Remembering Is How Gratitude Deepens

This reflection is part of our Gathering Gratitude series, created to help you slow down, notice God’s hand, and cultivate a deeper spirit of thanksgiving. If you’re just joining us, we invite you to explore the previous gratitude reflections and follow along each week. You can find the full series here.

Last week, we began our gratitude practice by slowing down enough to notice what is already present. We practiced recognizing the quiet good that often goes overlooked because of routine, stress, or speed.

That simple act of noticing helped us reawaken our capacity for awareness. It taught us that gratitude is not something we must generate from nothing. There is already goodness in our lives, even through our darkest days. Our work was simply to see it.

This week, we’re moving one step deeper. When we talk about gratitude, we usually think about the things we’re thankful for right now. Instead of noticing what is currently around us, we are turning toward memory. We are learning to look back—not to idealize the past, but to recognize the ways God has already been near.

Scripture gives language to this practice of remembering: “I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.” (Psalm 77:11)

Reflection helps us make meaning of what has already happened. Where Week 1 was about presence, Week 2 is about perspective. 

What Hindsight Reveals

There are blessings we only understand in hindsight. There are prayers we did not realize were being answered. There are moments where we were strengthened, guided, comforted, or protected in ways we did not see clearly at the time. To remember is to let those moments speak again—this time with clarity.

President Henry B. Eyring once described a daily practice he developed as a young father. Each night, he would pause and reflect: Where had he seen the hand of God that day? He taught, “As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day.”

We can apply the same principle as we look back over not just days, but weeks, months, and years. This is not about searching for dramatic proofs. It is not about trying to make every detail significant. It is about learning to recognize what was true all along: God is ever present, and He always leaves fingerprints behind.

Sometimes He works quietly. Sometimes He works through other people. Sometimes He works through endurance. But His presence is steady, even when we cannot feel it immediately.

Patterns That Build Trust

When we remember, we begin to see patterns:

• We remember the conversation that came at the right time.
• We remember the moment we unexpectedly felt peace.
• We remember the strength that didn’t feel like our own.
• We remember being carried through something we did not think we could bear.

And something else happens, too—remembering strengthens trust. When we recall where God has been faithful, we are better able to trust Him with what still weighs on us. Gratitude grows not only from what we experience now, but from what we understand differently over time.

Your reflections this week do not need to be dramatic or polished. A single quiet recognition is enough. You might reflect on the past few months, the past year, or even childhood memories that suddenly hold new meaning. You might write in a journal, speak aloud during a walk, or sit silently and pray for increased awareness to unfold.

Ways to Remember

If you’re drawing a blank, try beginning with simple questions:

• When was I comforted?
• When did something work out better than I expected?
• Who showed up when I needed support?
• Where did I receive strength beyond my capacity?

You can also reread old journals or revisit milestone moments in your life—how you felt on the day of your baptism, the first time you recognized an answer to prayer, or a miracle you witnessed on your mission. As you reflect, you may find that God has been more present than you realized.

Gratitude Has Many Facets—Embrace Them All

Remembering is not about rewriting the past to be easy or perfect. It means acknowledging God’s presence within the real, ordinary, and sometimes difficult texture of life.

Some memories are marked by joy; others carry struggle or ache. Like light moving through a prism, every moment has the potential to reveal His nearness.

If last week helped us notice goodness in the present, this week invites us to see the goodness woven through our past. And if God has been with us before, we can trust He is with us now—even when the path ahead feels uncertain.

As you reflect, you don’t need to strain or force meaning. The work of remembering is something God Himself supports through the Holy Ghost: “The Comforter…shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance.”
(John 14:26)

Invite the Spirit to join you on this journey, trusting that God wants you to recognize His hand in your life. As you do, you may be surprised at what comes to mind. Whether you recall something long forgotten, or simply notice a small moment differently—where remembrance grows, gratitude will follow.

What is one moment from your past where you can now see God’s presence more clearly? Share with us in the comments!

Holly Wallace

Holly Wallace is a writer and storyteller drawn to meaningful questions and overlooked details. Her work explores Latter-day Saint life and culture through faithful inquiry, inviting readers to pause, consider, and engage more deeply with what matters most.