Last week there was a student in our classroom who came in that morning to find that her teacher wasn't there that day. She had brought him some chili from home and was disappointed that he wouldn't be there to try it. Her reaction was to choose the desk with all the papers on it that would be used for the class that hour and throw it over sideways, sending the papers flying. She had several more outbursts during the day, consisting mostly of storming out of the classroom or kicking her backpack down the hallway. During 6th hour I was in the same class as her and noticed she was sitting against the wall in the corner. I went and sat down and just let her talk. She said she wasn't upset because of anything that we had or hadn't done, but that she was just having a bad day and just needed time to have her bad day so she could move on.
story.of.my.life.
When she described it that way, I was able to actually understood where she was coming from. She had come to school so excited about bringing this gift to her teacher that when it didn't happen, it impeded upon how she had hoped her day would unfold, no matter how trivial it may have seemed to everyone else.
storyofmylife.again.
Today's sacrament meeting talks were on Gratitude. We've been commanded to be grateful for everything, so wouldn't that also include trials and hardships? It reminded me of the ward conference talks that were given 2 weeks earlier, also on gratitude, but specifically on being grateful for the challenges that we face in our lives.
First, Luke and I have been sealed for eternity, which in doing so, includes a wonderful covenant that he and I have made with God. I can't imagine this being something that satan, who is very real, would look upon positively, so wouldn't he do everything in his power to cause us to fail at the covenant, to fail at the marriage? This has brought about some interesting challenges, though they have all been very minor and easily resolvable. I am grateful for Luke's perspective that is so unified with mine, that a marriage, that love, takes a LOT of work and constancy. If we are both facing each day with that intent, to succeed each day, then how can we fail? Sorry satan, you lose.
Finances are always a challenge in marriage, but hey guess what. Money is just money. It can't buy us happiness in this life and we can't take it with us in the next, so what's the big fuss about?
The temple has helped me so much to see the minor challenges in my life just as they are: minor. Eternally, what difference does $100 make or a disagreement about the evening's plans? None. At all.
Still, there are times when I just need to have a bad day, just like the student I spoke with last week. I need to be sad. I need a good cry, so I can jump back on to the horse and move forward. That's why basketball players, even the best ones, have to go to the bench every once in a while. If they didn't, their whole game would suffer. So, I need to have a bad day every once in a while. If I didn't, I wouldn't be so good at recognizing the good ones. It's almost like a cleansing -- a chance to start fresh.
Anyway, relating to this topic, my weekend has been a challenge. Nothing in specific has caused me heartache or pain, but it was challenging for me. I am grateful for that because it has helped me to see the positive in my life (there's a lot there) and to recognize the countless blessings that I am allowed to enjoy each day.
It seems so appropriate that Thanksgiving is the holiday that precedes Christmas. I can't think of too many things that fill me with more gratitude than the birth and life of Jesus Christ. I challenge my readers (those who are willing) to focus on the blessings in your lives by writing down 1 blessing in your life. Don't stop doing it on the day after Thanksgiving, but until the new year. A new year is another form of renewal and what better way can we start anew than with a list of over 50 blessings that we have taken the time to recognize in our lives? I hope you'll share them with me.
1. I have been blessed with being sealed to my best friend Luke, together as a family for all time and eternal.
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