Each Day Brings New Gifts

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I read a book over the weekend that really made me think–the tag line on the back of the book said, “A young woman with nothing to live for.  An old woman with very little time left to live.  What can they possibly learn from each other?”  It was just a silly novel–but I enjoyed it.  The old woman (Gabby), in an attempt to help her granddaughter figure out how to live, shares the story of being in hiding for two and a half years during WWII.  She was alone in the attic of a kind seamstress, and had to stay perfectly still all day so that the seamstress’s customers wouldn’t hear anything above them when they came to drop off or pick up their mending and get suspicious.  Gabby said it nearly drove her insane and after a particularly difficult day, she “couldn’t bear to be in a prison any longer, each day darker than the one before.”  The woman Gabby was staying with said to her, “There are times when it seems everything good in life has been taken from us.  Now is such a time.  But I promise you, little one, if you open your eyes, your heart, you will find there are still gifts waiting for you each day.  Sometimes it will not be an easy thing to see them, sometimes you will have to work to find them.”  Gabby had no idea what this kind woman meant, but as the days went by, she was able to see the gifts.  Sometimes it was a dream of better times, once it was a bright yellow butterfly sunning itself on the window ledge.  Other times it was a glimpse of sunlight through the crack in the roof, the sound of rain tapping on the window.  Gabby made it a habit to look for the gifts each day, and began writing them down on whatever scrap of paper she could get her hands on.  She encouraged her granddaughter to do the same, and gradually, her granddaughter was able to see the daily gifts in her life, and this gave her the power to emerge from her depression and regain the desire to live and experience each day’s gifts.

We in the Church call this counting our blessings–do we realize the power of a grateful heart?  After reading this book and then having a wonderful lesson on prayer in R.S. this week, I’ve been pondering on the joy that expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father can bring.  I have a new resolution to look for the gifts of each day–the simple things that make my life good and sweet–and record them, then thank my Heavenly Father for all that he gives me.  Of course I’m  thankful for all the major blessings–family, the gospel, good health, etc. but I know I have so many things I take for granted.  I’d like to focus on these more.

What are you thankful for today?

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