Being Grateful in All Things

I read Thomas S. Monson's talk from April 1992, "An Attitude of Gratitude", and these are some points that really touched me:

"This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help.

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."

"First, there is gratitude for our mothers.

Mother, who willingly made that personal journey into the valley of the shadow of death to take us by the hand and introduce us to birth—even to mortal life—deserves our undying gratitude. One writer summed up our love for mother when he declared, “God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers.”

Second, let us reflect gratitude for our fathers.

Father, like Mother, is ever willing to sacrifice his own comfort for that of his children. Daily he toils to provide the necessities of life, never complaining, ever concerned for the well-being of his family. This love for children, this desire to see them well and happy, is a constant in a time of change...

Let us have gratitude for our friends. Our most cherished friend is our partner in marriage. This old world would be so much better off today if kindness and deference were daily a reflection of our gratitude for wife, for husband."

I am so grateful to be living on this Earth today. It really touched me how Thomas S. Monson emphasized that, "While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help." It can be hard at times to see the good in the world amongst all the evil, but it is there, and we should be grateful for it. And by so doing, we help to cultivate more good in the world. "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." I love what was said about mothers. We need to be grateful for our Mothers as they are one of our greatest teachers and examples. They love us and care for us. I especially love the inspiration shared from an unknown writer who said, "God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers." Mothers truly do take on a special role from God and that role should be appreciated, especially since mothers can tend to be some of the most under-appreciated people on this planet. As a Mother myself, and as I continue on my Entrepreneurial Journey, I need not forget my duty as a Mother first. My children are my first and most important responsibility and I will never allow anything to get in the way of that. I am so grateful for my opportunity to be a Mother, and although it can be difficult at times, and although I feel like I am accomplishing nothing a lot of the time - that's not true. I am accomplishing some of the most sacred work there is. If a career, a business venture, or idea has to wait, so be it. I am a Mother first.