A heart full of gratitude

I just wanted to come bear my testimony again. I didn't take the opportunity to do so today in Sacrament meeting and I wish I would have. I feel completely blessed in my life. There are so many things that I am grateful for and I just can't remember all of them enough to write down. I will mention a few however.

I am grateful for the Lord in my life. He has guided me and protected me a great deal for my entire life. I have to acknowledge that. I know that his hand has been in all things in my and my little family's life, especially in the last few years. We've experienced a lot of many difficult trials that were really quite hard to deal with. The Lord has always been there when we've needed him most. He continually blesses us each and every day. We've been blessed a great deal since we moved here to Memphis. It was a hard decision to make - to move away from family, to go someplace we've never been, and pretty much, just flying blind. Of course the first thing that happened to us when we arrived was just another trial, but I believe that was Satan just trying to slow us down and sway us from the decision we made to move here. Once we got over that hump the blessings have flowed. My job is the greatest one I have ever had, we have been able to not have to go without as much as we used to, we have a fantastic ward filled with loving members and the Spirit always resides in our home. This last week I received my test scores for the big test that I took a month ago. Again, the Lord blessed me as I worked hard at studying for this test and I was able to pass it. I know that I would not have passed it without the Lord's guidance.

I am grateful for Stephanie. I often tell people about how when Steph and I first met I had a tongue ring in and black fingernail polish on and a shirt with something obscene on it. One look at me was enough to make her turn and run. Within a few days of meeting her I knew that she was the girl I wanted to kneel at an altar in temple with. She really saved me from my own self destruction. I've tried to help he understand that, but I'm not very good at explaining to her what she really did for me by simply coming into my life. Through the trials we've experienced she's always been my rock to lean on. When I feel like giving up she pushes me further than I thought I could go. I try to do the same for her in return as well. Our relationship is wonderful because we are each other's support. We've always been that way and do the best every day to try and build each other up to our celestial potential. Without Steph I would probably still be working at a gas station in Wyoming with no college degree and nothing to show for myself. Because of her I was able to step outside of the boundaries I had set for myself and finally feel like my life could actually matter to someone else. It's so cliche to use the phrase that she 'completed me', but anyone that knew me before Steph came along can completely understand that I was a lost soul without her. I love and dedicate my life to her and her happiness and will continue to do so through this earthly life and the eternities to come.

I am also so very grateful for my children. What a great joy it is to be a father! I have these two wonderful girls that light up my life each and every day. Whether it's Aleece begging to watch "the Indiana Jones with Willie" or Lainey picking up anything that looks like a phone and yelling "HELLO!" into it - there's not a day that goes by where I can't help but thank my Heavenly Father for these precious girls. I love watching them grow and develop. They learn so quickly. Aleece is such a good big sister to little Lainey Bug and I love watching the relationship that they have. In my Sunday School class today that I taught I mentioned how grateful I was for the opportunity to have my own children because it gives me a small insight as to how Heavenly Father feels about me. I also realize how proud I am and how much I love my children when they choose the right. Looking at that I realize how Heavenly Father feels when I choose the right as well.

Again, my heart is filled with a richness of gratitude and I cannot find all the words to express how full my heart is at this moment. It is full enough that I can't contain the tears. I have a perfect life. I have a knowledge and testimony of the gospel, of our Savior, of the prophet Joseph Smith, of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, of the priesthood and countless other things. How I wish I could express the fulness of my heart to every individual. I feel very much like Alma - "Oh that I were an angel"!

I hope that we can all reexamine our lives and really look at the things that matter. Look at what is being invested into the most in our lives. If it's not the right thing, change it. Invest in something that you can take with you from this life into the next. We can only get as much out of anything as what we put into it. For that reason I continue to turn to the Savior, and because of that the blessing continue to flow. There is not a day that goes by in which I literally do not see the hand of the Lord in my life. I love him, honor him and revere him as my Savior, my Redeemer, and my older brother. May we all turn our eyes towards him with hearts full of both gratitude and humility. He is the Light of the world and my Friend. I love him dearly and I humbly share these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.