Attitude of Gratitude

I love this time of year, as the crispness of autumn slides into the chilly winter and as the warmth of gratitude from Thanksgiving leads us straight to Christmas. Whereas we are tempted by materialism and selfishness as December approaches, I feel that Thanksgiving itself is largely protected from that.

This morning on my way to work I found my normal route blocked by police officers and road closure signs, so I turned around and tried another route only to find that blocked as well. A drive that takes me a little more than 10 minutes every morning turned into a half hour as I tried various approaches to get to work. Upon arriving I was told the story. A horrific crash occurred this morning around 3 a.m. resulting in 2 fatalities and closing the intersection in all directions, most likely caused by drunk driving. Two families changed forever the day before Thanksgiving.

Life is fragile and precious.

Moments like that remind us of what truly matter most. Not the number of Facebook friends or Twitter followers, not your income or car, and not your clothes or shoes. I may not be with my family this holiday, but I will be with some beloved friends. I may not have many material possessions, but I do have a wonderful job and a continuous education. I've kept a "wall of gratitude" at work this month. Every morning I would come in and pin three blessings to the wall next to my desk. From the big blessings of my family, the temple, and the Atonement all the way to the privilege of voting, feeling pretty, and crisp autumn mornings.

President Monson is always one to be full of gratitude. I love this quote from a 2010 General Conference talk- "We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Someone has said that “gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others."

And as we choose to be grateful this season I know we will more instinctively know how give that which is most important as Christmas approaches.