Count Your Many Blessings

The minute Cade and I open out eyes physical pain is there. I can make a huge, long list of all the trials were are going through at once. Sometimes we are lucky we made it through the day. We are both in a lot of pain so when one of us is hurting worse than the other, the person who is hurting a little less takes care of the other.

For the last 2 months Cade would rub my neck every night to help loosen up the muscles. He always takes such good care of me. About a week ago he went off all of his pain medications. With drawls are something that I don't wish upon anyone. It has been my turn to take care of him. And so it goes back and forth like this. It just depends on the day.

We have tried and tried to stay positive and keep plugging along. Doing our best and most of the time we succeed. This morning was really difficult. We had a lot of new things weighing on our minds. But we got up and got ready. Maybe with not the best of out looks.

In a priesthood session of conference one year, Cade told me that the message was that we need to put forth more effort and do more than the previous generation did to teach our children to be faithful members of the church. Basically this generation needs to step up. I have thought about this a lot and one of the things that I have been doing this year is reading a story out of the Friend magazine while my kids are eating breakfast every morning. I have to get up earlier to do this, but it has been so worth it and has strengthened my children's testimonies and helped them stay strong even when friends at school are doing things they shouldn't.

When I was reading this morning the story from President Henry B. Eyring was meant for me. I was reading it to my children, but it was exactly what I needed to hear. The story is called Count Your Blessings. I have the talk at the end of this post. I have decided I am going to follow his advice and work even harder at having a positive frame of mind. I know I can accomplish this if I count the blessings that Heavenly Father has given me that day. I am going to start tonight.

Count Your Blessings by President Henry B. Eyring

Forgetting God has been a problem among His children since the world began. Think of the times of Moses, when God provided manna and in miraculous and visible ways led and protected His children. Still the prophet warned the people: "Take heed...lest thou forget things which thine eyes have seen." (Deut 4:9)

Find ways to recognize and remember God's kindness. It will build our testimonies. You remember that song we sometimes sing: "Count your blessings; name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day. I never missed a day no mater how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: "Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?" As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.

The Holy Ghost helps us see what God has done for us. I testify that God loves us and blesses us more than most of us have yet recognized. I know that is true, and it brings me joy to remember him.

1. Place a notebook, or journal and a pen or pencil by your bed.

2. Each night before you pray and go to bed, write down: The date, two or three good things that happened that day, How you think these good things are blessings from Heavenly Father

3. When you pray, be sure to thank Heavenly Father for the good things you remembered. You can also tell your family members about the blessings you found.