Blessing Inventory

President Monson's counsel from October 2012 Conference:

As I have reviewed the past 49 years, I have made some discoveries. One is that countless experiences I have had were not necessarily those one would consider extraordinary. In fact, at the time they transpired, they often seemed unremarkable and even ordinary. And yet, in retrospect, they enriched and blessed lives—not the least of which was my own. I would recommend this same exercise to you—namely, that you take an inventory of your life and look specifically for the blessings, large and small, you have received.

This is a big job! I started to try to do it, and realized it wasn't something I could sit and do at once; who can number how many blessings I've received, how many little experiences have turned out a great good, when my whole life has been influenced by the Gospel and the Holy Ghost? It's really impossible to catalog them all, particularly in one sitting. So I have been trying to think of something to record each time I pick up my journal, and it really is remarkable what I remember and recognize. Seeing what a profound impact earlier blessings have had in my life makes me want to try harder to recognize and follow the guidance that I am receiving now and to appreciate the blessings more as I receive them. It has invited the Spirit to teach me, helped me see things that I want to instill in my children, and just made me happy.

So a big thank-you to President Monson for his inspired counsel. I will probably look back someday and be amazed at how this little recommendation made a significant difference in my life thereafter.