It's all in your perspective

Did you ever try to find shapes in the clouds when you were a kid? So did I! I actually still do...I even look for them other places. 

For example, I have this shower curtain in my guest bath that is red, with these large white abstract circles. I was fussing with my hair the other day & noticed a shape in one of the circles. It looked like George Washington. As I continued with my hair I noticed another shape, this one looked like a Renaissance man with a feather coming out of his hat. While finishing up & looking at the curtain again I saw what appeared to be a rabbit! Upon closer examination, I realized that these shapes were all in the exact same spot in the circle but had appeared different because of my perspective. 

This got me thinking. Life really is all about your perspective!

Life seems to be so busy for me recently & I've felt like I needed to sit down & reflect on those things I am most grateful this Thanksgiving Season. Through all that is good & through the adversity I encounter one thing remains constant, living life in Thanksgiving. It seems easy to be thankful when times are easy & life seems as if it's going according to plan. I've also learned that it can be just as easy to have gratitude in your heart when things aren't perfect!

I have been blessed beyond measure this year & have felt the hand of God in my life as I've tried to overcome my personal struggles. I've learned to rely on my Heavenly Father more often, knowing that He truly is there & will give peace to my heart & answers to my prayers. This is something I will be eternally grateful for. 

I am thankful for my family. It's funny how your perspective can change so much about family. When I was a teenager, they just embarrassed me. When I got to college I'm not sure I needed them that much. When I first got married, I felt like I was on top of the world & was happy with my new little family. I've learned over the past few years that family is really all you've got in this life. Clint & I have tried so hard to strengthen family relationships & I can honestly say that this has been a huge blessing to us. Just having the perspective that these relationships we are building & strengthening will leave this earth with us when we die changes the way we see people & the way we interact with them, the time we make to spend with them & the sometimes quiet sacrifices we make to support them.

Another perspective I'm working very hard on, is seeing the best in others. I know it's easy to point out the flaws people have. It's easy to pass judgment. It's hard to look at each person you meet & think of them in a way which elevates them. I think you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. I think this is something I will always be working on, but I know that it's getting easier for me to see the good & it's helping me grow into the woman I'm striving to become.

Sometimes we see one thing, or several when we look at a situation, but the most important thing we can do is keep an eternal perspective. We are spiritual beings having a mortal experience. I’m glad to have a knowledge, born of the whisperings of the Holy Ghost and sent from God, that there is much more. That my existence and being is patterned after our Eternal, Heavenly Father. Having this perspective can make life so much easier & more fulfilled!