I'm on the tail end of a challenging week. Big Sisters and Dad were out of town, which left me home alone with Little Sister and Baby Brother. I had grand plans to get a bunch of things done that I've wanted and needed to do for a while before Big Sisters come home next week. Instead, I've been trapped at home taking care of Baby Brother who picked up a nasty stomach bug and has had major and frequent bouts of vomiting and diarrhea. Yuck! I was feeling frustrated and disappointed when I read a General Conference talk by President Uchtdorf called "Grateful in Any Circumstances." I don't feel that being grateful is a strength for me. It's definitely something I need to work on, and I thought he had some really interesting things to say on the subject. He said,
"Why does God command us to be grateful?
"All of His commandments are given to make blessings available to us. Commandments are opportunities to exercise our agency and to receive blessings. Our loving Heavenly Father knows that choosing to develop a spirit of gratitude will bring us true joy and great happiness.
"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."
So, I decided to give having an attitude of gratitude a try, even though my current challenges are not that serious or gut-wrenching. I started looking for things to be thankful for, and it definitely made my week better. Baby Brother wanted to be cuddled because he didn't feel well, and I decided to be grateful that I had a good reason to snuggle with him and play with him. I'm usually so busy cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, running kids around, etc. that I don't spend much one-on-one time with Baby Brother or Little Sister. I did a lot of both this week. We sang songs, read books, watched Dora (Little Sister's favorite show), played in the tub. It was really fun and in retrospect, time well spent. I had a much happier week because I chose to be grateful in my circumstances.
Love it Jen!
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