Gratitude is a Virtue

I wrote this yesterday on my MySpace Blog. I thought I'd record it here.

It's interesting what happens to you when you have children, especially ones that are old enough to observe everything. Today was a particularly interesting experience for me. I really want my children to espouse virtue and virutes in their life. I want to be the one that not only teaches but models virtuous living. I always knew that--but sometimes I sincerely wonder, HOW? How do I make sure that he grows up well-rounded and ready to contribute to the society in which he lives? I'm not sure that I have the answers and I know for a fact that I don't always do everything that I can. But I guess trying is half the battle.
We were at an intersection after we'd treated ourselves to lunch at McDonald's. There was a man with the generic cardboard sign--"Trying to get home. Out of funds. Please help. God bless." I looked down at the double cheeseburger that I knew I shouldn't be eating (My hips are sufficiently round, thank you) and thought that maybe he might be hungry. I rolled down my window and called out to him "Hey, are you hungry?" He shouted back, "Yes, ma'am, I'm really hungry." I handed the bag to him and he kept saying, "Oh, God bless you. God bless you." I also handed him a can of lemonade we had in the car. He just kept saying, "God bless you." I could tell that he was truly grateful, and I just started to bawl. I thought about all the blessings I have and like a wave, it came over me. I was so overwhelmed with Heavenly Father's love that I could barely drive once the light turned green. I hadn't even thought of Nate until he said from the backseat, "You give you McDonalds to the man, Mommy?" I said, "Yes, Nate. That man is very hungry and he doesn't have any money to buy food. So mommy gave him her McDonalds." He said, "We have money, Mommy?" I realized what a great opportunity it was to talk about our blessings, and how lucky we are to have Daddy, who works so hard so that we can have money to buy food. It was a most spiritual experience for me, to teach him about the blessings we enjoy. I fear that I don't take the time enough to help him recognize his blessings. I hope that I can remember to do that more often so that he can learn to praise God for all we have, not curse the world for all we don't. I still have so much to learn in my career as mommy!