Tonight these videos were unveiled at the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. I loved the talks, but I always love the talks. Today I watched Gordon B. Hinckley, A Giant Among Men with my kids and cried. We watch it several times a year and there are so many lessons that I can teach my children about the life of a prophet in that one hour. I miss him. I miss his humor and strength. I'm grateful that he was a leader in my life for so long and the legacy he left behind. Then tonight I watched the devotional and was grateful that Heavenly Father calls such inspired men and women to lead His Church. I'm grateful that I have the testimony that I have and the knowledge that I have of my Savior, Jesus Christ. That testimony and knowledge was hard earned and I went through years of trials and faith to receive it.
I'm grateful that today I was blessed to hear my bishop bear his testimony and reassure all of us that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we all have the opportunity to repent and return to live with our Heavenly Father. I was blessed to hear an "old-timer" in my ward who is a convert to the Church bear his testimony about experiences in his life that helped to build the foundation of his testimony...and that at the age of 88 it is still growing. It gave me a perspective that I still have a long way to go and maybe I could go a little easier on myself and allow myself more time to really study and learn and teach and ponder.
I'm grateful that today I got to take a nap with my little girl and snuggle with her. She's yummy and warm and soft and five years old and therefore won't be willing to snuggle much longer. But, maybe she will be and I'm grateful for that as well. I'm grateful that my son learned a simple lesson about not taking the Lord's name in vain and what names to use for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for my children's teachers. I'm grateful that I was able to hear wonderful talks and music (that I got to participate in) during Relief Society. I'm grateful for the women in my ward and my neighborhood who don't try to compete with each other and instead just try to help each other and bear each others' burdens. Today after our meeting I was talking with my friend Rachel about the song we had sung and she said, "I think I missed a few notes because I was trying to look up and smile." Another friend standing close by said, "No! I was looking at each one of you and my eyes filled with tears because I love all of you so much. It was beautiful!" Then she hugged us.
I'm grateful that we were able to have Family Home Evening tonight where we read from the Ensign about Gratitude and then wrote out lists of what we are grateful for. I'm grateful for the simple lessons that I learn from my children each day.
My family is all asleep, the house is quiet. It's in the quiet moments of my life that I think about my Savior and all that He has done for me. All of the trials and challenges and gifts and blessings that refine me every day on my personal journey through life. I hope that each day I can be a little more like Him.
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