Giving thanks...

Gratitude requires awareness and effort,

not only to feel it but to express it.

--Bonnie D. Parkin

I went to a Relief Society meeting tonight. The focus was getting ready for Thanksgiving. They taught how to properly set a formal table, fold napkins, make pie crust, and debone a turkey (before cooking). Whomever was in charge went out of her way to make the whole room beautiful. The refreshment table was as pretty as if it had been a wedding. Simpler, but as pretty.

I am grateful for pretty things in everyday life. This is a little something I learned from my mom. Mom always tries to make things pretty--whether she's baking bread, setting a table, or organizing her files, she likes to make things pretty. So do I. It's a simple thing, perhaps not essential to survival, but in my mind, it makes life a little more liveable. A pretty home is an inviting home, one where people feel welcome. Also, making things beautiful is an easy way to show creativity and use the artist inside. I've always tried to make things beautiful--whether I'm folding the laundry or loading a dishwasher. It makes every chore more pleasant and the end result makes me happy. In fact, when I do housework with the mindset of making it as pretty as I can, I am more likely to feel like I am doing a real, Christian service for my family and it brings me closer to God. I'm grateful my mom taught me this.