Grateful Thursday

My friend, Amy, does a post every Thursday about things that she is grateful for. I just got off the phone with a dear friend of mine and I feel so grateful for some things that I just have to express. So today I am following Amy's lead and posting the things I am grateful for.
I am so grateful for this dear friend of mine. She is such an example to me of courage and strength. I feel so grateful that she trusts me enough to call me when she needs someone to talk to. We were talking about the atonement and how we know we always have the Savior to rely on. We both expressed how we need to talk to someone sometimes to really feel better. I made the comment that at times I feel guilty talking to people, that the Savior should be enough to talk to and communicate with through prayer. But as I was telling her this, I realized that the Savior IS enough. He and His Father have given us siblings, parents, and friends to talk to. They, in Their infinite mercy and wisdom, have placed other people on the earth through whom They can answer my prayers. I am so grateful for a loving and merciful Father in Heaven, for His Son and my Savior Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the plan of Salvation and the peace that it brings us in the good times in our lives and in the difficult times. I am so grateful for the friends, sisters, brothers, parents, and family that I can call upon in my times of need and in my times of joy. Thanks Becky and Shannon for always being willing to listen. My friendship with you and my love for you are so dear to my heart and fill me with unspeakable joy. I am grateful for my testimony and for my understanding of the gospel. I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wouldn't trade my membership or my testimony for anything. It is because of my testimony that I can fully appreciate all that life brings to me. It is because of my testimony and my faith in the Lord that I can truly enjoy having a son and having a sweet husband. I am so grateful for my sweet son and my sweet husband. I love them both more than words can adequately express. Sometimes words aren't enough, just the feeling will suffice.
I want to share my testimony with those few of you who read my blog. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church of our Savior. I know that the doctrines of the church are true and that they can bring a peace unlike any other peace into my life. I know that Christ atoned for me, not just for my sins, but for EVERY aspect of my life - the joy, the sorrow, the good and the bad. I know that He is ALWAYS there for me. I know that my Heavenly Father lives and loves me and that He knows me. I know that families are meant to be eternal. I know that the things that I have learned in the temple are true. I know that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God and that he did indeed restore the true church to the earth. I know that he did indeed see God the Father and Jesus Christ. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I love reading and studying the Book of Mormon. I know that there truly is a power that flows freely from the Book of Mormon and that we just have to read it to partake of that power. I miss that power when I miss a day reading the Book of Mormon. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the living Prophet today. I love praying for him every night and I know that he prays for me. And just because my heart aches for him and because of the gratitude and love I have for him will I add this - I know that Gordon B. Hinckley was and is a true prophet of God. And I know that it is ok for me to say that I miss him because it shows that he made an impact on my life. I know that all these things are true. I bear testimony of these things in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.