Cultivate an Attitude of Happiness!

“I believe [the Lord] is saying to each of us, be happy. The gospel is a thing of joy. It provides us with a reason for gladness. Of course there are times of sorrow. Of course there are hours of concern and anxiety. We all worry. But the Lord has told us to lift our hearts and rejoice. I see so many people . . . who seem never to see the sunshine, but who constantly walk with storms under cloudy skies. Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “If Thou Art Faithful,” Ensign, Nov. 1984, 91–92).

I felt such joy as I read Gordon B. Hinckley's quote! It is only as we look to Christ and His example, that we can deal with all that life throws our way some days.

There are times when I'm asked how I can be so happy? I answer that I have given my worries and my fears to my Savior when I can no longer carry them myself. I choose to look for the light and the good in my life rather than dwell on the pain, the suffering and the lack of.

My life then flows with blessings and as I count them they are without number! We can each do the same. From the smallest thing to the most magnificent!

I can find the love of what our Heavenly Father has given me in plain dirt if I have to! yes! Dirt! A handful of dirt has millions of granules each with a purpose, each with a history! That dirt can be carried to the far corners of the world and grow almost about anything that is planted in it with a little care and some water and sunlight.

I often stand in my veggie garden in my bare feet feeling the dirt between my toes, it's soft, warm goodness all around me-- growing my tomatoes, zucchini, green beans and water melon too! Flowers blossom, bugs wriggle through it as I stand in one place watching miracles pop up all around me in a whirl of life. I imagine my cares going into the dirt through the bottoms of my feet. Soon I forget what was bothering me as I bend to pull a weed.

I challenge each of you to look for the love of our Father in heaven in your daily life too. Look for the miracles that abound all around you. Let the hours of concern and anxiety be smaller. Dwell on the possibilities of life and learn and grow doing something you love. Seek those things that will make your spirit sing! Let go of the past, the pain and the negative. It will leave you if you let it. Then allow our Saviors love to encompass you in all it's sweetness. I know you can.....I did it and if I can, anyone can do it too.