There's so much to be thankful for

  Anyone who says there aren't songs for Thanksgiving doesn't listen to Josh Groban. Josh Groban sings a song called Thankful, it's a wonderful song with a powerful message. 

Somedays we forget

To look around us

Somedays we can't see

The joy that surrounds us

So caught up inside ourselves

We take when we should give.

  This is a wonderful world we live in, there is beauty all around us, but how often do we see that? If your reading this then you are on a computer, on the internet, what a blessing that is! We focus on ourselves so much that we miss all the little miracles around us. You are loved by your Father in Heaven, you have a Savior who suffered for not only your sins but your pain and sorrow! We have given the gift of repentance so that we can come closer to our God in this life, we have the Holy Spirit to comfort us and guide us. If there was ever a time on this earth that God has blessed his children it is now.

"The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!” - Joseph F. Smith

  Be that grateful and loving soul, and spread it around. Do something for someone else this Thanksgiving. Give everyone a reason to be as happy as we are. Truly we are blessed far more than we deserve, and those blessing don't begin in November and they don't end in December. I'll end the same way I began, with Josh Groban. Take it away Josh.

So for tonight we pray for

What we know can be

And on this day we hope for

What we still can't see

It's up to us to be the change

And even though this world needs so much more

There's so much to be thankful for

In a republic, who is the country?

  On this 4th of July, I could talk forever on how much America means to me. But I'm just going to let Captain America say it for me. So without further ado, Captain America, in what is in my opinion one of the greatest speeches on our country, and the responsibility of the citizens in it, ever given.

"I remember the first time I really understood what it was to be an American...What it was to be a patriot." 

"I was just a kid...A million years ago, it seems sometimes. Maybe twelve. I was reading Mark Twain. And he wrote something that struck me right down to my core...something so powerful, so true, that it changed my life. I memorized it so I could repeat it to myself, over and over across the years. He wrote --'In a republic, who is the country? 

Is it the government which is for the moment in the saddle? Why, the government is merely a temporary servant: it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn't. It's function is to obey orders, not originate them. 

Who, then is the country? Is it the newspaper? Is it the pulpit? Why, these are mere parts of the country, not the whole of it, they have not command, they have only their little share in the command. 

In a monarchy, the king and his family are the country: In a republic it is the common voice of the people each of you, for himself, by himself and on his own responsibility, must speak. 

It is a solemn and weighty responsibility, and not lightly to be flung aside at the bullying of pulpit, press, government, or the empty catchphrases of politicians. 

Each must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, and which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. 

To decide it against your convictions is to be an unqualified and inexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may. 

If you alone of all the nation shall decide one way, and that way be the right way according to your convictions of the right, you have your duty by yourself and by your country. Hold up your head. You have nothing to be ashamed of'." 

"Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right.  

This nation was founded on one principle above all else: The requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree besides the river of truth, and tell the whole world-- 

--No, you move."

I pity the fool that doesn't love Mother's Day!

"We are living in a great season for all women in the Church. Sisters, you are an essential part of our Heavenly Father’s plan for eternal happiness; you are endowed with a divine birthright. You are the real builders of nations wherever you live, because strong homes of love and peace will bring security to any nation. I hope you understand that, and I hope the men of the Church understand it too."
 -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The scriptures* have a lot to say about mothers and how amazing they are:

She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also,and he praiseth her.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

Mothers are the most powerful force for good on this planet. They have the patience and long suffering of Job, the strength of Samson, the Wisdom of Solomon, and the courage of David. Your mom shapes your life, from the second your born, and makes you what you are today. And don't you forget it!

Motherhood is the most sacred calling of them all. To be trusted with bringing souls into this life is something beautiful and amazing, and more than that, to raise that soul in a loving environment where it can be nurtured and grow. It must be hard, it certainly looks hard, but I know it must be worth it. I hope that everyone can remember their moms this Mothers Day, and make it a special one for her.  Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a mother that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

I love my mom so much, she's the best. She put up with me for my whole life, and this is no small feat, and not only did that but did it with a smile. There's only one way to express my love for her, and that is by Mr. T's Mothers Day Rap:

Mother

There is no other

Like Mother

So treat her right

Mother

I always love her

My mother

So treat her right, treat her right

M is for the moan, and the miserable groan

from the pain that she felt when I was born

O is for the oven with it’s burnin’ heat

where she stood makin’ sure I had something to eat

T is for the time that she stayed up at night

and took my temperature when I wasn’t feelin’ right

H is for the hard earned money she spent

to keep clothes on my back and try to pay da’ rent

E is every wrinkle I put on her face

and every worry that I caused when I stayed out late

The last letter R is that she taught me respect

and for the room up in heaven that I know she’ll get

She’s a Queen

Second to none

Take care of Mother

You only get one*

*Proverbs 31:17,20,25,26,28,30

*Mr. T's Mothers Day Rap