Wise Words on Gratitude

November is labeled as the month of Thanksgiving.  Not only do we sit down and eat a giant turkey with all of the yummy trimmings, but many of us going around the table, each person expressing what they are grateful for.  It's a beautiful tradition and at times those expressions of gratitude are sincere and heartfelt.

I've noticed that many of my friends have spent the month of November posting daily on Facebook, and Instagram, gratitude for blessings in their lives.  I love it.  I think it's great to take a look at your life and realize the many blessings that you have.  When you sincerely look at your life I think you begin to realize that it takes much more than one month out of the year to thank God for all He has done.  Each new day adds new blessings and there is no way to keep track of them all.

I know I have a lot of work to do when it comes to expressing my gratitude and sometimes I wonder what I can do to best express my gratitude to God for my life.  I once read a quote that said something like "Expressing gratitude is a sign of greatness."  It's always stuck with me.  I think too often we forget where our blessings come from.  We think that we did it all ourselves or that everything that we have in our lives is there because we earned it. 

I think gratitude is always a mark of humility and the willingness to recognize God's hand in our lives.  There is a scripture that says, "Where much is given, much is required."  I was thinking about that scripture this morning as I was writing in my journal and expressing gratitude to God for guiding my life and blessing me with so much peace and joy.   I realized that the best way for me to express my gratitude is to take all that God has blessed me with and use it to serve His children and love them.

Thanksgiving is in twelve days.  I am counting my blessings, one by one. Each day I will post a video of wise men and women teaching all of us what we can do to show more gratitude and the increased blessings that come from expressing gratitude. Perhaps we can all learn how to turn a month of thanksgiving into a life of thanksgiving.

This first video is from Thomas S. Monson.  He is the President and Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Enjoy!