I read recently that you cannot be depressed and grateful at the same time.  I will work on changing my attitude.

I was thinking this morning how much I would do if the Lord would bless me with physical health and strength.  Then the thought occurred to me that I probably wouldn’t turn to God much if I felt good.  I’ve got myriads of chronic health problems (I wonder if some kind of statistical analysis of bloggers would reveal a higher degree of chronic health difficulties, which make us more inclined to sit at the computer than to exercise) and some days I can barely walk.

Despite my weakness, I manage to nurture my kids and grandkids, keep a pretty clean house, maintain a 100% visiting teaching (with seven sisters to visit, no less), and blog!  I write a monthly (my butt is gold) column for our local paper, am the visiting teaching supervisor for our ward (the suckiest calling in the church) (we have the highest numbers in the stake), and am an activist in all things that attract my attention.  I have a ton of friends and an aging senile mother.

If I had good health, if I weren’t gimpy and anemic and arthritic, I would be a force to be reckoned with.  And I would probably never think of God.  As it is, I am forced to live one day at a time, asking Him for His grace and strength to accomplish whatever He wants me to do each day.  It is tedious, it annoys me, it’s like an extra step that I wish I didn’t have to take, but without bad health I would not know the Lord as I do.

So I’m grateful.  Grudgingly.  But still.

God bless each one of you on this Thanksgiving with grateful–to the exclusion of depression–hearts and whatever burden you must bear to bring you closer to Him.