blessed with the faith and prayers of great people everywhere. My burden is being made light by all of you, and I'm truly grateful. The Lord is in charge, and He knows what we need and when we need it, and I'm grateful for the blessing of knowing that.
Those are the BIG things for which I'm grateful. But there are lots of little things, too. For example, a friend dropped off a book that she thought I might like to borrow--one that she'd read and enjoyed and hoped that I'd like, too. That's a small thing, but it meant the world to me. And I could list pages of things similar to that, for which I'm very grateful. In fact, in the coming days, I may contribute a bit more to Jerry's blog, just to share some of my feelings of gratitude.
On a medical note, I had a follow-up visit with my surgeon yesterday. Things are healing well, and I got to have my drains removed from my chest. Now, that's something to be grateful for! Hurray!
In closing, I want to share the words of a song that I sang when I was a little kid in Primary and Sunday School. The words are very simple and repetitious, but they describe exactly what I'm feeling right now:
I am glad for many things, many things, many things.
I am glad for many things that are mine today.
Thank you, thank you, my heart sings, my heart sings, my heart sings.
Thank you for the many things that are mine today.
Cathi