10 things to be grateful for...

I gave a talk in church yesterday. I remember when I used to just freak out when I had to speak in public, I am so glad that I don't get all worried about it anymore. I actually enjoy it, well I like the research most. I talked about Gratitude and Thanksgiving, my favorite!! I talked about "the hiding place" by Corrie ten Boom and her story about being grateful for Fleas. If you have not read this book, I suggest you do!

Corrie and her sister were prisoners in a concentration camp with wrenched conditions. They had already survived so much, but the conditions of the final barracks were well beyond what they thought they could bare -- including a thick infestation of fleas in the straw they were to sleep on. Corrie turned to her sister and cried, "Betsie, how can we live in such a place!" Immediately Betsie began to pray and soon the answer came to her. They had read it in the Bible just that morning "Give thanks in all circumstances." Betsie was sure this was the answer. Because they began from that moment on to thank instead of complain, they had positive attitudes and became a very positive influence on the others in their barracks. As their world grew blacker with evil outside the barracks, their world inside (even with the fleas) became brighter until it became as a literal Heaven on earth despite the conditions.
Normally these barracks had surprise inspections where their precious Bible that brought so much light and strength would normally have been seized. Miraculously, they never had such inspections. Much later they found out it was because their barracks were so flea infested that the guards dared not enter. The fleas allowed them to have God's Word for their strength and their hope. Upon learning this, Corrie very humbly knelt and truly thanked God for the fleas!

Here are some of my favorite quotes on gratitude:

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
— Melody Beattie

James E. Faust said this about Gratitude:"Gratitude is not only an expression of faith it is a saving principle... it is more than a social courtesy, it is a binding commandment."

Cicero said this about Gratitude in 54 BC: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues it is the parent of all others.”

10 things, that I am grateful for:
1. Jesus Christ
2. Family
3. Friends
4. My Kitties
5. Nature
6. My Label maker
7. Liquid soap
8. Chocolate
9. Technology
10. Humor