Sunday, November 30, 2014

Stories/Lessons I Want to Remember from Another Great Book

I recently finished Drawing Closer to God by Henry B. Eyring (which is a collection of several discourses he has given.).  I was very touched by quite a few things he said, particularly regarding service.   But this story about his father especially impresses me.  His dad was abt 80 and had bone cancer which caused him to be in terrible pain.  But he signed up for a welfare assignment to pull weeds among onions.  He spent most of the day and it was agonizing for him, according to those that served with him.  But he smiled and laughed.  (I am already impressed that he signed up, went and did the work without complaining!   But it goes on.). At the end of the day, someone told him he was pulling the wrong weeds.  Those weeds had been sprayed and were going to die already.  He thought this was hilarious...he'd spent all day pulling weeds that had been sprayed.   President Eyring asked him how he could laugh at this.  Here is his response and President Eyring's lesson:


"He said something to me that I will never forget, and I hope you won’t. He said, “Hal, I wasn’t there for the weeds.”
"Now, you’ll be in an onion patch much of your life. So will I. It will be hard to see the powers of heaven magnifying us or our efforts. It may even be hard to see our work being of any value at all. And sometimes our work won’t go well.
But you didn’t come for the weeds. You came for the Savior. And if you pray, and if you choose to be clean, and if you choose to follow God’s servants, you will be able to work and wait long enough to bring down the powers of heaven."  (If you want to read the whole story, it is found in this BYU speech:  
 http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=775.) 
Wow!  It is easy for me to get discouraged when it seems my service isn't making a difference, and I think I would have been very frustrated if I had been President Eyring's father...perhaps even angry...but what an amazing perspective.   I guess this is an example of Matt 25:40, although it isn't what we typically think of...but welfare projects certainly go to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc. " 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have adone it unto one of the bleast of these my cbrethren, ye have done it unto me."  So he wasn't weeding onions, he was serving the Savior...and that is never actually too hard (although sometimes it seems to be.)

Another related story about his father.  Shared in President Eyring's words (http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=824)

" Let me illustrate for you what I know about the questions that matter and how they are answered by telling you about the last conversations I had with my father.

He was suffering through the end of a long struggle with bone cancer. He still weighed enough and was in such pain that it was hard work to move him from a chair to his bed. Others far more heroic than I spent the months and the days caring for him. But I took some turns on the midnight to dawn shift.

The effects of disease had removed the powers of reason he’d used to make a mark that is still visible in science. He seemed to me almost like a child as we talked through the night. Most of his memories were of riding across the range together with his father in Old Mexico. But sometimes even those happy pictures could not crowd from his mind the terrible pain.
One night when I was not with him and the pain seemed more than he could bear, he somehow got out of bed and on his knees beside it—I know not how. He pled with God to know why he was suffering so. And the next morning he said, with quiet firmness, “I know why now. God needs brave sons.”

Now, when someone tells you the questions that matter yield only to some rational analysis, remember that the stunning achievements of reason over the past three hundred years have sprung from what is called the “scientific method.” I hope you’ll also remember, as I always will, the scientist Henry Eyring on his knees, when the questions that really mattered yielded to the method for finding truth he’d learned as a little boy at his mother’s knee in Old Mexico. This was long before he took the train to Tucson, and Berkeley, and Madison, and then on to Berlin and Princeton to use the scientific method to create theories that changed the scientific world. What he learned on his knees brought him peace and changed my life."

I hope that line will remain with me.   God needs brave sons.  (And I would definitely add daughters!)

I love the comfort/reminder offered in D&C 121:7-9:
" 7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;   8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.  9 Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands."

And also D&C 122:5-7, although I will just quote verse 7 here:  " 7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."  

He needs us to be strong and faithful and if we are, great blessings, incredible blessings, are promised. 

Mosiah 5: 7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.

I was very touched by these two stories.  I hope to develop that kind of faith and that type of attitude in regards to the trials I face and will face.  

