This has
been a long semester, full of ups and downs; the highest of highs, and lowest
of lows. There were a few times when I began to wonder if it was all worth it….
The countless hours studying, missing out on kids’ functions, the late nights
and early mornings, the endless fast food because I didn’t have time or energy to
cook. “You fly, I buy” has become the family mantra when someone asks what’s
for dinner….
As these
thoughts ran through my mind, I also remembered the countless time I have been
helped by others. The times my visiting teacher picked up my daughter for Young
Women’s. My mom’s offer to do my dishes and laundry. (What a switch!) The time
my assistant stayed late to finish MY project for me because she knew I had
mid-terms. The kids pitching in to help out without being asked. The list goes on and on… Every time I felt
like I just couldn’t take another step, someone was there with a helping hand
or a kind word. Many times, I didn’t even have to ask. As I look back over the
past few months, all I can feel is gratitude. Gratitude for a Heavenly Father
who loves me, and knows what I need to keep plodding down this path. Gratitude
for those who went out of their way to help. Gratitude for the opportunity I
have to finally get a degree. Gratitude for the chance I have to set a good
example for my kids. I don’t believe for
one moment that it was by chance that one of the final articles we read in this
class was President Monson’s General Conference talk “An Attitude of Gratitude”.
I challenge myself, as well as anyone
else who may read this to remember his advice. “We
can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm
of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude.
If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its
place among the noblest of virtues. “
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