Life is a wonder. That's what I've thought over and over again this week as I drive home from daily errands, rounding the twisting bends of the road to my home on the hill. I peer forward at the beauties of nature that lie just beyond the glass windows of my car, while I turn up the volume of the radio, naming aloud the many things I'm grateful for, so God can hear my thanks.
"Car. Tree. Color. Hands. Music. People. Thoughts. Talents. Dreams...." My list continues as the speedometer rises.
It's a masterpiece I see--thrilling evidence of the Lord's meticulous hand in my life. Scrawny, tan trunks and branches of trees reach up to the turquoise sky, their crannies golden as the light pierces through their fingers with ecstasy. Delicate fragments of autumn leaves spin down through the air, like crimson raindrops on the clear day, before they stick to my windshield to stare back at me, and my wipers brush them away. Birds flee up from the wayside in groups when they hear the sound of my rolling engine. They pass over the hood of my Honda with playful eagerness. Once in a while, a deer crosses the road, and I slow to watch her nudge her bashful fawn across the street, where they hide amidst the twirling ferns of the wood. After another bend, the road goes straight and I look back up at the bowing evergreens, who so willingly guard the beauties of the forest behind them. Never ceasing, the light of the setting sun dips down on my face through the glass, and I can feel the warmth of its embrace on my freckled cheeks. It beckons and reaches to touch everything in view, lighting some trees yellow, and others green. Again, I round another turn and face another view, where nature enchants me with its wonders, and my soul is filled with hope.
When I arrive home, there's a certain praise in my heart that stays with me as I turn off the engine and lift myself from the car. There, in the driveway, I peer up at the sky with a song still in my heart, and as the breeze bristles its tiny fingers through my knotted hair, I close my eyes, lift my arms as I spin to the garage, and thank God aloud for the wonder of a moment---for the savoring sweetness of my chance at life with all its wonderful opportunities and the burning testimony of His love in my soul. And with a lovely grin on my jovial face, I march on with that beat still in my step and an open heart to receive the blessings abound.
Something magical happens when I'm in my car, and I jump at every opportunity to drive on that road as I watch the world come to life. I feel as if through the windshield, I'm reliving my miracles, becoming the grateful daughter Jesus made me to be. However, not only in my car do I recognize the majesties of God's brilliant hand, but every day, as I look deeper through "life's windshield" and embrace whatever the light touches.
Thomas S. Monson once explained, "To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven."
I think it's so easy to look at life's flaws, trials, and mistakes. There are hundreds and thousands of unplanned mishaps that occur in my life, and sometimes I get discouraged over them. However, this year I've learned that when I choose to thank the Everlasting Savior for the good things in my life and live in such a way that He can see the richest prayers of my heart, I feel as if I can almost reach heaven, and touch the glories of God. My attitude changes, and so does my intent to do good. I no longer face the splotchy view of my problems, but rather learn to love those things that make my life so beautiful--those things that bring me back to the Lord, who's turned my life into something I never could have designed for myself. Through my windshield, I can gaze at those things that matter eternally, and all those complaints and flaws vanish, as if they never did exist.
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You may not love to drive or utilize your travel as a chance to live with gratitude, but I know that as you seek to gaze through life's windshield and enjoy the ecstasies of this world and the masterpiece of God's hand, you'll realize how glorious your life can be when you open your eyes. This Thanksgiving, seek to live in gratitude and praise the little things, which make up the wonders of this world. Despite the bad that's so evident, we have a chance to live in the good as we change our perspectives and use our precious vision for an honorable cause. I'm truly grateful that the Lord is teaching me how to praise every time I climb into my car and take those turns on the bending road of life.... it surely is beautiful :)
xo, Makenzie
Beautiful post!!
❤️