Grateful and Terrified

I spoke in church today and I was terrified and grateful at the same time. Mormons do a unique thing where members of the congregation are given a topic and asked to speak in front of the rest of the congregation for 10-15 minutes at our main Sunday meeting called Sacrament Meeting. Well it was my turn today, which Coach actually tricked me into saying yes to, but it went off without a hitch and I’m thrilled I am off the hook for awhile now. Before hand I was absolutely terrified but I think I got my point across because it was something I feel strongly about. The topic was gratitude and this blog is for my girls to read in the future so I thought documenting this would be great for that. So if you decide to keep reading just picture me standing at the pulpit actually having a good hair day and saying all of this...

So a little about me. I grew up here in the Klein Ward even went to Doerre and Klein High School, go Bearkats! I graduated from BYU Provo, I was married in the Salt Lake Temple and my ex-husband and I moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, which is where my twin girls Keagan and Riley were born. But even though they were born there they are definitely Texas girls because the 3 of us moved back here when they were about 3 months old. They are 9 almost 10 now and are going into the 4th grade. I cannot believe they are about to hit double digits! Lots of kids in primary ask them if they are homeschooled because they don’t go to Theiss. I actually work at another elementary school in Klein and they come to school with me. 

Riley is Special Needs and Medically fragile. She has 23 medical diagnoses. Her primary diagnosis is a rare brain malformation that you have probably never heard of. But she has lots of other things that you have heard of like cerebral palsy, asthma, epilepsy, a congenital heart disease, etc. And she is a total rock star. They both are! Both girls were born as micro preemies, Riley weighed 1 pound 14 ounces and Keagan was 3 pounds 7 ounces. They were both sick and Keagan had heart surgery when she was 4 days old, so they are both such miracles. In fact I was told Riley would never walk or accomplish anything in her life. I was told she would need a heart transplant. We were told that she was probably going to go deaf. There has literally been miracle after miracle with that sweet girl and to say we are grateful is a huge understatement! They are both my beautiful miracles!

 

So we count our blessings in our family! Like literally. It's kind of my thing. And when I say count my blessings I seriously count things like toilet paper, air conditioning, and cinnamon bears. I mean really, how much better is my life with those things? I have always been a bloom where you’re planted kind of girl- its actually the title of my blog. I was sent from the Lord with the glass is a little more then half full kind of attitude and as always the Lord sure knew what he was doing because He knew I was going to need that! You see, I don’t know about yours, but my life did not turn out as planned at all! I’m 39 and I live with my mother for heavens sakes! I’m divorced and a single mom, my dad lost a battle with cancer over 10 years ago that he was supposed to win, I have a child who faces extreme challenges that I can’t fix, I work hard and barely scrape by, and my hair has a mind of its own! I mean these are all things that weren’t in my plans. But  instead of counting the downfalls I count the blessings, and that makes all the difference! This is probably my main lesson I try to teach our Young Women. This is not the life I thought I would have and every day can be hard. But it is a big beautiful life and I have SO much joy! As long as I stay close to the Lord and as long as I remain grateful, I will be happy!

It was the very wise Albus Dumbledore that said “Happiness can be found in even the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light.” And to me that is exactly what gratitude does. It is the light that illuminates the darkness. But if you don’t like Harry Potter quotes, maybe you will appreciate a quote from one of my other favorites. President Uchtdorf said “You can chose to be grateful no matter what.” If you reslisten to that great General Conference talk he emphasizes choose. I definitely believe it is a choice. 

 

Lots of choices are hard, really hard. Even ones we know we should make. Life is messy and complicated. Its full of trials and hardship and in the middle of our darkest days it is incredibly hard to hear an admonition to be grateful. So I believe if we are used to being grateful, if we typically cultivate an attitude of gratitude even on our very best of days and times, then it will be second hand to do so on our worst days and times. And again that gratitude will make all the difference! 

 

One day, two kids were walking down the street together. They passed a garden full of plants and bushes. One child pointed to a bush and said, "It's too bad that rosebushes have thorns."  The other child looked at the same bush and said, "It's so wonderful that thorn-bushes have roses!"

If the two kids were looking at the same bush why do you think they said two different things? One child was looking at the beauty of the plant and feeling happy. The other looked at the one thing wrong with the plant and felt sad.  The difference is gratitude. 

 

In the October 2010 general conference, President Monson gave a talk titled "The Divine Gift of Gratitude." He said a joyful heart comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for his blessings.

"Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love,” That’s some good stuff! I would like those kind of blessings in my life! Wouldn’t you? 

Ok if you don’t want to believe me, then I mean our leaders have all told us over and over again that gratitude will bring about great things in our lives! I mean seriously yall listen to this list of blessings that choosing gratitude can bring into each of our lives!

President Joseph F Smith said gratitude “begets love and friendship, and brings divine influence.”

 

President Faust said “It helps us develop such virtues as prayer, faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love and well-being.”

 

Elder Hales said it “has a wonderful cleansing or healing nature and brings warmth to the giver and the receiver alike.”

 

President Gordon B Hinckley said it “is of the very essence of worship.”

 

Don’t these all just sound amazing? Aren’t these all blessings that you would be so grateful to have?

 

Sister Bonnie D Parkin said gratitude “inspires happiness and carries divine influence.” 

 

Sister Virginia H Pearce said “it fights disappointment, discouragement and despair.”

 

Rosemary M Wixom said “it heightens our sensitivity to divine direction and fills us with the Spirit of the Lord.”

 

Elder Richard G Scott said “It dispels loneliness and heartache.”

 

Elder Joseph B Wirthlin said gratitude “is a healing balm. It helps us get outside ourselves. It changes our focus from our pains and our trials to the abundance of this beautiful world we live in."

 

I mean really I could go on and on with these. Having gratitude and choosing to be grateful AND expressing it to our Heavenly Father does SO many wonderful things for us! 

 

How many times have you heard the advice to take lemons and make lemonade? It is rather clique but it really is great advice! To make lemonade you need three things right? Well we all have lemons in our life! That’s for sure! Unfortunately none of us are going to get thru life without trail and hardships. The next ingredient is water and there is nothing better then the living water otherwise known as Jesus Christ. He is the base of our sweet lemonade and without him nothing is possible. And finally you need sugar. Well I believe gratitude is the sweetener of life. Its actually one of my favorite sayings, when life gets sour, sweeten it with gratitude. 

 

So we need to ask ourselves, do we want lemons or do we want lemonade? I know my answer! I also know that every single one of us here could make a long list of trials, struggles, worries and things ailing us right at this very moment. But man I sure hope that we could make a much, much, much longer list of our blessings and the things we are grateful for! In doing so I can echo the voice of all our leaders and proclaim:  PLEASE chose gratitude because in doing so you will chose happiness and Joy. 

 

Before church...

During church with a Maddox! 

After church! They sure crack me up!