And their parents, not to mention grandparents.
I often learn significant lessons thus.
Sunday it was 2 little girls.
They were seated directly in front of me.
They were quietly reverent.
The younger one (about 5ish), seated between grandma and sister quietly begged to pass insisted on passing the tray of broken bread to her sister. Grandma wisely let her. She held the tray level, carefully waited for her sister to partake, then handed the tray back to a very nervous, hovering grandma.
I was interested to see what might happen next.
Sometimes I am not as attentive to the sacrament as perhaps I should be - I should have my mind focused on the mission and Atonement of Jesus Christ, not family interactions etc.
I then learned one of the most valuable lessons of my life from the older sister, age 8. She was recently baptized. Her mother is not a member of the church. Her great grandparents were, and her grandmother joined the church as an adult. She leaned near her sister and very quietly whispered, "thanks".
It still makes me tear up to even think about it.
Such a simple thing: a grateful heart.
Sure it would be disruptive and detract from the purpose of the sacrament and the focus of the ordinance if all of us said thank you to the person passing the sacrament to us. I am not in anyways suggesting that.
I merely observe that gratitude is fundamental.
It is one of the basic principles of happiness.
Noticing the multitude of things others do for us almost constantly, and being grateful for those things, helps us feel greater love for them AND for our Lord. It helps us remember him who always remembers us.
Who can I say thank you to?
Right now, today, what can I notice?
Thank you child.
Thank you for your example.
I am so grateful I was blessed to see it.
