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TheDiscipleMD

(At the passing of Alden Halsey, a great man and Patriarch, today’s post is a repost of a message I shared a number of years ago. His footprint has been deep in the lives of those who were privileged to know him. I cherish every interaction I had with him over my lifetime.)

Several years ago I was attending a Stake Conference presided over by  Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Twelve. The conference was filled with good advise and inspiring counsel.  I throughly enjoyed the messages. One of the more inspiring lessons I was taught wasn’t while I was seated in the meetings.  Rather, it was in a conversation I held with the Stake Patriarch in between sessions.

I found myself sitting with him at a meal that had been prepared for the priesthood leadership. He and I have known each other for many years. We have served together in various capacities.  I hold him in very high esteem.  We exchanged pleasantries and then I asked him regarding his health and that of his family. We briefly chatted and then he told me the life story of a faithful man who had recently passed on to the other side of the veil. This faithful Latter-Day-Saint man had been blind from birth. Nevertheless, despite his blindness, he had raised a large family unto the Lord. He had championed the cause of the blind in his city and been a leader in various community groups. He had served in various capacities in the priesthood. He apparently had been a light to all he came into contact with. He had used his disability to inspire and motivate all those around him. He lived and died without bitterness and anger as to his plight.

As I listened to the Patriarch tell the life story of another “anonymous” soul, I couldn’t help but feel some shame as to my own attitude towards life. When compared to this man, I could vividly see that he had been presented a life of challenges that made mine pale in comparison. I was again reminded that I needed to be grateful for my many blessings. It was clear that the Patriarch had been inspired and motivated by this man’s life. Time ran out on our conversation as another meeting was about to begin. But I left that table with a renewed determination to “count my blessings” and not take for granted the everyday gifts of life, like my sight. My mind reflected on the words found in the scriptures:

“And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things…” (D&C 59:21)

If there is anything that most of us need to confess more often, its the Lord’s hand in our lives and the bounteous blessings that he bestows on us on a daily basis. May we take the time to thank the Lord often for all we have.