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Lessons Learned from A Great Book

 I recently finished reading Divine Signatures by Gerald Lund.  Highly recommended.  It has helped me feel the Lord's love for me and notice the small but still miraculous and wonderful things The Lord does for me.  His tender mercies. "But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Ne. 1:20).

In chapter eleven, Elder Lund first quotes Elder Maxwell who said, "The thermostat on the furnace of affliction will not have been set too high for us - though clearly we may think so at the time. Our God is a refining God who has been tempering soul-steel for a very long time. He knows when the right edge has been put up on our excellence and also when there is more in us than we have yet given. "   Then through the rest of the chapter, Lund shares insights into Matthew 11:28-30.  I was touched by two parts.  
First, he lists a number of verses containing Christ's descriptions of Himself.  3 Nephi 9:18, D & C 38:3, D&C 68:6, D&C 93:26, D&C 110:4, John 6:35, John 10:9, John 10:11, John 11:25, John 14:6.  He writes, "Those titles denote power, knowledge, truth, patience, caring, sustenance, order, strength, peace, comfort, life, nurturing, direction and protection.  That is why He can promise that He will give us rest."

Then in that same chapter he writes some of the functions of the Holy Ghost "He enlightens, instructs, warns, comforts, directs, guides, edifices, increases our capacity to do something, confirms, encourages, solves, answers, testifies, gives us the gifts of the Spirit, gives us the fruits of the Spirit, helps us discern between good and evil and right and wrong, brings flashes of pure intelligence, increases understanding and wisdom, brings a burning of the bosom or a stupor of thought, comforts us in sorrow, brings us peace, and is the source of all testimony.  As Elder Bruce R. McConkie put it, 'These are by no means all of the gifts.  In the fullest sense, they are infinite in number and endless in their manifestations.'"

Then Elder Lund writes, "How often do we remember to thank God for this incredible gift that can lift and lighten our burdens and make the yoke of life so much easier?"


I need to do better at this.  Such a powerful book!

Friday, November 28, 2014

A Month of Gratitude

On Facebook, I tried to post what I was thankful for each day during November.  I missed a few days, but it certainly helped me to recognize and remember how truly blessed I am!

Here are the things I posted:
Nov. 1:  I am thankful for good books to read, time with my family and the fabulous weather we have had lately.
Nov. 2: Grateful for extra sleep last night and beautiful meetings at church today. And especially for the enabling power of the Atonement as Sister Esplin spoke about in General Conference.
Nov. 3:  Grateful for heat and electricity. Warm sweaters and sweatshirts and thick socks. Blankets. Hot chocolate. Everything I have to keep me comfortably warm as the temperatures begin to drop.
Nov. 4:  I am grateful for good friends. They bless my life in immeasurable ways.
Nov. 6:  Missed posting what I was thankful for yesterday. So two things today: clean water to drink. A working dishwasher. (We went a couple of years without a dishwasher...and it is doable...but particularly since I work and life seems to be quite busy lately...I am very, very thankful for my working dishwasher.).

Nov. 7:  Thankful for my car and the ability to get to where I need to go quickly.
Nov. 9:  Grateful for darling children (my own and others) who invited the spirit, taught us and showed such enthusiasm for the gospel today. Also very grateful for their Primary leaders and teachers who have helped to teach them. Wonderful primary program

Nov. 10:  Grateful for my husband, Alfredo, who cooked two separate meals yesterday (empanadas and spaghetti)...and made enough for our lunches and dinner today...which meant I only cooked breakfast yesterday and today. He is such a great cook! He also leaves the kitchen cleaner when he's done than it was before he started. He does so much for me and for our children. He is the best! I love him so much!!
Nov. 11:  Very thankful for the freedoms I enjoy and all those, past and present, who have sacrificed so much so I have these freedoms.
Nov. 13:  Super grateful for my wonderful book club friends. I needed to laugh today after a rough day. So blessed to have wonderful friends! Also grateful for renters protection plan on my daughter's violin...

