Gratitude: Day 23

I'm skipping the alphabet thing this year and just picking something from the day that I'm grateful for.

I know, I know! Another Elder Holland talk. I told you I was grateful for him.

For several weeks, I've been looking for a soup kitchen that would allow our family to help serve Thanksgiving dinner. They all prefer volunteers to be at least 14 or, even better, 18. So Doodlebug and The Lime were not welcome.

I took matters into my own hands and decided we'd create our own service project.

The boys and I went to Target today to buy a few supplies, went back home, packed 18 lunches, and LaVor and I loaded everything and everyone into the car and we started driving.

We used 1/4 tank of gas, driving through three cities, looking for those who might benefit from a bag lunch and bottle of water.

I will be the first one to admit, my attitude was stinky Wednesday morning and I probably didn't start the project off on the right foot. But after we arrived home, I was feeling pretty good. It's hard to not feel good when you're following Christ's example and serving your brothers and sisters.

Most of the recipients were extremely grateful and seemed a little shocked we were doing it. But almost everyone left us with a "God bless you!"

I'm grateful our simple act was able to bring smiles to otherwise sad faces. I'm grateful we were able to feed those who may not know where their next meal will come from. I'm grateful for all that Heavenly Father has blessed me with. And I'm grateful for opportunities to share Christ's love with others.