I found this today and thought it would be a nice thing to include for this month.  With Thanksgiving coming up and then Christmas, we all need to remember to be thankful for who we are, what unique talents we have, what opportunities we have to repent and renew our commitments to be better, that we will have to face hardships but we do have a Father in Heaven who loves us and will never give us anything we can't handle.  We also have a Savior, Jesus Christ who suffered everything, even the shedding of his own blood and giving his life so that we might call on him and his atonement and be comforted and forgiven and someday return to He and the Father.

A PENCIL MAKER TOLD THE PENCIL 5 IMPORTANT LESSONS JUST BEFORE PUTTING IT IN THE BOX:

1.) EVERYTHING YOU DO WILL ALWAYS LEAVE A MARK.

2.) YOU CAN ALWAYS CORRECT THE MISTAKES YOU MAKE.

3.) WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS WHAT IS INSIDE OF YOU.

4.) IN LIFE , YOU WILL UNDERGO PAINFUL SHARPENINGS, WHICH WILL ONLY MAKE YOU BETTER.

5.) TO BE THE BEST PENCIL, YOU MUST ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE HELD AND GUIDED BY THE HAND THAT HOLDS YOU. 

We all need to be constantly sharpened.  This parable may encourage you to know that you are a special person, with unique talents and abilities.  Only you can fulfill the purpose which you were born to accomplish.  Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot be changed and, like the pencil, always remember that the most important part of who you are, is what's inside of you.

Bob and LouAnn