Happiness is a Thankful Heart

When I was in Young Women, probably when I was about 14 years old, one of my leaders taught a lesson about gratitude and gave us all a small wooden heart that had the words "happiness is a thankful heart" painted on it. 

To be honest, I have to confess that I don't think I paid very much attention to that lesson... at least, not as much as I should have. I kept that little heart, though, and put it next to my mirror along with numerous other handouts my wonderful leaders made for us. :) Even if not much sunk into my hard head during the actual lesson, I looked at that heart every day and as I grew up a little bit I started to really understand what those words mean, and especially what they mean to me. 

To me, what the words on that heart mean is that the key to happiness is to be thankful, to be positive, to avoid looking for reasons to be unsatisfied, and to express gratitude to family, friends, and  our loving Heavenly Father. These are the things that will bring us the most joy. 

Doesn't it make such a difference to be thankful for everything you have, and not focus on things you don't have? Doesn't it change everything when you stop comparing your life to others, and remember how blessed you are? I know it does for me! 

And the most important part? Don't forget to be thankful always... not just around Thanksgiving. :)

On that note, have a wonderful Turkey Day! :) 

(P.S. One of the wonderful things about being married is having multiple Thanksgivings to enjoy... just sayin'. Hopefully it won't fatten me up too much. :P)

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“A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness. It is an expression of humility. It is a foundation for the development of such virtues as prayer, faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love, and well-being. But there is a truism associated with all types of human strength: Use it or lose it. When not used, muscles weaken, skills deteriorate, and faith disappears. President Thomas S. Monson stated: Think to thank." 

-President James E. Faust

Mr. Happy Man

I stumbled upon this video today. It made me happy so I had to share. :)


Mr. Happy Man from Matt Morris Films on Vimeo.

Isn't it easy to get caught up in our own lives and forget to love and serve the people around us? I'm not saying you need to go blow kisses on a street corner, but go show someone you care. 

This reminded me of the words to one of my favorite hymns, "Have I Done Any Good". 

Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyone’s burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?

[Chorus]
Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.

There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.
’Tis noble of man to work and to give;
Love’s labor has merit alone.
Only he who does something helps others to live.
To God each good work will be known.

Thankful

Today is one of those days when I really just can't believe how lucky blessed I am. Life really is so good. and I could not ask for more. Here are just a few things I am feeling thankful for today:

• My seminary class. They are awesome and I love teaching them every day. 
• My family, both the in-laws and the out-laws ;) Really though, I have the best family and I get to see some of them tomorrow! Yippee!
• My husband. I'm just going to leave it at that to avoid getting too sappy on here.
• Just kidding... I changed my mind. ;) That husband of mine is seriously the sweetest, cutest, funniest, most selfless person and he makes me so happy I can hardly stand it. I love him. :)
• My faith. Oh, I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and everything that encompasses... the scriptures, prayer, the Atonement, the gift of the Holy Ghost, everything. It's all true and I am so grateful to know who I am and who I can will become. 

And on a lighter note...

• Delicious leftovers
• Chocolate milk
• Fall
• Scarves and sweaters (I think I've worn this combination just about every day for a week)
• Netflix
• Facetime
• Apple cider scented candles (my house smells so good)
• Pinterest (I have so many projects I can't wait to start when I finally have time... which will probably be soon, as in the beginning of November! More on that later...)
• Mail, especially from missionaries! I just had another friend enter the MTC and I can't wait to write her :)
• General Conference (I've been trying to listen to a talk every day and I love it)
• This blog, because it motivates me to write a little more often. I used to be so good at writing in my journal...
• Etc, etc, etc... I'd write more if I didn't have to go to work. :/

"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."

-President Thomas S. Monson

October (...Really?)

I really can't believe it is already October. The past few months have been flying by so quickly, probably since life in our neck of the woods has been pretty busy lately. Hence the lack of blog posts. (Like anyone really cares, but hey... leave my ego alone and let me pretend people actually read this :P)

Things are pretty crazy, but life is so good and I feel so blessed. The past few months have been full of lots of challenges -- the main ones being some health problems and juggling a very stressful job and my calling as a seminary teacher -- but I'm grateful to know how to handle them (thanks to the gospel and a good family) and for the opportunity it gives me to improve myself, gain some much-needed patience, and remember that I can't do everything on my own.

The good definitely outweighs that bad though, so let's talk about that instead. :) Seminary is going pretty well! Hopefully my students love coming to class as much as I love teaching it! They are such good kids and I'm really happy to get to teach them. I love that this calling requires so much preparation time since it kind of forces me to study and learn from the scriptures on a whole new, deeper level, and studying with the teaching mindset really helps me see things I might have missed otherwise. We're studying the New Testament this year and I've really, really enjoyed learning so much about my Savior and his life and example. The more I learn about him, the more I love him and appreciate what he did for me. Ah, the gospel is so true! I just love it.

I'm still working full-time at the same job... yup. On the bright side, I have a job. And I am not flipping burgers. Also, I know a lot more about cell phones than I ever thought I would, and just might be turning into a bit of a tech nerd. I'm fighting it though. Fighting hard. ;) It's pretty stressful, especially when I get chewed out all the time by customers who think I am the sole cause of their problems and also have the power to fix them, but oh well... I guess that's how it goes. Sometimes when they are yelling at me I just imagine that I am on a hammock hanging between two palm trees on a beach in Hawaii sipping on pineapple juice with that cute husband of mine. Of course, the nasty customer in question is the one serving me said pineapple juice and anything else my heart desires. Oh and is also giving me a foot massage while they're at it. You know why? Because my feet are extremely ticklish and I have the uncontrollable tendency to kick -- and kick HARD -- whenever someone just brushes my toes. I think you can see where I am going with this. ;)

Work and seminary are definitely the two main things going on in my life now. Y'know, besides being awesome with this guy.

