30 Days of Gratitude. Day 16

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

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I have never had a great love for my own self and my own physical body, but lately something has been telling me that it is okay to care about myself. Somewhere along the line, I have thought that it is selfish or somehow wrong to love yourself. I think it is hard for many people to love themselves, even those who can give love to so many others so freely. But when you think of the gift of our physical bodies, it is astounding to me that we would take them for granted and not just love ourselves the way we are! I am not implying that we shouldn't try to be the best we can and take care of ourselves, but we shouldn't compare ourselves to others. I have always wanted to be a short brunette with naturally curly hair. There is nothing I can do about that, since I am a tall, blonde with not a single wave of curl in my hair. I have a 5 inch scar on the front of an arm that I can't even straighten, but I can't change that no matter what I do. Of course, we know that our bodies are just a packaging for who we REALLY are as spirits, but they are a vital part, nonetheless. Just think, we will have our bodies for eternity. The same body we have now, only glorified and perfect, unable to be sick or injured. I can't wait for that day! It is miraculous to me that our bodies are capable of so much! As I sit here typing even I am filled with wonder.... how do my fingers just know how to move automatically? I am so grateful for my body, flaws and all, and for the opportunity that I have to gain mortal experience to help me become more like my Father in Heaven. Because God created all of us, we are all beautiful!