Here is a great story from Sam's mission...very apropo to the theme of the month

I shall never forget a powerful experience the Lord gave me toward the end of my mission that helped me comprehend the powerful connection between gratitude and our happiness here on the earth. The experience consisted of separate encouters I had with two women, one of privilege and teh otehr of humble circumstances. My companion and I were knocking on doors in a middle class neighborhood. We introduced ourselves to a middle age woman. After mentioning who we were, a look of anger came upon her face adn she cursed God for the miserable circumstances of her life. I was perplexed because as I looked around I could see her house was large and comfortable. She owned a car, which was uncommon and she had two healthy, beautiful daughters. I pointed out how blessed she was. She said, "My possessions pale in comparison to what my employer has." I didn't know all the circumstances of her life but she was clearly a miserable person and an inability to see and fell gratitude for the many blessings that she did have only magnified her misery.

Later that afternoon, I noticed an old woman pushing a wheelbarrow full of firewood down the road. We ran over and introduced ourselves and indicated that we would like to help her if we could. She graciously accepted and so we began the journey to her house. She lived a couple of miles outside of town, and the route to her house took us through a low shrubland. THe wheelbarrow of wood was not light and pushing it throughteh sandy sol was challenging. I wondered how this old, bent woman had expected to make it on her own. We finally arrived at her home and she invited us in. Her home consisted ofa single room that lacked all the modern amenities that we've come to expect as necessities in our sophisticated lives.

There was no running water to drink, no electricity for light no natural gas to provide warmth. An old rag dipped in animal fat had been lit and provided the onlylight. The room was cold as it was winter time, the wood in the wheelbarrow would be used to build afire to cook dinner nad generate heat later that evening. I looked around the room and noticed strips of drying meat hanging from string. There were a few boxes of crackers and a couple of other food items in a corner. She introduced us to her husband who was permanently confined to a bed in the corner. He greeted us warmly. The woman asked us to stay and share their meal with them. The conversation that developed during theat meal was was an outpouring of gratitude for the many blessings that God had given them. They both expressed how grateful they were to have a home to live in, food to eat, wood for warmth and other simple blessings. What I shall never forget was the Spirit of contentment and joy that radiated in their souls as they expressed gratitude for what they had been given and acknowledged that it was the hand of the Lord that blessed and sustained them.