Why I give thanks: Being thankful in any circumstance

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

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Raising nine children would cause anyone to pause in life and count their blessings, but as a busy mother I didn’t always stop to be thankful. I was caught up in the education and organization of my household. It wasn’t until my eternal companion was suddenly taken home on New Year’s Eve of 2006 that a true reflection of thankfulness shined in my soul.

Don’t get me wrong, I was thankful for my children, my home, my extended family, the gospel of Jesus Christ and any other blessing bestowed upon me by a loving Heavenly Father, but without my husband there to help raise our children and contribute to our marriage, the realization of how thankful I could have been intensified tenfold.

My life completely changed as I was left alone with my youngest five children in great anguish. I was left to keep life moving forward for those who felt the hole from the loss of my husband — yet there were many things I was still thankful for and I continued to acknowledge who blessed me in my life.

I was thankful for my own home and that I was able to manage my children’s schedule throughout the day. I was thankful for friends and family who really cared about my welfare. I was thankful for my health and the health of my children.

Challenges seemed manageable when I remembered to be grateful for what I had. No matter how lonely I was, all these blessings added up to a very comforting livelihood.

I figured out that being thankful is like a math problem. The proportion of thankfulness is equal to or greater than the proportion of happiness. Having a grateful heart helps to focus on the positive parts of life instead of the negative ones, which in turn helps to create a better life. We really forget what we have in abundance when we look at our neighbors and feel that we should be blessed in the same way. Most of the rest of the world doesn’t come close to what we have in the comforts of home. Food, shelter, clothing and transportation are in great abundance.

Challenges will always come to us, and when we find ourselves in difficulties, what always sticks out in our faces is what is most important of all: our relationships with others. Family and friends are the icing on the cake in life, and we should remind ourselves to tell them often how grateful we are for them.

While it is easy to get caught up in our busy lives and all that needs to be done, it isn’t enough to be thankful just on Thanksgiving. Keeping a thankful journal has helped me to remember the thankful thoughts coming all year round, as we need to remember the other 364 days of the year and remind ourselves of our attitude of gratitude.

From Thai philosophy, Kak Sri, come wonderful words of encouragement: "Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture." Remembering to be grateful through all circumstances gives us strength all year round.

Valerie Steimle is the mother of nine children living in Alabama and is the author of four books including "Of One Heart: Being Single in the LDS World."