Gratitude is a Spirit-filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of a living God. Through it, we become spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which gladden our hearts with their messages of God’s love. This grateful awareness heightens our sensitivity to divine direction. When we communicate gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and connected to those around us and the Lord. Gratitude inspires happiness and carries divine influence.
Sister Bonnie D. Parkin, "Gratitude", General Conference, April 2007
I have been focusing more, or trying to anyway, on gratitude and being grateful for the things I have and the things I can still do. I consider my disease a blessing because it is opening my mind to the most important things in life. It allows me to focus more on eternal things and less on worldly things. And I am so grateful for that shift.
Often, I tend to take many things for granted. Simple things, like breathing or seeing. If I don't expend effort on it, I don't think about it. Therefore, I take it for granted. I am trying not to do that. I got a lot of work to do. 😁
The old saying, "you don't know what you have til it's gone" is so absolutely true. I have been unable to do many things, like run or just stand for 30 minutes. But I'm trying to shift my focus from what I've lost to what I can still do. I've always tried to be optimistic and I don't want to start becoming pessimistic. It's a fine line because I don't want start being negative about what I can't do but I do need to be cautious and aware of my limitations still.
I'm trying to "know" and appreciate what I have before it's gone. And I have been given so much.