gratitude

Looking Beyond the Rock

/ Christine Maynor / Leave a comment

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My Daily Musings-September 26th, 2026

The idea for this post came from a Facebook group post from Gail Marie Hatke Huff. She shared in her post an object lesson she taught some girls recently. She gave each of them a rock and a sucker. She had them walk down the road and back again with the rock in their shoe and a sucker in their mouth. Apparently the girls grumbled a lot. They couldn’t walk normally because the rock was uncomfortable in their shoe. They were limping and staggering, just trying to get back to her.

The girls were brought back inside, and she asked them what it was like for them to walk around like that. The answers varied but most of them talked about how hard it was to walk around with the rock in their shoe. Nobody mentioned how sweet the sucker was in their mouth. She then related that experience to how we often fail to realize God’s blessings because we put too much focus on the struggles of life. I really love this object lesson and what we can learn from it.

I can really relate to this since I deal with chronic illness symptoms every day. I try to stay positive and not let those symptoms rule my life. But it’s hard when my body doesn’t let me do everything I want or need to do. I also try to focus on my blessings instead of my struggles. I think it is fine to talk about or focus on those things as long as we don’t let them discourage us.

I like to say a prayer of gratitude every night before I go to sleep. No matter how hard my day has been, it helps me to see the blessings my Heavenly Father has given me. Even if I am just grateful that I made it through another hard health day, at least that’s something.

What blessings might you be overlooking because you’re focusing too much on the “rocks” in your life? What is one blessing you are grateful for today, even if you’re going through a difficult time?

500 Posts, Countless Blessings

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Community Conversations

This is my 500th post on my website! This makes me feel very grateful for a few reasons. I’m grateful to my Heavenly Father, who gave me the nudge to start this website and my writing journey. I actually started writing poetry a few years ago. I wrote a short poem for a challenge one of my nephews gave my family and I realized that I loved writing it. So I wrote more, and I found out I had a talent for it. I just shared them with close family and friends back then. I started my website in January of this year. I started by posting most of my older poems, so not all of the 500 posts are new from this year.

I felt a nudge on the first day my website was live to start a My Daily Musings post. I actually haven’t run out of ideas for those yet. I have posted one of those every day since January. It feels like a daily journal for me of my thoughts and feelings. I love writing those every day.

Then a while ago, I felt another nudge to start the Melodies & Musings category on here. Those posts are sometimes my thoughts on Christian hymns with a short video of me singing part of the hymn. The rest of those posts are where I share one of my older poems, my thoughts about the theme, and a short video of me reading parts of the poem.

Those who are new here may wonder why my poetry is so different from the writings of other poets. My amazing Dad helped me with that. He is the one who has helped me hone my skills. It was his idea to add the Backstory and Takeaway parts. I feel like those parts before and after the poem help readers understand the context and leave with a lesson they can learn. I’m so grateful to my Dad for his help and support.

When I read one of my older poems, I can see that I have grown as a writer and poet over the last few years. I’m so grateful that my skills have improved as I constantly learn and grow as a writer. I’m so grateful for this opportunity I have to share my thoughts, feelings, and my faith with others. I’m so grateful for all of my family and friends who have helped and supported me on this journey. I have so many wonderful and supportive people in my life. I’m truly blessed. I’m also grateful for the people who have found me and supported me on this journey who I know only through this site.

So, thanks to each of my readers who have supported me and helped me along the way. Here’s to another 500 posts. Let’s share the light we have been given with others so we can help and encourage each other. I love you all.

Who has encouraged or supported you in pursuing something you love? What is one way you can share the light you’ve been given with someone else this week?

A Small, Faithful Choice

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My Daily Musings-September 6th, 2026

“Joy is not always something that finds us. Sometimes it is a small, faithful choice we make again today.”

I believe that this is true. Some days it is easier to feel joy in my soul than other days. On my harder health days, I really have to choose joy instead of letting discouraging and negative thoughts invade and take over my mind. When I feel darkness and discouragement start to slowly creep into my thoughts, I have to choose not to let those thoughts stay for very long. I always feel better in my soul when I have joy and I am grateful for my blessings. Yes, it’s harder on some days to have those joyful and grateful feelings. But it’s always worth it to turn my thoughts and emotions from negative ones to positive ones.

I realize that it is harder for some people to let those negative and discouraging thoughts go than it is for other people. I have had times in my life when I was depressed and I didn’t know if I could get out of the darkness in my soul very easily. So, I do sympathize with those who struggle with bad anxiety and depression.

I go back to what my therapist told me a while back. She said that it is okay to go through all of the emotions we feel, even the discouraging and negative ones. But we should think of those feelings as water washing over us like when we are in the shower. We can sit with them for a little while. But then we should let them wash down the drain so they won’t clog the drain or weigh down our thoughts and feelings.

It helps me to talk about my feelings with someone who understands how I feel, especially on my harder health days. So, reach out to those who understand how you feel. We are here on this earth to help one another through our difficult times. We need each other. We can learn from the faith of others who have gone through hard experiences.

What helps you choose joy on the days when joy doesn’t come easily? How do you remind yourself of your blessings when you’re going through a difficult time?

A Heart Full of Praise

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My Daily Musings- September 4th, 2026

I have loved the book of Psalms in the Old Testament for a long time. But recently it has really stood out to me. I especially love Psalm 116. In the first verse it says, I love the Lord,” then it tells us why the person loves Him. On the Don’t Miss This podcast this week, one of the hosts asked us to write down, “I love the Lord” and then write down why you love him. She said that “praise works wonders for the soul.” I really like that idea.

I think of Lord here as referring to my Heavenly Father. So, here are some of the reasons why I love my Heavenly Father. When I pray to Him with a sincere heart, I can feel His love for me and I can feel that He is there. That truth alone is incredible to me. I am not perfect and I make so many mistakes, but no matter what I do, He loves me with a love I can’t even begin to imagine. Also, that He wants to listen to me and hear about my problems is amazing.

He created this earth with the beauties of the mountains, the blue sky, the puffy white clouds, the animals, and human beings for me to enjoy. I am amazed when I look at the beauties of nature all around me.

But the main reason why I love Him so much is because He sacrificed His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, so that I can repent, become better and live with Him again someday. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been to watch Jesus suffer. But my Father knew that I would need a Savior, so He did it.

I could list more reasons, but for now, that’s all.

When you think about all that God has done for you, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Have you ever taken time to write down the reasons you love God?

A Hymn of Grateful Praise

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Melodies & Musings

When English poet Folliott Pierpoint sat on a hilltop overlooking the countryside in 1864, the surrounding beauty inspired him to write a simple song of gratitude—one that still speaks to us today. That hymn is For the Beauty of the Earth.

The melody of this hymn is beautiful. But the words really help me be grateful for the many blessings I have in my life. I especially love the words to the first verse.

For the beauty of the earth,

For the beauty of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies,

Lord of all, to thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

I have always loved the beauties of nature. Looking at the beautiful mountains in Northern Utah where I live fills my soul with gratitude. The beautiful blue skies and even some puffy white clouds help me be grateful. But what really fills my soul with gratitude is the love of my Heavenly Father who loved me before my birth. He loves me no matter what. He will love me with a perfect love I can’t even begin to imagine throughout eternity. He created this earth for me and for all of us to enjoy its beauty.

What is one small detail in nature or your daily life that made you pause and give thanks today? What is one line from a hymn that always fills your heart with gratitude?

Here’s a YouTube Short of me singing the first verse:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0Fy-2XZinaM