"Cultivate Within You, The Attitude of Gratitude"

Our family had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. My parents joined us for the first time in many years and it was memorable for us all. We also had the blessing of taking our son Ryan to the temple for the first time. He was such a ray of sunshine that day. So happy and so grateful to be with us in the house of the Lord. I will never forget that day.

This was a week of Thanksgiving like no other for our family. We are all deeply thankful that our dear husband and father of my children, Terry Otis is still with us after his unfortunate accident in October.

Today is his first day back to work. I felt such an ache in my heart as I sent him back into the world. It's been two months since his accident. It's been a time of fear, pain, suffering, elation, spiritual healing and gratitude for us all. So many emotions have been shared. So many miracles have been acknowledged during his convalescence.

We have learned something important. We know that there are no coincidences--only miracles. The more you become aware of these miracles, the more you see them. It's amazing! Start giving God the credit and you see more. Try it and your eyes will be opened today. Then be thankful in your prayers and the spirit will fill you too.

Our family has seen miracles from the moment Terry was hurt to this very day. This day is a miracle when a man who was in a motorcycle accident returned to work so quickly and nearly healed from all his injuries. I am filled with thanksgiving that he is whole and happy and getting back to the day to day task of supporting his family.

When I think of miracles, gratitude fills me and I know what my evangelical friends are so fond of expressing is true. God is good!

This mindset didn't come to me overnight. After the initial shock of the accident wore off a few weeks ago, I felt myself falling into despair as I became angry and even felt vengeful. I'm human right?

When I thought of the woman sitting at home unharmed after turning her SUV in front of my husband who was on an errand to pick up medicine for our son. I was angry because Terry was in excruciating pain after his hand surgery-- which she caused. I couldn't seem to get the pain under control with several medications the doctors had given him. This is a kind hearted man who always goes out of his way to help others and was never angry at the woman once!

I had to work through my feelings with the help of our beloved Heavenly Father. I begged for the anger to be taken from me. It didn't happen overnight either. I prayed daily. Some time after asking for help, information found it's way to me about the woman who had hurt Terry...

She hasn't been able to drive herself to work since October 3rd, the day of the accident. She has been shaken to her core by fear of hurting another person. Her daughter was cut by flying glass and is healed quickly, thank goodness! We found this out innocently by renting a rug cleaner at our local rental store. The clerk is the neighbor of the woman was the driver of the SUV.

We could have gone to the other rental place in town that day. I feel we were meant to gain comfort with the knowledge we innocently gleaned from the rental clerk at her insistence. Such tender mercies swept all pain from our hearts as compassion filled us up for this woman who was suffering so much. I pray for her daily now. We all do.

There is so much good in the world today. It would be easy to get derailed by this unfortunate accident our family experienced. Instead we choose to see the good now and not be changed forever by the bad. It's a choice we must all make when bad things happen to us in our lives.

This week I read a quote from President Monsen that I'm posting below. I hope it touches you as it has touched me. I pray you have a very good Monday.

"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"
President Thomas S. Monsen. Ensign, May 1992, p. 54