2016 - Gratitude

One of my intentions for 2016 is gratitude. I want to see more beauty in things even if the situation isn’t so great and things perhaps suck.

I listen to a lot of Mormon podcasts with A Thoughtful Faith, Mormon Stories and Mormon Matters. It strikes me in these podcasts that some people found out about certain aspects of the church later in their lives, i.e. Joseph Smith's polygamy, polygamy, blacks and the priesthood, certain aspects of Joseph Smith's character, even other general authorities, multiple renditions of the first vision and the roles of women etc.

I mean this as no criticism of these people and I here the struggle they go through when they find out aspects of our church history and doctrine otherwise unknown to them.

 My long-winded point here is that I am lucky to have been brought up in a home where many of these things were common knowledge. I was born into a house where dialogue and sunstone magazines were very present; I was informed of Joseph Smith's polygamy at a young age. I have noticed the treatment of women from a young age through my feminist mother. I was lucky to be taught by my mother in Young Women’s who highlighted that my worth was beyond being a wife and mother. There are shelves and shelves in my parents house dedicated to church books, history, polygamy, faith I could go on. 

I grew up in a home where education and questions were encouraged.

Some people say to me that I’m very negative about the church and I want to eradicate that from my mind and life and here I wish to state the things I am grateful for about the church.

1. I am grateful for the friends it has given me over the years. During my time in Dunedin and Hawaii I made some amazing friends, whom I greatly miss and if it wasn’t for the church I may not of meet them.
2. I am grateful for the sense of spirituality the church has given me so that I am able to see it elsewhere.
3.   I am grateful for the theology taught to me about Christ, God and The Holy Ghost.
4.   I am grateful for the musical knowledge that church has given me.
5.   I am grateful for the scriptural knowledge the church has given me
6.    I am grateful for the communities of people that the church gives me who know and understand how hard things are for me at times.
7.  I am grateful for the YSA program and the people I have been able to meet through it.
8. I am grateful for the churches teachings on the importance of family.
9.  I am grateful for the support the church has given me over the years, especially as a student when things can be tough.
10. I am grateful that the church has taught me the importance of who I am and how valuable I am.

The church, although it may make me feel sad and disappointed at times has given me so much it has taught me how to love, how to serve, how to care, how to listen to the spirit.  I love what the church has given me, I love that there are people of all kinds in this organization and I love that I can find people like me in it but also people not like me, because without the church I probably would not know the many people that I do.

I hope that these positive things can be emphasized in the organization and I hope and look forward to a brighter future whether  I am in or out. I am still a Mormon and this will (I believe) always be my church and my community.