Mais Bençãos

There are so many things I have to be thankful for in my life. There is no possible way I could begin to list them all. I am thankful for my family; my faith; a place to live; the most wonderful, amazing people I work with; my incredible friends; my talents, including all of the ones I am still discovering; my health; my education and the chance to continue with it; this beautiful world; life.

My second area on my mission was in Matinhos. It was hot. It rained every day. There were giant slugs, giant cockroaches, frogs, lots of sand, and my feet started to fall apart. But every time something happened, my companion and I would turn to each other and say “mais bençãos,” or “more blessings.” And it was true. For everything that happened, that seemed to go wrong, there was always a small blessing that followed. Some times the blessing came immediately, some times much later. Some times the blessing was large, other times you would miss it if you weren’t looking for it. But the more we said that to each other, the more blessings we began to see. It was a wonderful way to live. I need to remember to do that even now.

So on this day of thanks, remember all the bençãos in your life, be they large or small, good or even seemingly bad. And remember to be grateful for them all.