Grateful Sundays

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. - Johannes Q. Gaertner

It's April already. Here's a few things I'm thankful for this week.

* Visiting Teaching. I have an awesome visiting teaching companion. And I think we visit the sweetest sisters in our ward. This week we visited one sister and visited and had lunch with our other two sisters. I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to visit with these special sisters, share in their lives and discuss a simple gospel message. As I have gotten older and wiser, I have come to understand that being a visiting teacher blesses me more than the sisters I visit. Undoubtedly, I have been blessed by their lives, their challenges and their testimonies. For making me a better person because of visiting teaching, Thank You.

* Good Books. This week I finished a great book. Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. This is not only a short novel, but also a true story which takes place right here in our own Fort Worth. On the back cover it reads, "It begins outside a burning plantation in Louisiana...and an East Texas honky-tonk...and without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda..an upscale New York gallery...a downtown dumpster...a Texas ranch. Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, it also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love. This is is one of the most inspirational and emotionally stories of faith, fortitude and friendship that I have ever read. This story illustrates that truly one person can make a difference; that the Lord is always in charge; and that unconditional love is possible. For a good book that makes me want to do better and be better, Thank You.

* Good Movies. This weekend we watched two movies that were really enjoyable. First, Marley and Me starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. If you've ever had a dog or loved animals, you'll love this movie. It reminds me that some members of our family might just have four legs and a tail. Keep your tissue box handy. Second, Fireproof starring Kirt Cameron. What a great movie that illustrates the difficulties that some marriages encounter and how, with enough effort and love, a marriage can become better and stronger than before. I watched this twice with my girls. (The Handsome Husband is out of town.) This is definitely a good date-night movie. For the opportunity to enjoy two wholesome movies, Thank You.

* General Conference. I always enjoy the opportunity to hear from our Prophet and the apostles twice a year. (The opportunity to sleep in on Sunday is an added bonus.) I am so thankful to know that we are indeed led by these inspired men who are instructed by the Lord through His Spirit. I am thankful for their instruction which gives me a 'power boost' and makes me want to be more obedient, to show more love, to be a better mother, a better missionary and just be a better Daughter of God. For the inspired messages at this General Conference, Thank You.