Living In Thanksgiving Daily

We all look forward to that time of year when we get to get to be together as families and eat a lot of food. I am talking of course about Thanksgiving. You might find it interesting that I am writing this post quite a bit of time past Thanksgiving. I do have a reason for that though. We all know that people get excited for this wonderful holiday where we sit, eat, and enjoy people's company. I have noticed that in the past I have focused more on the food, relaxation, TV, family, and the break that I got from school (not that I didn't like school, don't get me wrong I love school), Thanksgiving break. We did occasionally say what we were thankful for, but then totally forget about it and go on enjoying the food and entertainment for the rest of the night. However since I have come out on a mission I have pondered about the reason for Thanksgiving.  

I have pondered as I was thinking about what to say for this post and I first thought about the word "Thanksgiving" itself. I noticed that the word thanksgiving is made up of two words which go deeper than the commercialized holiday. The two words that make up thanksgiving are; "thanks" and "giving". We have many things especially for those that live in the United States who have joys and pleasures or rather material things that many other people do not have. For example we have vehicles, phones, electricity, running water, bathrooms, and countless more things. It all comes down to the fact that our Heavenly Father has blessed us immensely, whether or not we think we have much or whether we think we have very little. I have noticed that the more we live in thanksgiving daily the more we realize how many blessings we have been given. The Mormon Message "Thanksgiving Daily" says it perfectly.               

"Our minds have a marvelous capacity to notice the unusual. However the opposite is true as well. The more often we see the things around us, even the beautiful and wonderful things the more they become invisible to us. That's often why we take for granted the beauty of this world; the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds, even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less. Those who live in thanksgiving daily however, have a way of opening their eyes, and seeing the wonders and beauties of this world, as they are seeing them for the first time. Look around you, notice the people you care about. Notice the fragrance of the flowers, and the song of the birds. Noticing, give thanks for the blue of the sky, the red of the leaves,  and the white of the clouds. Every sight, every smell, every taste, every sound. When we open our eyes, and give thanks for the bountiful beauty of this life, we live in thanksgiving daily."

"A grateful hear then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father and to those around us, for all that they bring into our life. This requires conscious effort, at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude." (President Thomas S. Monson)

I find that if we look hard enough we can find that we have way more to be thankful for than what we have been before. I also find that if we create a list of all the things we can be thankful for, the list would stretch into the eternities and beyond. We have so much to be thankful for that we need to live in thanksgiving daily. I will share 100 things that I am thankful for, but I am sure that many people can share ten times that and past that.

What I am thankful for;

1) A Heavenly Father who loves me

2) A Savior who also loves me and who died for me

3) The Atonement

4) Joseph Smith 

5) A living prophet- President Thomas S. Monson

6) Temples

7) The Book of Mormon

8) The Old Testament 

9) The New Testament 

10) The Doctrine and Covenants 

11) The Pearl of Great Price

12) The Priesthood

13) My father, J. Todd Kestner 

14) My mother, Andrea D. Kestner

15) My younger siblings- Hunter M. Kestner

16) My younger siblings- Mason T. Kestner

17) My younger siblings- Aiden C. Kestner

18) My younger siblings- Gavin W. Kestner 

19) My younger siblings- Alaina E. Kestner

20) My younger siblings- Gideon E. Kestner

21) Memories that I have with my whole family

22) The Plan of Salvation, I can be with all of them for eternity 

23) Commandments that keep me safe from dangers
24) My life

25) My body

26) My red hair

27) Miracles

28) Oxygen 

29) Clouds

30) The sun

31) Snow

32) Warmth

33) Food

34) Water 

35) Clothes 

36) Hearing

37) Smelling 

38) Touching

39) Seeing

40) Tasting

41) Mountains 

42) Computers

43) Electricity 

44) iPad mini

45) Cameras 
46) USB Flash Drive

47) Face Time/ Skype

48) The Internet 

49) Cars

50) Planes

51) Trains

52) Church Music (Hymns)

53) The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

54) 80's rock

55) Christmas music

56) New Years Eve

57) Valentines Day

58) St. Patricks Day

59) Mother's Day

60) Father's Day

61) Halloween 

62) Thanksgiving 

63) Christmas

64) Spring

65) Summer

66) Fall 

67) Winter

68) My birthday

69) Homes

70) Heating in the house

71) AC

72) Blankets

73) Pillows

74) Bed

75) Paper

76) Pencils 

77) Pens

78) Ability to draw

79) Typing

80) Writing 

81) Stories 

82) History

83) Math

84) Reading

85) Ability to swim

86) Ability to dance

87) Ability to sing

88) Ability to act

89) Ability to memorize

90) Genealogy 

91) Family History 

92) The chance that I have to blog

93) The opportunity that I have to be on a mission

94) Floss

95) Toothpaste

96) Toothbrush 

97) Shampoo

98) lds.org

99) Planet Earth

100) Word of Wisdom

So it leaves the question about what are YOU thankful for?

"Let us give thanks for what we are and for the circumstances God has given us for our personal journey through mortality. When we understand that God offers us opportunities for blessings and blesses through our own adversities and the adversities of others, we can understand why he has commanded us again and again to thank the Lord thy God in all things." (Elder Dallin H. Oaks)