“And as [Jesus] entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

“And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

“And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

“And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

“And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

“There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.”

Luke 17:12-18

Over the course of my life, I’ve heard and read this account more times that I could count, and each time I’ve had the same judgmental reaction:

“WOW! How is that those nine lepers could be so ungrateful?”

But, today, as I read a recent conference talk by President Monson where he related this familiar Biblical account, I had this sobering realization:

“I am one of the nine!”

Like the lepers, and in ways no less miraculous, I have been healed–physically, spiritually, emotionally. And like the “ungrateful” lepers who were cleansed, much too often I fail to truly appreciate the source from which my blessings come.  In fact, not only do I not appropriately recognize the source of the blessings, too frequently I’m not adequately grateful for the actual blessings, either.

“Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”

~Sarah Ban Breathnach, in John Cook, comp., The Book of Positive Quotations, 2nd ed. (2007), 342.

Rather than enjoying the luscious aroma of the roses in my garden–healthy children, a husband who loves the Lord, my opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom . . .

I bemoan the thorns–messes made by my healthy children; the many hours spent serving by a husband who loves the Lord; my under-paid, over-worked, under-appreciated opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom.

I’m grateful for the spiritual pruning I received today while there is yet time to stop and smell the roses.