Nov. 14:  Grateful to have a darling class of 2nd graders. They are cute, smart, wonderful kids and I really enjoy my time with them.

Nov. 15:  Grateful for date night with my husband tonight. Also grateful for delicious food...and so grateful that we have enough food to eat each and every day. We are so blessed!

Nov.  16:  Today I am thankful for great teachers....teachers at church, teachers I work with, the teachers who teach my daughters at school. I feel blessed that my children have amazing, dedicated teachers who teach them reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and Spanish (for the younger two) as well as teaching them respect and responsibility and hard work and perseverance and other life lessons. I feel so very grateful that we all have fabulous teachers at church that help us learn more about Jesus Christ and help us become better. And I feel so thankful to have wonderful colleagues who are dedicated, hard working teachers that truly care about children.

Nov. 22:   This article:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-dannemiller/the-one-question-every-parent-should-quit-asking_b_6182248.html    Especially loved this: "But what if I were to ask you to list the five people who have meant the most to you in your life? The ones who taught you what it means to be a true friend. A person of integrity. I know without a doubt that 100 percent of us could do it in a heartbeat. And the list would be filled with people who never had a highway or high school named after them. People who never had their name carved on a ceremonial trophy. But here's the kicker. The mere thought of their faces likely makes your heart swell. Might even bring a tear to your eye."

I have been blessed to have so many more than just 5 people who fit that description.

Nov. 23:  My three beautiful children (My wonderful, responsible Michelle.  My spunky, silly, sweet Gabby.  My caring, tender hearted Ella.)  Yummy food.  The temple.  My family (parents, sisters, brother-in-law, nieces, nephew, husband, children).   Good books.  Especially the scriptures.  The beauty of this Earth.The chance that my daughters have to learn to play piano and the opportunity my oldest has to play violin. Music is a huge blessing.

Nov. 24:Today I am thankful for appliances. Particularly my washer/dryer, dishwasher, stove and oven. But also, my Blendtec blender, waffle iron, microwave, toaster oven, (all of these appliances listed have been used today!) as well as my hand mixer, bread machine, rice cooker, Crockpot and other appliances. Each of these appliances makes my life easier!

Nov. 25:  Today I am grateful for a long weekend, time with my family, and this approaching holiday season.

Nov. 26:  I am thankful for so many things. Internet access. My health and the health of my family. Life. A home. A car. A great neighborhood to raise my family in. Fabulous neighbors. Our prophet, Thomas S. Monson. Clean water. Hot showers. Dinner with friends. A trip to the zoo with my children. Christmas music. A soft bed. Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Friend. Opportunities to serve. The best parents and grandparents ever. Two talented, beautiful sisters. And... so many more things. Read one of my favorite children's books to my class yesterday and was reminded of one of my favorite quotes, "The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time. The more we say thanks, the more we find to be thankful for. And the more we find to be thankful for, the happier we become. We don't give thanks because we're happy. We are happy because we give thanks." -Douglas Wood, "The Secret of Saying Thanks"

So.Very.Blessed.

My greatest blessings, of course, are the gospel of Jesus Christ and all that comes along with that.  And my family.  All the other things are added bonuses.

I am also grateful for the beautiful photos of my family taken by my friend, Carey.









Saturday, November 8, 2014

Spirit Week

The week of October 27-31 was Spirit Week for Ella and Gabby and Red Ribbon Week for Michelle.  I honestly did not document Michelle's outfits because most days she wasn't ready when the other two girls and I were leaving.  But I did take photos of Ella and Gabby all week long.

(And this is what happens when you interrupt a post and save it to be published later planning to add photos before it gets published.  Instead, life gets busy, and the post publishes without pictures...and only two weeks later do you get around to adding the photos.)

Monday was Culture Day.  Ella decided not to dress up.  Gabby just wore a shirt from El Salvador...and her  daddy did her hair extra cute that day.


