Sunsets are Free!

I was reading today in a book by Mary Ellen Edmunds called, You Can Never Get Enough of What You Don’t Need. I read something that really got me thinking. She used a quote from Elder F. Burton Howard where he said, “We sometimes discover too late that God’s greatest gifts cannot be purchased with money.” I loved that statement! MEE went on to say, “When was the last time you got a bill from the sun? The moon? The stars? The rain? I saw a poster once that had this message: ‘Good news! Sunsets are free!’”

This made me think about what gifts I have in my life that were not purchased by money…what are the great gifts God has given freely to me. Of course the ones that MEE mentioned, the sun, moon, stars, and beautiful sunsets. I think I would have to add the first snowfall of the winter season, when big fluffy snowflakes fall in silence and blanket the world in white. The ocean waves; I love to sit on the beach and listen to the waves crash against the shore…to me there are few things as peaceful as that. I love going to the park in the summer and sitting on the nice cool grass, under a shade tree, looking at the flowers and reading my scriptures. It helps me to feel the spirit of what I’m reading when I’m surrounded by the peaceful beauty of that scene. The mountains are a huge gift to me. I love living here in North Ogden at the base of the mountain. I love being able to walk outside each day and look up at Ben Lomond Peak in all its majesty whether bathed in sun or snowcapped; it is a beautiful sight. These are all things of nature, yet not all of God’s gifts are from the Earth. God has given me a kooky but great family. He has given me great friends. He’s given me the gospel. There are so many people in this world who do not have the fullness of the gospel in their lives. I am extremely blessed to be a member of this church and have the testimony that I have.

I am so grateful for all of these gifts, and a loving Heavenly Father who gives them so freely!