Tag: Thanksgiving

It has been helpful this week to read and study a little about gratitude everyday, to keep myself focused on what Thanksgiving is really all about, and not get to caught up with turkeys and pies. I have much to be grateful for! Here are the highlights from the study plan for days 7-10.

“Gratitude requires awareness and effort, not only to feel it but to express it…As we pray and express gratitude to a loving but unseen Heavenly Father, we are also expressing our faith in Him. Gratitude is our sweet acknowledgment of the Lord’s hand in our lives; it is an expression of our faith” (Sister Bonnie D. Parkin).

​”Let a spirit of thanksgiving guide and bless your days and nights. Work at being grateful. You will find that it yields wonderful results” (source).

An Attitude of Gratitude by President Thomas S. Monson
1. We can lift ourselves and others when we cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude.
2. Let us show gratitude for:
Our mothers
Our fathers
Our teachers
Our friends
Our country
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
3. By emulating the Lord’s example and obeying His word, we give to Him the gift of gratitude.

Today I reviewed “Grateful in Any Circumstance” by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, as part of the 2 Weeks of Thanksgiving Study plan. Here are the quotes that especially stood out to me:​

Those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding.

I’m suggesting that instead of being thankful farthings, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances—whatever they may be.

We can choose to be grateful, no matter what.

We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?

Gratitude is a catalyst to all Christlike attributes! A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues.

I also read “O Remember, Remember” by President Henry B. Eyring, and wanted to remember the following thoughts:

Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?

My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies.

Here are some of my favorite scriptures about thanksgiving. Get the full reading assignment here.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

“…rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;” (D&C 98:1).

“…O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!” (Mosaic 2:19).

“..live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you” (Alma 34:38).

“Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things” (D&C 59:7).

“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” (D&C 78:19).

This short video clip from Elder Nelson about recognizing blessings from Heavenly Father is really great.

Today I reviewed “The Divine Gift of Gratitude” by President Thomas S. Monson, as part of the 2 Weeks of Thanksgiving Study plan. Here are the quotes that especially stood out to me:

​My brothers and sisters, do we remember to give thanks for the blessings we receive? Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love.

Gratitude is a divine principle.

A prayerful life is the key to possessing gratitude.

A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort—at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude. Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it. Someone has said that “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it”.

My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.