We really have so much to be grateful for

Sister Sarah Call

Young Women Secretary

A couple of weeks ago around when the social distancing started, I got a series of migraine headaches. Although these are common for me, I hadn't had one in several months. I get so sick and am in so much pain that I am unable to do much of anything. After being so sick for about a week I was finally able to do some normal tasks around my home, and I was so grateful to do so. I was so grateful I could wash and fold my family's laundry. I was grateful I could mop the floors and clean the toilets. I was thankful I could be present with my daughter and spend time with her. I know I talk about my migraines a lot, and sometimes I wonder why it is a challenge I continue to have. Maybe it is because they keep teaching me life lessons. This time my migraines helped me realize that I shouldn't take even cleaning the toilet for granted. In this time of uncertainty, it is hard not to think of all the things we can't do. We can't go to the park. We can't travel or see our friends. Some of us may be out of a job for the time being, or even worried about the next time we will be able to buy toilet paper. 

In reality, we really have so much to be grateful for. We have a wonderful ward full of people that are there to help if any of us are in need. We have the gospel. We have Come Follow Me so that we have a way we can teach the gospel to our families from home. Even more so, we can be "thankful in our circumstances." Deiter F. Ucdorf gave a powerful talk on this in General Conference in April 2014. He says, "Could I suggest that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation? In other words, I’m suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances—whatever they may be...Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges. This is not a gratitude of the lips but of the soul. It is a gratitude that heals the heart and expands the mind." If we lean on the Lord and go forward with faith, not fear, we can be thankful in our circumstances. Remember with God nothing is impossible.