O Remember, Remember

Adam and I have to speak in church on Sunday, and our topic is the story of the 10 lepers. So, I'm focusing on the obvious topic--gratitude. In preparation for the talk, I've been doing lots of reading and stuff, and one General Conference talk that I've been looking at is President Eyring's talk, "O Remember, Remember." Here's an excerpt:

“I came home late from a Church assignment. It was after dark. My father-in-law, who lived near us, surprised me as I walked toward the front door of my house. He was carrying a load of pipes over his shoulder, walking very fast and dressed in his work clothes. I knew that he had been building a system to pump water from a stream below us up to our property.

He smiled, spoke softly, and then rushed past me into the darkness to go on with his work. I took a few steps toward the house, thinking of what he was doing for us, and just as I got to the door, I heard in my mind—not in my own voice—these words: ‘I’m not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down.’

I went inside. I didn’t go to bed. Although I was tired, I took out some paper and began to write. And as I did, I understood the message I had heard in my mind. I was supposed to record for my children to read, someday in the future, how I had seen the hand of God blessing our family. Grandpa didn’t have to do what he was doing for us. He could have had someone else do it or not have done it at all. But he was serving us, his family, in the way covenant disciples of Jesus Christ always do. I knew that was true. And so I wrote it down, so that my children could have the memory someday when they would need it.

I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: ‘Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?’ As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.

More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers […]

My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. You may not keep a journal. You may not share whatever record you keep with those you love and serve. But you and they will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done.”


So, I've been trying to pay attention to the blessings in my life, the little ways (as well as the big ways) that the Lord shows me that He loves me and is an ever-present friend. Recently as part of my prayers, I've been asking for help in paying back my student loans. My payments are manageable; Adam and I are certainly financially stable. Still, I'd really like to be able to pay them off sooner rather than later and only have to worry about our house payment. Well, the other day, my boss emailed a few of us to say she needed someone to work an extra shift, and my initial reaction was, "Oh, maybe if no one else can take it, I'll tell her I can." (I don't have conflicting plans, but Adam has the day off, too, and I always like to spend time with him.) After a little while,though, it hit me that I've been praying for ways to pay off my debt--and here the Lord was offering me an opportunity and I didn't even recognize it! I did email my boss to say I could do it, and then she also told me she needed me for ANOTHER extra shift--so, even more money. Yay! By then, since I did recognize it as the blessing and opportunity that it was, accepted it, and did remember to offer a prayer of gratitude. After I'd taken the time to express gratitude and was reflecting on how the Lord was providing for me, then it also occurred to me that three or four times this summer, Adam has come home with zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, and/or corn from his boss--yet another way the Lord is answering my prayer because that means I can have a smaller grocery bill. And Adam's parents keep us stocked with eggs and onions and whatever produce they can get from their garden.
So, I was able to see for myself how, as President Eyring said, as we start looking, then the Lord will help us recognize the blessings that we overlooked before. I have been grateful each time we've received food from Randy (Adam's boss) or my in-laws, but somehow, I never connected it to being an answer to my prayers. (DUH, Adrienne!) So, I'm grateful for the Lord's patience and His willingness to help open my eyes to the blessings around me, and I'm grateful that He does hear and answer prayers.