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When I think of gratitude, I think of the scriptural example of how the Savior healed the lepers, but only one demonstrated a grateful heart by personally thanking the Him. On the other hand, I can imagine how the other lepers were so happy by the miracle that had occurred. I can even imagine the joy they felt in their hearts, and am sure they shared the miracle with their family and friends — but not the Savior.  Although sharing the story with others is a way of showing gratitude, it is important to take a small moment to personally thank those who made the difference in our lives. Gratitude is a Christ-like attribute that can demonstrate that we are aware of the wonderful blessings we have received.

There times, of course, when our service will not be noticed by the ones we are serving. Donating a Thanksgiving meal to a family in need, donating warm clothing for the winter, making quilts for someone across the world or donating funds to the bishop for a family in need are acts of service that also demonstrate gratitude. With a heart full of gratitude because of your own blessings, you can turn and serve others.

Two years ago we visited a place where children go when they have been taken from their homes because of abuse and are awaiting foster care. It was Thanksgiving week. My family and I planned fun activities for the children to engage in and also brought some yummy treats. We could not bring gifts because the children may not be able to bring them to their new homes. They were nervous because of the uncertainty of their future, and were with a group of children they did not know. So, we played relay races to distract them for a moment from the reality of their state, and had some fun.

We divided them into two teams, and they had to run as fast as they could to the chair at the end of the room and sit on a balloon until it popped and retrieve the candy piece in it and run back to their teammates. My 5 children were cheering them on and the ones popping the balloons were giggling so much they would often fall to the floor with laughter. Another game we played was a relay race in which they were divided into two groups again and had to run to a bowl and pull out an exercise to do. It could be to do 10 jumping jacks, jump on one leg, sing “head, shoulders, knees and toes” or sing the alphabet. I’ve played this game many times with elementary school students, and always had a great time. Here, though, it was different. Many did not understand the coordination of jumping jacks, or fell over when hopping on one foot, or could not read. So, we stopped the game as many were frustrated. One boy said he quit the game and walked off. I felt I had to act quickly. But out of the corner of my eye I saw my oldest son with the little boy who was most upset. Teaching him how to do jumping jacks, jump with a rope and how to hold on to a chair to jump with one foot. After seeing that, I put the rest of them in two lines, practiced what each move was, and directed my children to read the note pulled out. After 10 minutes, I asked the children if they wanted to resume. They said, “Yes!” So we did, and the giggles started again and the children were cheering each other on and my son watched over the little boy who got frustrated to make sure he had more fun. The little boy did, and hugged my son for teaching him how to do jumping jacks. It was a wonderful experience for my whole family. Many asked my daughters if they could play with them again. On the drive home, my son said, “I never thought I’d be grateful to know how to do jumping jacks. I’m glad I could teach him.” The gratitude of that little boy made the experience for my son even better. He was touched by the hug he received. As stated in the leper story in Luke 17:15, “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God.“ What an unconquerable spirit that little boy had. Amongst his confusing and unsettling situation he found the time to simply say “thank you for teaching me how to do jumping jacks.”

My family learned first-hand that neglect at home can impair reading and simple coordination. My children always say that was their favorite service for Thanksgiving. I’m grateful for the experience of service and for all those who have made big and small differences in my life.

Wendy M. Johnson

by Sam Payne

When I was twelve, my family lived in a little country town, with wide fields between homes. In the spring, those fields were deep in tall, green grass — tall enough to crawl around in without being seen. It was our playground. As summer wore on, the grass would dry and die, leaving the fields pale and yellow. It was in the field behind my house, on just such a yellow day, that my little brother and his friends found a leftover 4th of July firework in our yard. They figured they’d get in trouble if they lit it where our folks could see, so they retreated to the back of our property, just inches from the dray grass of the field that butted up against our yard. You can well imagine what happened next. Sparks from the firework jumped almost immediately into the field, and in no time at all, the fire had grown from a match-sized flame to a half-acre inferno. I was trying to slap out the flames with a wet blanket when, blessedly, the fire truck arrived.

