Perfection and Gratitude

 Today, as I put on my shoes, I paused next to the picture frame that holds our family pictures. 

 I've been working on family pictures because it's time to change them out from last year.  I looked at Jason's little face that still had all his baby teeth.  I looked at Nathan's smile and thought of how much it has changed in just one year.  I looked at Allie and Jake to find what changes they'd made this year.  Then I looked at Sam. I stood there and gazed at his picture for a long time.  

I haven't ever changed out that picture.  It's perfect.  He's got his eyes open and he is beautiful.  There's nothing I would change about that picture if I could.

I found myself saying out loud..."what a perfect baby!"  

It got me thinking of perfection.  Sam's cute little body was so perfect!  His little fingers and toes...the skiff of white blonde hair that rimmed his face.

Heavenly Father made him perfect.  He was perfect, but his little body could not remain in this world without major medical intervention and even then, it was just not the plan for him and his perfect little body.  

It got me thinking about how all of us are perfectly imperfect.  God made us who we are, and we have imperfections, but in His eyes, we are all perfect.  We have the ability to become perfect and He knows us better than anyone knows us and loves us in our imperfect state because He knows that through Jesus Christ we can become perfect.  

President Nelson asked us to find ways to have more gratitude in our lives.  He asked us to flood the internet with grateful messages to combat the hate and discouragement that is prevalent in our world right now.  I haven't posted anything yet, but I have been thinking about gratitude and all the things that I am grateful for.  Of course, I am grateful for my family.  That comes so easy.  I was born into an awesome family.  It was my mom and dad's anniversary the other day.  I'm so grateful that they found each other, got married, and made the many sacrifices that it took to raise our family.  All good things in my life have come from family.  

Marrying Mike was the best thing I ever did.  Together, we have made a wonderful family.  All of that is easy to be grateful for.  Each one of my kids are so easy to be grateful for.  They make me smile every day.  Some of them make me crazy every day too and that isn't easy to be grateful for, but it does make it easier to be grateful when they aren't making me crazy.  :)  

We live in a beautiful world.  So easy to be grateful for.   

All these things are so easy to be grateful for.  So, I thought about what I can do to magnify President Nelson's recent request.  It is easy for me to be grateful in my life, but I haven't been as sincere as I should be in thanking God for all the things that I am grateful for.  So that's what I'll work on.  I'll work on showing my gratitude for this perfectly imperfect life that I live.  I'll work on praying more fervently with gratitude in my heart.  I will work on perfecting my gratitude.  

I'll have more prayers of gratitude because I have so much to be grateful for.  The top of the list is gratitude for my brother, Jesus Christ, who makes it possible for me to strive toward perfection.