Gratitude

Sometimes, I forget that in spite of all my trials, I still have something to be grateful for.  I actually have many, many things to be grateful for.  So, this morning I have been focusing on all the blessings that I am given.  It fills my heart with joy to open my eyes, look around me, and realize how very blessed I am.  I could make a never ending list of the blessings that God has given me, especially if I started naming them.  So, so matter what is going wrong in my life, there is really a lot of things that are going right. 
It is easy for me to get so lost in focusing on the end of the road, that I forget Heavenly Father wants me to enjoy the journey along the way.  We are supposed to feel joy in this life.  However, to do that, we have to recognize that we have much to be grateful for. 
This season is a wonderful time of year for me.  We have our traditions and family that keep us focused on the real meaning behind the dinner.  I can also look across the table and realize how much I love everyone seated around me, and how much I miss those who are at another table this year.  I feel their love even while I miss their presence. 
The problem with the disease of depression is that I seem to focus more on the loss than on the love.  And so I have to learn to bring my focus back to what matters most of all.  I need to celebrate the joy more and feel the value of every single family member and friend. 
Today, remember that there are those who love you, and need you.  There are those who miss you and who wish you could be with them, both on this side of the veil and on the other.  As I think of all those whom I love, I realize how close they really are.  May your heart swell with gratitude and may you know always that you are loved.