Gratitude

Hello again to all my Grandchildren,

I have been having feelings of gratitude lately, so because it was on my mind, and because I haven't shared about gratitude yet, I feel to do so now.

Meaning: Gratitude, by my definition is: to give thanks and to show appreciation.

  The attitude of gratitude! (it should be a good attitude by the way)

I feel like gratitude is a piece of all of the characteristics I write about. Thus, gratitude is another very important characteristic to acquire in each of your lives. Here are some of the reasons why I believe being thankful (or, gratitude) is important in your life and how having an "attitude of gratitude" can help you be a better person here on this earth.

Characteristics of Gratitude

• It's kind to do  - When you say "thank you" for something that someone gives you, or for something they have done for you, you are being kind. Not only is it being kind, but it also shows the other person that you appreciate their act or gift. They too then feel good about what they have done for you.
• The small things - We should all definitely be thankful for the things we might overlook or what we might consider "the small things", although many of them are really quite large. Here are some examples of things we might not be as grateful for as we should be: You have a bed to sleep in, you have clothes to wear, you have food to eat, you have friends, you have parents, and most of all - you have a terrific grandfather (me - haha). We tend to forget the small things that we should be very grateful for. There are so many people in the world that don't have many of the things I just talked about. It might be best that you and your parents talk for a minute about some other small things that you should be grateful for that you take for granted.
• Gratitude subdues selfishness - We all have selfish tendencies (if you forgot about my viewpoint of selfishness, you may want to go back to September 2024's post). Much of our selfishness increases unless we acknowledge the things we are grateful for. For example; "I really want my parents to buy me some new shoes. I don't need them, but I want them." A grateful attitude is to recognize that you have shoes in the first place. Additionally, you can share with your parents that you really don't need any new shoes and that the ones you have will do just fine, for now. Doing this may even cause you to want to give someone else your older shoes you've stopped wearing, but that still have some use in them.
• Integrity - Having gratitude is one of the great characteristics of a person with integrity. If you are known as a grateful person, you will do well in life.
• Gratitude is Healthy- Sometimes we think we are the only person on the earth who has bad things happen to them. Everyone has bad things happen to them. When we think like this it is not healthy for us mentally, emotionally, or physically.  This can lead to depression, anxiety, mood swings, and yes, even one of grandpa's favorite phrases "victim mentality." When you are thankful, these types of feelings can be reduced. It is not always this way, but it will not make things worse. Being thankful often takes your mind to a healthier spot in your thinking and in your feelings. I have had this happen to me many times so I can tell you that this is true. Try counting your blessings on a bad day and see how better your attitude becomes.
• Gratitude and Service - When you start being thankful for what you have you often start having feelings of wanting to help and serve others. This is a great idea. When we serve others, it also helps us be more grateful for what we have. 
• Grateful people relate better with other people - OK, you might think this is kind of a stretch, but just think about this example. If Cole helps someone with their homework, and the person doesn't say "thank you for helping me", is Cole going to help them with their homework again? Maybe, but he may be less likely because they didn't show a grateful attitude.
• Grateful people are often better off financially - I have seen a few studies and read a few articles about this. Additionally, I have seen it happen in my own life. You can ask me about this when you and I sit down and talk. I would love to tell you more about how grateful people are often better off financially.
• Grateful for people and for things - You need to be grateful for people, but also for things. Here are a few things I am grateful for. I am choosing which ones to put in here so you can see the different things I am really grateful for. I cannot put all of the people and things I am grateful for or your parents (and you) would stop reading.  Here are a few:
• I am grateful for Grammy
• I am grateful for my children and their spouses
• I am grateful for you (my grandchildren)
• I am grateful for my parents and my siblings
• I am grateful for my eyesight
• I am grateful for my testimony of Jesus Christ
• I am grateful for my Camry
• I am grateful for good friends
• I am grateful for the tests in my life that have made me a better person.
• I am grateful for lots of different types of food - especially meatloaf
• I am grateful for a beautiful sunset
• I am grateful to be alive
• I am grateful that I served a mission in Japan
• I am grateful for my college degree
• I am grateful to have hope in my life

See, there are so many things you can be grateful for. There are thousands of more things I am grateful for, but these are a few of the most important ones.

Examples of Gratitude from Grandpa's Life

Grateful for Good Parents

I am very grateful for my parents who loved me. They taught me great principles in life to live by and they were not hypocrites (have your parents explain what a hypocrite is.)

They didn't give everything to me that I wanted. That would have been dumb. I would not have learned how to earn things for myself and would be dependent on other people for my happiness and for my security and would not have become self-reliant. I became an independent person because of my parents. 

I also learned the value of money from my parents. They had a rule that if they didn't have the money to buy something, they wouldn't buy it. In fact, they had a budget (you all should too). They would take money out each month and put the cash in an envelope marked "food", "gas", "haircuts", "lunches for children", etc. When the money was gone out of that envelope, they could not spend any more on it. If they really needed to for some reason, there had to be money left in another envelope and they could take it from there, but then they wouldn't be able to do anything else in that category. Today, we like to use credit cards and if we don't pay it off, we get into debt. My parents didn't think that was a good idea, and I agree.

Melvin & Helen Randall - 1951 Mt. Rainier. (my parents, but they had no children yet)

Grammy's favorite story of Gratitude

Grammy's Mother went on a mission with her Dad to England. At the end of their mission, her Mom got cancer. She came back to her home and immediately was operated on and then spent time trying to heal. She only had a few more years to live. A few days after she died, one of Grammy's mom's dear friends - Mary Donna Jensen, wanted to do something nice for Grammy's family to show them how much she loved their mother and their family. She cooked the nicest meal she could, a prime rib with rolls, potatoes, pies etc. and brought all her best china dishes to serve it on. Mary Donna insisted that all the family be in attendance for this dinner. It was one of the nicest things anyone ever did for their family. The Jensen family showed great love for the Chambers family. They all felt very loved and cared for by Mary Donna and her family. Grammy and her family will always remember the kindness of Mary Donna to Grammy's mother, and to their entire family. Grammy will always remember how much it meant to her, and to her whole family. They felt honored to even be able to write a note of thanks to the Jensen family for their kindness and love.

LtoR: Jenny, Grandma Chambers, Matt, Lacey, Jason, Grandpa Chambers, 1990

Grateful to Raise 5 Children

Grammy and I feel so very grateful to have had our five children to raise here on this earth. Grammy and I had to learn together how to raise children. Being a parent is a pretty big job and is definitely worth it. Raising 5 children was not easy and there were times where we know we were not doing the best we could, but we kept trying. I am grateful to our children for listening to their parents - most of the time :). Each of our 5 children have grown up to be good parents themselves. They each now know that raising children is not as easy as it looks sometimes. However, there are far more benefits to raising children than choosing to not raise children. You learn how to be more grateful all of your life. You also learn to be less selfish. Grammy and I are so grateful for each of our 5 children. (of course, we now include all of you in our family along with both of your parents.)