Gratitude

I remember last general conference when it was announced that our upcoming conference would be like no other.  Many had speculated change in doctrine.  I don’t know of anyone who would have guessed that most of us would be in quarantine due to a pandemic. 

My brother, Corey, is an introvert and has been enjoying his time at home – possibly too much if there is such thing.  I think our parents must have taught us to always make the best of a situation and to look for gratitude.  Because we have.

Recently Corey shared what I consider an epistle.  This he shared on facebook, and I am sharing many of his thoughts on this blog post as it mirrors a lot of my own gratitude as we experience this weirdness.

Although we know that not everybody has these things, we are both grateful for electricity, running water, for the ability to communicate electronically and by phone.  We are grateful for the time that we have to focus on unfinished projects, meditation, and the opportunity to feast upon the words of Christ.

We are grateful for concern that others have exhibited toward one another during these difficult time.  And though there are some who may find social media jokes and poking fun at something so serious, we are grateful having the ability to laugh and use this as a defense mechanism.

We are both grateful for the opportunity this has given humanity to recognize that we are all in this together.  I am grateful that as Roland has always worked from home (at least since we’ve been in Oregon) that he is still employed.

Corey also mentioned how grateful he is to be in quarantine with Joh and how blessed they are to have quality time between them as their lives often seem to become complicated and will sometimes pull them in different directions.

I also enjoy being in quarantine with optimistic people.  I know not everybody has someone or else they might have more than they feel they can handle for months at a time.  For example, I know the families next door and across the street already had more people than what their houses were designed to accommodate. That many people in that small of a space can get overwhelming quickly.

There is so much to be grateful for.  Corey used this quote from Maya Angelou:  “Every Storm runs out of rain.” 

May we all endure this in a positive way and remember we haven’t been forgotten; we are all in this together.