I can honestly say that I am so grateful for everything that has happened to me over the past couple years. There have been a lot of people who have come into my life and really helped me turn things around.
Every person has played some role in refining my character, by their example or by what they've told me. I think it's pretty fair to say that a lot of what I am today is a result of the people that I have had the chance to spend time with.
That as well, there have been a ton of experiences and opportunities that have helped me become better. Sometimes those experiences or opportunities came in the form of trials or mistakes, but they all came, and they all helped me become the person I am now.
In all of this, however, I have been blessed to have the guiding light of the gospel in my life. I know I haven't always gotten things right, and I have some pretty shaky weaknesses, but I am so grateful to know why I'm here, what I can become, and that there is purpose to everything that we experience. That knowledge has gotten me through more challenges that I would care to admit.
Above all, I'm grateful that Heavenly Father loves us, and sees beyond what we see in ourselves. We see an average person, and He sees potential to become like Him. We see a fisherman, and He saw a chief apostle. We see a sinner, and he sees a powerful messenger of truth. In my case, I saw an average kid with not that much going for him, and He saw a missionary, a leader in His church, a teacher, a student body officer, and a student body president of a university. How grateful I am for the "me" he has helped me to see, and how grateful I am that He sees who we really are and not who we think we are.
Indeed, I am also grateful that a vehicle for change has been given us, that we can erase past mistakes and setbacks, because Heavenly Father's Son, Our Savior, took upon Himself the brunt of what we do to ourselves when we choose disobey what our Father has asked of us. When we accrue spiritual debt, He can step in and pay the price of sin. Even more so, His atonement can help us not only remove spiritual weeds from our "heart gardens," or the land in our souls given to cultivate who we will become, but also plant the seeds of divine character and Christlike attributes.
Simply put -
I'm thankful for my family.
I'm thankful for my friends.
I'm thankful for the people who I've met.
I'm thankful for the experiences and opportunities I've had.
I'm thankful for the gospel and a loving Heavenly Father, who sees beyond who we see in ourselves.
I'm thankful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and our opportunities to change.
It's impossible for me to say that I don't live a blessed life. So, this and everyday, I give thanks for what I have been given.
Happy Thanksgiving, I hope everyday is a day of thanks!
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