Find Joy in the Journey... How?

Tuesday was our enrichment night for our ward. It was a really nice program with Christmas songs and stories. I fought back the tears all night trying not to show how vulnerable I am right now. Our Relief Society President gave the final comment and she talked about President Monson's conference talk on how we need to find Joy in the Journey. While she talked, I looked around the room at all of the sisters in our ward. Some of the women I know are struggling with some pretty tough situations and then I could just tell by looking at some of the other ladies' faces that things are not okay. I realized then that just about everyone is going through something right now. I must admit that when I left that night, my attitude was "how in the world are we supposed to find Joy in life when there is so much suffering going on in this world." All day on Wednesday I struggled to understand all of the feelings that I was having. So I finally got out the Ensign and read the talk for myself. What a sweet knowledgeable prophet we have. My heart softened as I read his words and the quote that stood out the most for me was:

Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.

Said one well-known author: “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend . . . when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”

I now realize how truly blessed I am right now in my life to live where I live and to have been raised in the church by great parents who love me. I know how lucky I am to be sealed to a man whom I love and who could not be more perfect for me; and finally to have been blessed with four healthy happy children who bring so much light into my life. Sure there is great sadness in this world we must live in but there is also a tremendous amount of happiness. It all depends on how you look at it. So my new goal is to look for the good in everything. I know this may be a challenge, especially for me but it is one that I feel is important to well being of my family. I want to be more positive and happy and no one can do that for me. It is up to me to Find Joy in the Journey.