Gratitude

She has changed us and that is good.

 

How I love having teenagers in the house!  Haha.  That's sarcasm.  Ok, not really, but still, it's a real challenge at times.

I really love that 15-16 year old period.  They know everything, but nothing goes right! Haha.  

 "I'm not young enough to know everything!"

--Oscar Wilde

So, as I spend the last couple of weeks trying not to explode as I watch my teenagers, over and over, doing the exact opposite of what we've discussed dozens of times before, I keep taking deep breaths, counting to ten, failing, and then trying again.  

Holy cow!  I don't get it!  Haha.  How do they think this works!?!?  They keep failing to be as successful as they think they will be, yet it can't be their fault!  It can't be anything they've done, or not done!   And, of course, I can't possibly know what would work!  Haha.  I don't get it!

I'm sure that my parents would disagree, but I know I wasn't like this!

"When I was 14 years old, my father was the dumbest man I knew.  It was amazing how smart he became by the time I was 21."

--Mark Twain

Now let me be fair: I have great kids!  But that doesn't mean that they aren't very typical as well.  

I have really struggled last week to walk the line between enough "coercion"  to get them to do it correctly and too much that breaks them.  I hate it.  They hate it.  No one wins.  Everyone loses.  Everyone resents the others.  It's horrible.

With a stroke of inspiration, which reminded me of the words I'd heard from my wife for years now, I decided that we would count our blessings!  Each night as we start our scripture study, we say a prayer and then each person has to list off things they are grateful for, thankful for, or blessings they have received.  They must list one item for each member of the family, from that day, in front of the whole family.  After we go around the table, we read our scriptures.

The first night was brutal!  I have to exert a lot of "coercion."  The second night was hardly better.  But within only a few days, I have started to see tremendous changes.  The kids are kinder to each other, more playful, less defensive, more willing to listen to us, and I can see that they are trying to see what we're telling them.  They haven't got much better at delivery yet, but their attitude has improved greatly.  

And it's all because of Amy.  I had been taught all my life to count my blessings, to write them in a journal or diary, keep a book of blessings, think about them more often.  But I never really did.  Don't get me wrong, I recognize my Heavenly Father's hand in all of my life.  I'm here today, only because He has kept me here in spite of myself.  I should have died more than once in my miserable life, but He wouldn't allow it.  At least, not yet.  And today I'm so very grateful that He did just that.

But Amy doesn't do these things half way.  As I've said before, she throws everything she has everything she does.  She has kept a gratitude journal for years.  It has helped her through some of the darkest days of her life.  She knows it's power and value.  She knows how it can help people.  So, she gives them away at birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc, etc. (Her gratitude journal, a.k.a. her blog, "Gratitude" is now available to everyone).  All the while, I agree that it would be good, but I don't really do anything.

But this time, when I follow her example, I find that not only is she right, but she's more right than she knows!  This has worked out great.  I'm sure there are still days ahead that won't be so perfect, but that's ok, because I now know that we're operating high above the level we would be at if we weren't doing this!  

Please, everyone, follow the great example of my wonderful, beautiful wife and write a Gratitude Journal.  Count your blessings.  Keep a Blessings Book or a Blessing Log.  Just do it.  And you'll be surprised just how much Amy will have changed your life as well!

I Always Love My Wife.