Day 235, August 21

I've written before about fasting, as a way of coming closer to the Lord, of showing Him our commitment.  But did you know that there are physical benefits to fasting as well?

Today fasting is receiving interest as a practice that can yield health benefits.  Periodic fasting, where one skips one or two meals on certain days of the week, is a way to both cut calories and cleanse the body of toxins.

It is not at all amazing to me that the Lord's commandment (to fast) has not only spiritual benefits but physical ones also.  Would He ever tell us to do something that is harmful to us?  Of course not.

So, for today, I am grateful for the law of the fast.

Day 234, August 20

Those who know me well know that I am a doting (some might say dotty) grandmother.  Recently I had extra reason to be proud of 13-year-old Reynna.

Reynna has taken karate lessons for several years and has moved to the highest level, so much so that the only class available to her was the most advanced one.  She learned when the class was going to be taught and was just about to sign up for it when she learned her church activity night would be held the same night as the karate class. 

Reynna realized she had to make a choice.  "I have to go to Young Women (our church's organization for girls 12-18)," she told her mother (Alanna, our daughter).  "What I learn there is much more important than anything I can learn in karate."

I realized what a sacrifice this was when Alanna later told me that Reynna probably wouldn't be able to take the advanced karate class at a later date because she would be too old for it.

So, for today, I am grateful for Reynna.

Day 233, August 19

President Uchtdort concludes with these wonderful words:  "Sisters, there is something inspiring and sublime about the little forget-me-not flower. I hope it will be a symbol of the little things that make your lives joyful and sweet. Please never forget that you must be patient and compassionate with yourselves, that some sacrifices are better than others, that you need not wait for a golden ticket to be happy.

"Please never forget that the 'why' of the gospel of Jesus Christ will inspire and uplifit you. And never forget that your Heavenly Father knows, loves, and cherishes you."

So, for today, I am grateful for the wise and compassionate words of a man of God.

Day 232, August 18

Finally, we come to the fifth petal of the forget-me-not metaphor:  "Forget not that the Lord loves you."

Could anything be of more importance than this startling but simple statement?  The Lord loves you.  The Lord loves me.  The Lord loves all of us. 

President Uchtdort puts it eloquently:  "Just think of it.  You are known and remembered by the most magjestic, powerful and glorious Being in the universe!  You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time!"

So, for today, I am grateful for the knowledge that the Lord loves me, that He loves all of us.

Day 231, August 17

"Fourth, forget not the why of the gospel."

It is easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of the gospel--attending meetings, preparing for teaching callings, attending service projects.    I am sometimes too easily distracted from those things of eternal importance to focus on those more seemingly more urgent but far less important things. 

"Let us not walk the path of dicipleship with our eyes on the ground, thinking only of the tasks and obligations before us.  Let us not walk unaware of the beauty of the glorious earthly and spiritual landscapes that surround us. ... seek out the magesty, the beauty, and the exhilarating joy of the 'why' of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

The why of the gospel is, of course, Jesus Christ.  The why of the gospel is to worship Him and to try to become more like Him.  These are the "whys."  Whatever else we do in the church are only vehicles to bring us to that point.

So, for today, I am grateful for those times when I, when all of us, remember the why of the gospel.

Day 230, August 16

"Third, never forget to be happy now."

Do you ever think "I'll be happy when my children are all in school?" Or "I'll be happy when I have a bigger house" or "I'll be happy when I sell a book?" I've thought and felt all these and more.  President Uchtdort compares these to the "golden tickets" in the book CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

In the meantime, I have missed out and am still missing out on many joys because I've put limitations on my happiness. Those parameters have prevented me from feeling all that I can feel, doing all that I can do, and being all that I can be. And isn't that sad?

I'm trying to learn, trying to do better. Maybe that's all that I, all that any of us, can do.

So, for today, I am grateful for those times when I remember to be happy now.

Day 229, August 15

Back to the forget-me-not metaphor.

"Second, forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice."

It's easy to get caught up in worldly things, to sacrifice the good for things that have no eternal significance.  I have done this, telling myself that finding success in my writing, or having a nicer home, or buying the latest fashion is more important than things of lasting value--faith, family, and friends.  All I can say is that I'm trying to do better.

So, for today, I am grateful for those times when I can distinguish between a good sacrifice and a foolish one.
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