Mystery Canyon

Mesa Temple

I know, I know... pretty much every single post ends with something sappy about that handsome husband of mine. I'll try not to be too nauseating, but seriously... he is awesome and it just keeps on getting better every day. I am really, really lucky blessed. :)

Totally unrelated, but this is awesome (Just like everything these guys do... I'm a big fan) so you should watch it. That's all.

He's a keeper

(Written Friday night)

Today was a particularly rough day at work.

I got cussed out a couple times by upset customers, even though none of their problems were my fault. I was on the phone with customer service for 2 straight hours, and that was just one of the many calls I made today. (I kind of hate customer service... Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.) I was so busy doing customer service stuff that I hardly sold anything, and since I earn most of my pay through commission that means I made hardly any money today. That's just the beginning too... lots of other things happened that I honestly don't even want to talk about. It was pretty bad.

Just after helping a particularly difficult customer, I noticed I had a message on my phone. It was the sweetest, sincerest little love note from my husband. He just wanted to let me know that he cares about me and that I mean so much to him. Yep, you are reading the blog of the luckiest girl in the world. :)

I'm so thankful for a husband that really, truly loves me and wants what is best for me. I'm thankful that he takes such good care of me and always puts our marriage first. I'm thankful that he is patient with me. I'm thankful that he is loyal. I'm thankful he is mine. 

I'm especially thankful that he is temple worthy so we could be married in the temple for time and all eternity. Really, I can't think of anything better than being with my best friend for ever and ever and ever and ever. 

Thanks to him, even the particularly rough days aren't so bad after all. :)

D-backs game

Mesa Temple

On set of the latest Weeber and Judd video. :) Ain't he handsome? 

Anyway, I think C.S. Lewis says what I'm trying to say the best:

"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever 

solid and durable happiness there is in our lives."

-C. S. Lewis

Busy

I've been using the word "busy" to describe my life probably for the last 10 years. It's kind of funny how every stage of life brings a whole new meaning to being "busy". The past couple months have been particularly chaotic, and it is funny to think that in the future I'm probably going to look back and laugh to think I thought I was busy now when it's just the two of us.

So what has been keeping me busy? Well, I started a new job a little over a month ago, and have been working a bit more than I was expecting. I guess that is a good thing though. I'm just really thankful that I don't have to work Sundays.

When I'm not working, I am preparing lessons since I was recently called to be... a seminary teacher! I was definitely surprised, but I feel so lucky blessed and humbled to get to teach (and by taught by) my awesome students. It's a lot of responsibility, sometimes it can be stressful, and when I often don't get home from work until 7:30pm, it's not easy to get lesson planning in. It's so worth it though and I am so thankful for this opportunity. I couldn't ask for a better calling. I am really going to miss my primary class though. :(

My job and my calling are the two main things that take up my time, but of course there are a thousand other things that keep me busy when I'm not working or preparing a lesson. But you know what? I like it. It's much better than before when I just stayed home and vegged out all day while Dallin was at work. I cooked and cleaned a lot more then... but it is nice to have places to be and things to do, even if I get overwhelmed sometimes.

Sunday Thoughts

The past week has been pretty rough for me. On Tuesday I had a root canal (blah). I wish that were the only reason why my week wasn't very good, but that root canal lead to a really, really nasty infection which made one side of my face blow up like a balloon. Long story short, my dentist put me on some antibiotics pretty early on that should have nipped it in the bud, but for some reason I built up a resistance to them and ended up having to get emergency oral surgery yesterday to drain the infection so I could heal. 

Although I did experience a lot of pain and discomfort, I think what made this week so awful was how anxious, worried, and afraid I was. I already loathe going to the dentist, so you can imagine how I felt about needed to see an oral surgeon. Right before we left, Dallin gave me a priesthood blessing -- a blessing of comfort. One of the phrases that I remember most from that blessing was, "You have no need to fear." 

There is nothing that I needed to hear more than that. It is so easy for me to fear what is to come, and I'm not just referring to dental/medical procedures. I tend to worry about or be afraid of so much, but that is the opposite of faith. As long as I am living faithfully and doing my best to make righteous decisions that will help me to become to person I want to be one day, I have no reason to fear. 

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop

to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Before I wrap this up, I also want to express how thankful I am for the power of the priesthood, and how grateful I am to be sealed to a worthy priesthood holder. There really aren't words to do my feelings about this justice. I can't imagine not having the priesthood in my home. I can't imagine not knowing that I can ask my sweet husband for a blessing any time I need one. I received a few blessings this week, including a blessing of healing that my father-in-law participated in, and I know that my week would have been very different without receiving those blessings. The priesthood power is real, I know it is, and I will always be thankful that I didn't settle for anything less that a worthy priesthood holder when I chose my husband.

And since I know you all are just dying to know, I am doing much better today. It only hurts if I press on my cheek, and as you can see in the above picture the swelling has gone down a lot. Below is a "before" picture for comparison. 

Can you tell how happy I was? ;)

Happy Sunday!

-Mikaela