Thanksgiving Family Home Evening Idea

Share the following message from General Conference Oct. 2012:

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Of Regrets and Resolutions

Each family member can read one of the paragraphs spotlighted below.

"We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it.”

Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it.

Perhaps we should be looking less with our eyes and more with our hearts. I love the quote: “One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”

We are commanded “to give thanks in all things.” So isn’t it better to see with our eyes and hearts even the small things we can be thankful for, rather than magnifying the negative in our current condition?

The Lord has promised, “He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold.”

Brothers and sisters, with the bountiful blessings of our Heavenly Father, His generous plan of salvation, the supernal truths of the restored gospel, and the many beauties of this mortal journey, “have we not reason to rejoice?” Let us resolve to be happy, regardless of our circumstances."

Activity: Play a game of I SPY with heart sunglasses! A person in the room puts on the sunglasses, chooses something in the room or home to "spy" and the rest of the family tries to guess what they are thinking of. Family members can ask questions that have a yes or no answer. (For example: Is the item red? Yes. Do we wear it to church? No. Etc.) Once the item is guessed, everyone has to name a reason how that item blesses them or why they are grateful for it.

For example: I spy…. a light! I am grateful for the light because without it, it’d be super dark at night! I spy… a carpet! Carpet blesses me because it’s soft on my feet, comfortable and cleaner than dirt!!

 

This could also be easily adapted for Primary Singing time!