Deliberately Grateful

Kayli with Grandpa C.
Kayli is very grateful for grandparents!

 For every month of the year that I have Home and Hospitality as my goal, I chose a word to contemplate.  This months word is "deliberate" -- as in deliberately grateful, not deliberating what to be grateful over!  

When I was growing up, we had a blessing on the food every time we ate.  I think this is a good idea.  Unfortunately, I know that I at least, got really good at rolling the same prayer out before every meal and then complaining that I didn't like the food that had been prepared and I wanted a peanut butter sandwich instead.  Or maybe I said the prayer in a hurry, and hardly tasted the food as I swallowed quickly and got on to the next thing.  It is so easy to get so used to something that you don't really pay attention to it anymore!

I still get caught in this trap at meal times.  Do I stop to realize how many people in the world don't have 3 meals a day -- let alone snack time?  Do I think about what it took to grow the food, or get it to the store, or prepare it? Do I take each bite with gratitude for the plenty that is around me?  Do I savor the food, or eat it without thought?  Do I say I am grateful without taking the time to actually BE grateful?  I am often guilty of all of these things.

There are a lot of things we can be deliberate about, but I don't know if any of them will help us feel joy as much as being deliberately grateful.  Through many, many experiences in the last years, I have found that being grateful was the solution to my sadness or worry.  It changes my perspective, and my focus. It allows me to want to share, to have energy for giving, and to notice good things even during hard times.  It is my plan to be deliberately grateful!

It is super easy to be grateful for Brigham!!!!