Over the years, President Thomas S. Monson shared several Thanksgiving tales that help us remember gratitude, charity, and the hand of God on our lives.

Some years ago there was a rather serious tragedy in our ward. A great woman, the wife of our former bishop and a woman beloved and respected in our ward family, contracted cancer of the worst kind. This was a vivacious, effervescent woman who lifted and inspired everyone she met. As the disease became worse, I gave her blessings. Other General Authorities gave her blessings. One of the blessings I gave was in the presence of her seventeen-year-old son. Another blessing was given to her when her son was eighteen. Our Heavenly Father, though, had something else in mind for her, and she was taken home to Him.

Introduction

As a people, we have been extraordinarily good at keeping the very first commandment given by the Lord to the newly organized Church of Christ in April 1830: “Behold, there shall be a record kept among you” (D&C 21:1). Our initial impulse in recording our lives and remembering the past is to emphasize the good, even the heroic. This is a great virtue and act of charity toward ourselves and our forebears. We don’t pretend that we or our ancestors are perfect, but we do highlight what is noble and worthy of emulation. We hope our record will have inspirational value for someone down the road who might encounter it and need a bit of uplift. Naturally, there’s some aspect of vanity involved as well—we want others to see us at our best.

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Here are just a few of these profound principles about the after-life that are unique to the Church.

The strongest woman in America and one of the strongest women in the world is showing girls everywhere that they can be healthy, successful, and love themselves at every size.

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There are many reasons to be excited for 2017, and one of those reasons is that we will be studying President Gordon B. Hinckley in our Relief Societies and Elders Quorums. As 2016 comes to a close and the new year begins, learn from President Hinckley the unfailing power of optimism.

Kathryn is the founder, owner, and designer of Kate's Camisoles—an online boutique born in 2002 from the desire to be modest while still wearing fashionable items such as sheer and lacy tops. The idea for the camisoles was born when Kathryn saw a woman in a white, somewhat sheer top that exposed all of her undergarments. When out shopping a few days later, Kathryn realized there was nothing both classy and comfortable that would also cover a woman's undergarments. Deciding she needed a camisole made of superior fabric that was lightweight and that continued to look new after multiple wears, she set out to make exactly what she wanted. She scoured Los Angeles' fabric market, testing fabrics until she found something that wouldn't shrink, that was colorfast so the die wouldn't fade or run, and was comfortable. She designed her own patterns, had her first batch of Classic Cami's produced, and launched Kate's Camisoles.