The scriptures speak of great things being brought about by small and simple things. True enough. And it may be important to remember that it’s a double-edged sword. We sometimes forget that our lives are like dry fields, mightily susceptible to ills to which we often think ourselves immune. By small indiscretions or instances of neglect or carelessness, whole fields are scorched, or lives devastated. Attention to obedience, even in small matters (some would say especially in small matters) brings safety. Emily Dickinson wrote:

The brain, within its groove
Runs evenly and true
But let a splinter swerve,
T’were easier for you
To put the water back
When floods have slit the hills
And scooped a turnpike for themselves
And blotted out the mills

May we find freedom from great difficulty by keeping the reins tight, even in small things.

On October 5, 1856, President Brigham Young addressed many people a day before General Conference regarding the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies. He spoke of how the companies were still on the plains, and asked for 60 good mule teams and 12 or 15 wagons, 12 tons of flour and 40 good teamsters to go and rescue them. His request was urgent: Go out and rescue the Saints stranded on the plains of Wyoming! Not all who could have gone did, but those who left for the rescue used their own teams and wagons and did not know how long they would be gone from their own families. Still, they left diligently and obediently. Sixteen days later, those who followed his request were surprised at the bitter cold and starving conditions of the saints. The Willie Handcart Company had “issued the last bread,” and many were dying or sick with dysentery. And while the rescuers brought food, the frozen Saints would still have to walk in the snow and pull their handcarts in harsh winter conditions. Other rescue teams continued to the Martin Handcart Company who were days behind the Willie company. What great sacrifice from the rescuers, and from those being rescued! The Willie and Martin Handcart Companies showed what fortitude and faith was required to make that journey in the face of death, starvation, and bitter winter conditions. These early stories of the Church often make me feel insufficient of what more I can do to make a difference. I am confronted more with simple inconvenience than by harsh conditions.

This reminds me of a dear friend (whom I will call Tanya). She was 7 months pregnant with her third child, and her family was in a one-month transition period, preparing to move into their new home. They decided she would stay with her husband’s parents. His parents did not support their faith, and were “put out” that they had to sacrifice a month. Tanya’s husband would meet up with her a few days before the holidays. She was lonely and in a city where she did not know anyone. After a week she took her two children to church and immediately the Relief Society President of that ward welcomed her. Although Tanya had a great Sunday at church, she was worried that another week of loneliness would go by, leaving her unable to perform her own traditions with her family. But the Relief Society president invited her to a craft activity, with babysitting provided. The next week would be the Relief Society holiday dinner party. Again, Tanya was invited, with babysitting provided. The Relief Society president picked up Tanya and her children personally. At the dinner party, Tanya learned that the very next day the Relief Society president’s son was getting married, and the reception was at the church. She had left her out-of-town family wedding guests for two hours to make Tanya’s life a little less lonely. Upon hearing this, Tanya’s heart was deeply touched.

This sister is a wonderful example of an unconquerable spirit against time and convenience to make a lonely heart turn to gratitude. As stated in Luke, Martha and her sister Mary were visited by Jesus, “but Martha was cumbered about much serving,” while Mary “sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.” Service is not always convenient. During a busy holiday time, may we hear His word, and listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost to make a difference in someone’s life.

Wendy M. Johnson

A number of years ago, some friends of ours were driving home late one night when an oncoming car jumped its lane and smashed into them, head-on. It was a horrible accident, and it cost the life of their two-year-old son. The tragedy rocked our neighborhood. Some of us visited the family on the night following the accident, expecting to find them hysterical with grief. Instead, we found ourselves sharing a special evening with them – swapping funny stories about their son, looking at photo albums, and hearing them bear testimony of the Plan of Happiness (Indeed, in a testimony meeting some weeks after the accident, the boy’s father would say, “After what has happened, some have asked us if we’re angry with the Lord. How could we be angry with the One who has given us everything?”). As their friends, we watched the Spirit buoy them up. In that way, the Lord came to them in their sorrow, and comforted them. Having been so comforted, they comforted the rest of us. We, who had loved their little boy and who were grieving, went home with lighter hearts. Incredibly, most of us (including our friends who lost their child) look back on that time as an era of peace, strength, and hope – not words that we ever guessed would characterize such a time of difficulty and loss.

Our walk through mortality can be arduous. Sorrows tend to befall us – sorrows we don’t understand, and didn’t prepare for. But to those weighed down by heavy things, the Savior said “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Sadly, it seems sometimes that the heavier we are laden, the more difficult it is to believe in the rescue that only the Savior can provide.

