Grateful in Any Circumstances

This blog has been an exercise for me in trying to record some of the small moments in my life with Darren that bring joy and help me experience gratitude more fully.  Since my last entry, Darren and I suffered a loss that brought a lot of heartache to our little family.  Darren and I have dealt with this loss through the love and support of our family, friends, and, most importantly, our Father in Heaven.  This support has improved our perspective and has gone a long way toward healing our hearts, but I still found it hard to focus on gratitude on a weekly, not to mention daily, basis.

Today in Sacrament Meeting, however, one of the speakers shared a message from President Uchtdorf's most recent General Conference address entitled "Grateful in Any Circumstances".  I don't know why President Uchtdorf's messages are the ones that prompt my getting on this blog to write (it was his "Forget Me Not" talk that started all of my Happy Now posts two and a half years ago), but they do.  After listening to the Sacrament talk, I went home and reviewed his message for the first time since Conference.  Here are a few of the thoughts that stood out to me:

"Often our grief is caused by what seems to them as an ending ... Everyone's situation is different, and the details of each life are unique.  Nevertheless, I have learned that there is something that would take away the bitterness that may come into our lives.  There is one thing we can do to make life sweeter, more joyful, even glorious.  We can be grateful!"

"Could I suggest that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation?  In other words, I'm suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances--whatever they may be."

"Being grateful in  our circumstances is an act of faith in God.  It requires that we trust God and hope for things we may not see but which are true."

"In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings in life, they seem unacceptable to us?  There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.  Why is this?  Because we are made of the stuff of eternity...Endings are not our destiny."

Darren and I were reminded of the eternal nature of our destinies recently with the beautiful temple marriage of his brother, Steven, to his fiancée Brittany.  And just this evening I had the chance to FaceTime with my brother and his fiancée, Christiane, who are preparing for a temple marriage this August.  Regardless of our current circumstances, our Heavenly Father has an eternal plan in place for each of us.  Even if the eternal blessings we hope for do not come when we expect them, we can have faith and gratitude that they will all come. As President Uchtdorf reminds us, "True gratitude is an expression of hope and testimony."

For whatever reason, I feel that finding gratitude in any circumstance is a skill that will continue to be a focus in my life.  I am grateful for the faith and testimony of others that help bolster my own.  I am also grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord as He gently finds ways to remind me that our eternal destinies are so much more than our current circumstances.  I am grateful for His patience with me as I learn this lesson, falter, and strive to learn it again.  Onward!

General Conference

Twice a year, the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speak to the world about things relevant to our time in General Conference.  These men and women teach us how to have more peace, joy, and hope in our lives.  General Conference weekends are two of my favorite weekends of the year because they are always filled with such wisdom, insight, and direction.  The fall General Conference takes place the first weekend in October and, as usual, I loved watching every minute last week.  It was especially exciting to get to hear a story shared by Elder Cook about my great-grandfather, Alma Sonne (I may have started jumping up and down when he started the Titanic story)!  As a side note, Alma Sonne had a ring made after that experience with his initials "AS" on the top and the date he finished his mission in England on the inside.  Because of the experience Alma had at the end of his mission with the Titanic, the ring came to symbolize faith, following the promptings of the Spirit, and the importance of remaining loyal to friends.  Alma wore it everyday and, when he died, it was passed down to my dad who has the same initials and who now wears it on a daily basis.

The Saturday before General Conference, there was also a special broadcast from Salt Lake City just for the women of the Church.  The women who make up the General Relief Society Presidency (the organization of women in the LDS Church) speak as well as a member of the First Presidency of the Church (the Prophet or one of his counselors).  I learned so much from all of the words spoken, but perhaps the biggest messages I heard were 1) God loves his children and is aware of their needs, 2) the challenges we face are meant to strengthen us and bring us joy if we endure, and 3) we don't need to wait to find happiness, but can be grateful for the many blessings we have NOW.

Inspired by these messages, I've decided I need to take more time to reflect on the things for which I am grateful every week.  Every Sunday I plan to write a blog post listing 10 things I was grateful for that week.  There are the big things for which I will be forever grateful and that go without saying, such as the family, friends, and Gospel that continually enrich my life.  I hope the "Happy Now" posts will help me reflect on the small things that happen each week that often get over looked but, nonetheless, make my life the happy one that it is!  The "Happy Now" title comes from President Uchtdorf's talk during the General Relief Society Broadcast two weeks ago in which he counseled us to "forget not to be happy now."  Look for the first post next. :)