Aaron & Time & All Things
I am grateful for Aaron & Time & All Things.
~ I am grateful for Aaron. The reasons are obvious why I am grateful for Aaron. I love him. I miss him. I am grateful for his tender and giving heart. I am grateful for the person he was / is. I am grateful that we are married and that I will see him again someday. Even though it gives me great sorrow, I am grateful that he is in a much happier and peaceful place. I am grateful for the moments that we get to feel him around us. I am grateful for the memories and the love that we shared (share).
I am grateful for you, Aaron. I love and miss you.
~ I am grateful for Time.
I am grateful for time spent with Aaron creating memories.
I am grateful for time since he passed away which has allowed my wounded heart to heal some.
I am grateful for time spent with Aaron Jr and the memories we get to continue to create.
I am grateful for time which is still ahead of us... time to continue to enjoy the relationships of family and friends and create memories with all of them.
"Just remember - when you think all is lost, the future remains." ~ Bob Goddard
Time is an interesting thing. To me, it is a phenomenon that I will never completely understand. Those final days spent with Aaron three years ago seem like they just happened yesterday.... but they also feel like they were an eternity ago as well. It blows my mind how it can feel both ways at the exact same time.
"Hang in there. It is astonishing how short a time it can take for very wonderful things to happen." ~ Frances H. Burnett
I am grateful for Time and what it continues to teach me as it passes...
~ I am grateful for All Things.
"thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things." ~ Doctrine & Covenants 59:7
Since I was planning to write what I was grateful for each day of November until Thanksgiving, I guess this is the last day I am writing what I am grateful for in this manner.
I do want to say that there are SO many more things I am grateful for in my life. I tried to pick ones that meant SO much to me, using ones that are kindof a given... but I also tried to pick some that would not usually be on a quickly written list of gratefuls. I tried to stretch my mind and really put a lot of thought into these postings. I wanted to share some of my thoughts and feelings that run deep. I hope I was able to do that. I wish I could write down everything I am grateful for, but I am not even sure that is possible to do. Because just when I thought I had them all written, I would of course think of many more to write... and while writing those ones down... the Lord would bless me in many more ways even beyond that.
So, I guess this list that I have written this month will have to do for now. I am truly grateful for all of the ways I am blessed in my life.
I was asked to speak in church last Sunday. My topic was Gratitude. I decided to give my talk on 'Being Grateful In All Things'.
I just finished a book called The Hiding Place. In my talk, one of the stories that I told to demonstrate giving thanks in all things was a story from this book. It took place during WWll. It was an amazing book. In the book, while in a concentration camp, Betsie and Corrie Ten Boom (sisters) read a passage in the Bible that tells them in First Thessalonians "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus." Because of this verse of scripture, Betsie tells her sister Corrie that they even need to be grateful for the fleas that are in their beds where they have to sleep each night. So they both gave thanks for the fleas. It was later in the book that Betsie found out that those fleas were a blessing to them. They were not allowed to have a Bible with them there, but they smuggled a pocket sized one into the camp. They were able to study their Bible and have two Bible studies every day with the other ladies in their dormitory. They did not know why they had so much freedom in their dormitory, but they were grateful for it. They eventually found out that because of the FLEAS, the guards would not set foot into their dormitory. And because the guards did not set foot in there, they were able to study their Bible.
So, in time, they found out why it was such a blessing to have fleas in their beds.
Because of the example set by these women who were living through such horrific circumstances and were still willing to give thanks in all circumstances, I have decided that I want to try to do better about giving thanks in all circumstances. Of course, by doing this, it comes with rewards. We are promised blessings as well...
"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." ~ Doctrine & Covenants 78:19
So why is it so difficult to receive all things with thankfulness when we are promised so much if we do? I don't know, but it is.
But today, Thanksgiving, is a great time to begin. Tonight, I said a prayer of gratitude that my car would not start yesterday. Yep, it is broken down. Not sure yet what is wrong... and it has been stressing me out for the past 36 hours. I have my brother's car borrowed and someone in my family will be towing my car to a repair place this weekend or next week... I was not a happy camper yesterday.
BUT, because I just finished that book, and because today is Thanksgiving, and because I do want to do what God asks me to do... I am trying to give thanks in ALL circumstances... even the circumstance that my car is broken down. I can only assume that there is a reason for it. It would be great if it was a grand reason... maybe even that I will be blessed next week with a brand new car from winning a contest. (not likely since I have not entered any contests... ha!)
BUT... more likely... the reason could be to humble me so that I will turn to the Lord and rely on Him. It COULD even be because I might have gotten into an accident if I were in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is just no way of knowing why my car would not start. But, I am going to trust in the Lord and be grateful for whatever the reason was. I guess I will see if I can hold this up after I get the repair bill. ;) Okay, just kidding.
I will be grateful ... grateful in ALL circumstances... because I am blessed beyond measure.
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