Gratitude

By Leesa Ostrander

My family is in the middle of the super-storm in New York. They have massive flooding from the lunar high tide and massive storm surge. I pray for their safety and am grateful for the safety I have. I am re-posting a previous blog. I think it says so much of what I am feeling today.

Adapted by previous blog submission

President Monson stated in the October 2010 conference talk, “A grateful heart… comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives.”

Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for blessings or benefits we receive.  By looking at a variety of definitions of the word gratitude, we can see the deeper meaning. The meanings can range from simple to complex. The thesaurus translates gratitude as thankfulness, appreciation, gratefulness, appreciativeness, grace, praise, acknowledgment, and obligation.

This is so complex and temporal. We are asked in the simplest form to show gratitude. D&C 136:28 says, “praise the Lord with prayer of thanksgiving.” We should regularly express our gratitude and be thankful for the blessings we have. Through our act of gratitude we will be happy, spiritually strong and blessed.

According to the Webster dictionary gratitude is one word: thankfulness.

The adversary strives to make our world complex and gratitude compound, multifaceted and daunting. This is not how we have been instructed.  Pure love and daily thanks make gratefulness a simple act. The Lord's method is simple, clear and plain.

When we have a grateful heart we can see and experience many blessings. Through basics or fundamentals a grateful heart is born.

A simple task of remembering someone and showing your gratitude will not only fill your heart with joy, it will give thanks to our Heavenly Father. President Monson asked in the October 2010 conference, “Do we remember to give thanks for the blessings we receive? Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us to recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love.” Do we thank with the humblest heart?

Genuine acts of thanks can be simple, heartfelt and everlasting. Remember our neighbors, friends and family in our prayers of gratitude and be blessed in return. We can also show thanks through small acts and gifts of love, service and goodies.

In closing, I am grateful for the simple plan set for me to obtain eternal happiness. I am thankful amid all the world tribulations and hardships to continue to grow, teach my children and assist my neighbors. I am grateful in the middle of a storm; I have a soft and eternal love to keep me safe.