Gratitude...

Is the key to humility. I've been thinking about humility lately, and I don't really know why. Maybe it was triggered by my Aunt's post about different cultures' views of humility. Somehow I connected the two virtues into one. Here's my train of thought:

We are taught to be humble, but we are not stopped from earning riches and gaining success - as long as it is for the greater good of man. How do we remain humble if we do in fact gain fame, riches and/or glory? Gratitude. True gratitude stops us short. It reminds us why we are, how we are, and who helped us to be so.

Maybe everyone already knows this, but it came as sort of an epiphany to me today. (And I am grateful.)

My Aunt has a tradition of posting something she is grateful for everyday of November. So, I am stealing yet another of her glorious ideas, and though I am a little late, I will post my gratitude this month too. As I said, I am a little behind, so I will make it up (in no particular order):

1. I am grateful to have a job. It is a good job (though stressful) and I am surrounded by people who care about me, and I care about them. I have a good management team, and am motivated by my desire to help my little work-family be successful. It's much better than being motivated by fear or anger. I've never worked for a better team, and though I complain (a lot), I love it (most of the time).
2. I am grateful for my puppies. They are dorks and they drive me crazy, but they always make me smile. They are always surprising me with moments of intelligence, affection, and adorableness. When it seems that all is dark and I cannot go on, they make me laugh, and I survive another day. They are my furry little angels.
3. I am grateful for my sister. We didn't get along very well while we were growing up. I thought she was annoying, and I wasn't very nice to her. But now, I see my sister as my best friend. She is incredibly intelligent and spiritual. She and I share advice back and forth, trying to lift each other up, and laugh at how funny our lives can be sometimes. (Especially hers... She can't even manage to blow her nose without some sort of adventure!) She always knows just when to call or text message me, to bring me cheer or save me from some awful company.
4. I am grateful for my Aunt and Uncle. They are a great example to me of what a marriage should be. I love to watch them interact with their children. My Aunt is especially full of life, love and charity, and I am so grateful to share her name. It tells me that someday, I might be like her, and that is all I have ever wanted from my life. I am grateful that my Uncle is a good husband and father, who honors his priesthood. I wish that I had had the maturity to realize how important it was to have in my home when it was there. I wish I had been more supportive and grateful then. Sadly, I did not learn this lesson until it was too late, and though I no longer have access to the priesthood in my home, I have my Uncle, who is always willing to serve. (#4 I guess is also a statement on my gratitude for the priesthood...)
5. I am grateful for this world. It may be a difficult time for the many peoples and countries, but it is still a beautiful world. I love every cloud, tree, butterfly, and flower. Its endless beauty reminds me that there is a Father in Heaven, for there is no way any of these small miracles could exist without Him.
   

I could go on forever about the things I am grateful for, but there are 25 more days left to express them. (I don't want to run out, though I doubt I could...) There is something to be said for counting your blessings. It always lightens my load and reminds me of all the reasons I have to be happy.