Lately, my wife and I have though much on the woes suffered by others among our friends, neighbors, and family. In our close circle, there are people who have suffered illness, violence, unemployment, depression, and more. But while (between the lot of us) there’s plenty of reason for sorrow and plenty of room for lament, we find ourselves instead in the midst of a time that we can only call blessed. We see the Lord coming to the rescue of our heavy-laden neighbors and friends. He has come in the quiet of prayer and study, and He has come as we’ve gathered together in each other’s homes, arms filled with food or flowers. The Lord comes. And we haven’t yet been able to cook up a difficulty great enough to stymie Him.

The Psalmist put it this way: “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,’” he wrote, “even the night shall be light around me” (Psalms 139:11). So many of us know how that feels: to experience darkness that we think will swallow us up, only to find the darkness made bright by the love of the Lord around us.

In the midst of a place and time fraught with danger and sorrow, if ever we find ourselves tempted to give ourselves over to despair, let us remember this: the Lord comes. Let us remember, and wait upon Him.

This month begins my official favorite time of the year. I love the change of seasons, the warm colors in nature and everywhere you look, and lest we not forget, comfort food heaven! November being the month that contains the holiday of gratitude. I love that the focus of the Thanksgiving holiday is solely about fostering a grateful heart. I figure if stores can haul out Christmas decorations to sell even before Halloween has come and gone, then I can certainly try to offset the consumerism with a months worth of gratitude. I love that Thanksgiving is not at all about “What did you get?” But more about “What we have!”
I am very blessed by so many things in my life, my membership in the church, my children, sweet and adorable grandchildren, dear friends, work that I do that I absolutely love, and a bounty of comforts. Having just celebrated my 27th year anniversary of marriage, I am reminded of one of my very greatest blessings, my husband! Our marriage is a blessing. We started this union with a lot of obstacles! Many people said to themselves, and to us, that they were convinced we would never make it. Marriage goes through a lot of changes in a lifetime. Struggles and much strife. We have five children and two grandchildren now. Which comes with so much happiness and a fair amount of worry. My husband is my soft place to land. I am his. We pull each other up. We have both learned that we do not have to see eye to eye on everything in this life. He’s very good to me, and one of my most cherished blessings . Alma 34: 38…and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.

Talk to you soon,
Sherri Schatz

Wendy M. Johnson

The holiday season is upon us! It is during this time that traditions are fulfilled and new memories are made. It is a time of family gatherings and sharing of old times. For many, the end of year holidays are a time of serving those in need in many capacities. Often, our family and neighbors share treats of the season. As our hearts turn to Thanksgiving this year, may we make this year more special than in the past.

Perhaps this season, this year, we can take a closer look at the relationships within our own families. Are you struggling with one of your children? Have they pulled away from you? With a heart full of prayer and understanding, taking time out of our daily schedule and dedicating a lunch, part of a day, or a whole day to that one child to just listen can make a difference – and have eternal consequences. For children who are struggling, simply being heard without criticism often helps them to feel the love they need. With that love and understanding, barriers come down and better choices are made.

This season, perhaps we can offer our forgiveness to a family member or neighbor. My husband always tells people, “Remember, we have the gospel, now live it!” Even for great offenses and deep wounds, this season, may we dig a little deeper, tap into the atonement of Jesus Christ, and free ourselves of our feelings of resentment or offense.

Strengthening our family ties strengthens our daily lives. When we set the example of forgiveness in our families, our children learn that it is an essential part of life.

As our hearts soften towards those in need, let us not forget the needs of our own families. One Thanksgiving, a man sent a letter to his mother, who had been absent for much of his life. After a lifetime of such absence, the man finally felt he needed to search the scriptures and attend the temple more often as he worked through forgiving her. He learned that forgiveness is a conscious act that one has to work towards. Finally, his heart was softened and he was able to forgive the mistakes his mother had made. Though his mother remains aloof, the man was able to accept her as she was – and has made an effort for his family to visit her at least once a year. What an example of an unconquerable spirit. This man refused to let bitterness stop him from applying the atonement in his life and forgive his mother. As stated in 1 Nephi 7:21, Nephi said “I did frankly forgive them all that they had done.” This season, may we bring our families closer. May we be more willing to say we are sorry and truly make this a season of Thanksgiving.

Wendy M. Johnson