Gratitude Dissolves Irritation

Waffles. Lots of Waffles, but not enough.
Sleep. Sporadic, uncertain, and based on an infant’s feeding schedule. Definitely not enough.
Irritation. Abundant, overwhelming and irrational. Way to much.
And one well-meaning teenage daughter caught in the middle of this storm of abundance and deprivation.
Seeing my slothlike movements and blood shot eyes, the night before this incident my 16-yr-old volunteered to make breakfast while I slept a little longer. As cooking is not her favorite passtime, I was very touched by her thoughtful gesture. 
While up feeding the baby in the wee hours of the morning, I realized the recipe she would follow needed to be tripled in order to feed the family. Knowing her phone was on silent, I messaged that information to her and went back to sleep.
Hours later, the smell of crisp waffles hit my senses as I pulled myself out of bed. While marching through the kitchen on my way to start chores, I noticed an empty batter bowl, a small stack of waffles, and a smiling teenager. Instantly irritated, I knew she hadn’t received the 2 a.m. message. 
"You’ll have to make another batch," I snapped as I walked by, "that will never be enough." 
Her smile faded and she blinked at my brusque tone of voice. "Oh. I’m sorry. I’m not very good at judging these things, I guess," she commented, looking at the results of her efforts with new eyes.
Huffing away to the next room, I started throwing together the cow milking machine. Mid-task, a thought smacked me over the head.
"She is just trying to help you."
Immediately the scene replayed through my mind from HER perspective. Chin on my chest, I knew my actions and words had hurt an innocent daughter of God. As I prayed for forgiveness, gratitude for my child’s efforts to contribute washed over me. I stopped my task and walked back to the kitchen to apologize, to thank her, and to help her throw together another batch of batter to feed our hungry troops.
Gratitude dissolves irritation. 
Example number two:
"Oh dear. We accidentally locked Dad out of the house!" I announced as I hung up the phone. "He has a speaking assignment in 20 minutes, and now he has to break into his own house." The phone call had been laced with a tone of disbelief and escalating irritation, not a pleasant experience. Sheepishly I smacked my forehead. As the kids and I were three hours away visiting grandparents, we were of no help. 
Fifteen minutes later, I received a message from my husband as he walked into a church meeting. "A nice meal to warm up, a freshly ironed white shirt in the closet (I seldom iron, so this was an unusual treat), what more could a man ask for? Thanks for taking care of me."
His tone had completely changed. There was no mention of the panicky minutes of breaking into his own home, of rushing to cleanup and be timely, just an expression of gratitude for little things with all signs of bad feelings gone.
Gratitude dissolves irritation. 
"Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love." President Thomas S. Monson