Finding joy in the journey

Yesterday in Relief Society we had a most excellent lesson taken from a Conference talk given by President Thomas S. Monson. It's called "Finding Joy in the Journey".
I just had to blog about it because the idea of living in the moment and being grateful for what you have is my greatest ally in my battle with Borderline Personality Disorder.
President Monson said (quoting someone else):

“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.”

Each day when I get out of bed, that insidious little voice in my head begins to whisper, pointing out all of the deficiencies in my life. So each day when I get out of bed, I have to make a conscious choice to count my blessings and actively seek out all of my abundance. President Monson also said:

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now. Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family."

I have come to realize, in the last year or so, how true this sentiment is! I cannot always choose what circumstances I will find myself in, and I cannot always direct the change that occurs in my life, but I can ALWAYS choose how I deal with my circumstances and how I react to the change. I was talking to Chloe on Saturday about this next year. I told her that she's only got one year to be ten, one chance, and then it will be gone.
That conversation got me thinking about how truly precious this life is. Just like Chloe, I've only got one chance to be 36. One year and then I move on to 37. What will I choose to do with that time? I also only have one chance at this life. At some point it will end; will I look back to discover that I wished my life away? Or, will I look back on a life filled with gratitude and joy? Only I can make that choice and ensure that my journey is a good one.

Today I am most grateful for:
A living prophet
Self-realization
and My life!