Smile! It's a Wednesday

Today was just another day. It's smack dab in the middle of the week, so nothing important ever seems to happen on Wednesdays. Wednesdays are just the basic humdrum of life. Now, let's face one very important fact: I would have been driven mad by all the Wednesdays in the world if it weren't for friends.
No matter what day it is, there's always someone who needs a little pick-me-up. Sometimes it's you, sometimes it's me, and sometimes it's that kid you see in the hall on your way to math. But no matter who it is, we are all here to help each other. If people weren't important, God would have probably given us all our own planets. But that's not the way life works. People are very important, so God put us on this earth with lots of people who would help us learn and grow.

I'll admit that I'm not the most social person. In fact, some days I feel like reading all day instead of talking to people. However, I know the importance of friends. Not too long ago, I was having a really down day. It was just a day where nothing was going right. And then, when school was over, I had to stay after school for a few hours. When I was waiting for my mom to come and get me, I got a text from a friend telling me that I had something waiting for me at home. I got home and saw what my friend had taken the time to make for me, and it just made me feel so much better. It was seriously exactly what I needed at that moment.
I would be insane without other people in my life! That goes without saying, of course, but it's true. Friends are truly a huge link to sanity, and I am so thankful for that.

No matter whose bad day it is, there is always something that you can do. Smiling is the most wonderful thing to give someone down in the dumps. We are surrounded by so many people daily, moods and attitudes tend to rub off. Smiling is simple, but highly contagious. It doesn't matter where you are or who you're with, just smile and brighten someone's day.

Wednesdays or Mondays or Fridays we are all here to smile at each other and give each other little pick-me-ups. We are the links to sanity in some other person's life, so live up to that standard.
I know Heavenly Father gives us friends for a reason. We meet the people that we meet because God intends for us to. He sees the bigger picture while we only see glimpses at a time. I know that as we trust in God, all things will be made possible.

Giving Thanksgiving

Tonight as a group, the youth in my neighborhood all gathered Thanksgiving food for other people who might be in need of it. We never think much of it. It's a neat thing to do for others, but we never know who gets the food we gather, so we just do it and don't think twice.

After this youth activity, I was complimented by a few people for things I had done in the past that I had, quite frankly, forgotten all about. It made me feel really good and happy. It's always wonderful to know that someone recognizes you, and cares about you enough to reach out to you.

I was thinking about that and connected that to the activity tonight. The same sort of feeling I had when I got those compliments will be what is felt by the families we reached out to. When you give to others, that is giving them reason to be thankful. You're giving thanksgiving! I didn't really understand that until tonight.
I still don't know who I've been able to help with the Thanksgiving food drive, but I now know what their reaction will be. It will be my reaction to the compliments times ten. Thanksgiving time isn't just a time for you yourself to be thankful for everything you have, it is also a time to give others a reason to be thankful as well. God has given us all so much. We can thank Him for it all, but we can also do more. We can ultimately give someone else a reason for thanksgiving. The way to serve God is by serving others.

Tonight, that just hit me strong and true. I'd never made the connection. But now I understand, and I want to do more. I love the gospel, and how everything just connects together so perfectly! I know God understands each one of us, and that He is there for us. I feel His love daily. I am so thankful for that love, and the knowledge that God will be beside me to the end.