Tuesday was Crazy Hair Day:

Look at the ratting in that hair.



 On Wednesday, they could choose to wear their clothes backwards (which Gabby chose) or dress up like a career.  Ella chose to dress as a teacher...with an ID badge, a denim skirt, a jacket and her hair in a bun.


 On Thursday, it was sports team day.  Since we aren't big sports fans, they didn't dress up. (Although  a week later, Alfredo bought them Real Salt Lake outfits, so next time they will have something to wear!)  On Friday, it was Halloween, so they were able to wear their Halloween costumes.


A fun Spirit Week!

Friday, November 7, 2014

Gabby and Michelle and the Two Wheeled Bike

Gabby got a bike with training wheels a few months ago...can't remember exactly when.  But a month ago, she decided she was ready to learn to ride it without training wheels.  So Michelle used Alfredo's tools (and got a tiny bit of help from Alfredo ...but very little) and took off Gabby's training wheels.  Then Michelle spent about 15 minutes helping Gabby figure out how to balance and pedal and so on.  Then she was riding her bike.  It took a bit more practice to be able to turn without stopping and getting off to turn her bike around, but she was soon soaring up and down the street.  Proud of Gabby for learning...and Michelle for being such a good helper/teacher to her sister.







Thursday, November 6, 2014

Gardner Village

Over UEA weekend, I got a lot done.  I cleaned the carpets in the whole house.  I made about 10  more freezer meals.  I read and played with my kids and took them to see Meet the Mormons.  It was very touching.  On Monday, Ella, Gabby and I didn't have school but Michelle did.  I offered to let her stay home so we could go do something fun.  But she decided that she shouldn't miss safety patrol and she shouldn't miss math so she went to school.  See, she is such a good kid.

So while she was at school, Ella, Gabby and I spent an hour or two at Gardner Village visiting the witches.




 There was someone there doing face painting.  The girls love to have their faces painted, so I let them do that.  Gabby got this beautiful, elaborate butterfly.


 Ella got this gorgeous blue design painted on her face.  It really was beautiful...just like my sweet Ella.
A fun outing with two cute, fun girls!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

We Love....Waffle Love

A couple of my neighbors love Waffle Love, a truck that travels around and sells waffles with yummy toppings.  The waffle truck is sometimes just around the corner from where we live...but it only seems to come close by while I am at work.  Or once this summer I heard about it just after it was gone.  So until a couple of weeks ago, I had never been.  Well, my kids had dentist appointments and when I realized that the waffle truck was going to be just around the corner from the dentist about 15 minutes after our appointment would end, I decided we HAD to go!  So we waited in line for our chance to try the waffles...and they didn't disappoint.  Michelle got one with chocolate sticks and bananas.  Gabby and Ella shared one that had caramel and ice cream.  Then I got the berry one which had raspberries, strawberries, biscotti and whip cream.  Then we did a bit of sharing as well.  They were delicious!!  And super filling.  I could barely finish mine.  Oh, but it was seriously so tasty.   We will definitely be back.

 Gabby and Ella showing off their vampire teeth they got from the dentist.


 Look how good these look!   And they taste even better.


Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Book Club: Murder Mystery

Book Club was at Darla's house on October 30.  Along with our book discussion, we did a Murder Mystery.  It was a lot of fun.  Each of us was assigned a part and came dressed as that part.  It was awesome to see what each of the ladies did.  Super fun.  Nicole couldn't make it, so Darla's daughter, Darci, attended. She also made this awesome cake:

Darla as the Wicked Witch of the West...Bonnie as Captain Barbosa

Bad picture...but me as Catwoman

Bonnie as Captain Barbosa and Kim as Darth Vader


All of us in the It's Not About the Book (INATB) Book Club...minus Nicole...plus Darci...such great ladies!

Kemra as Professor Mysterio

Jackie as Doctor Horrible

Becky as the Grim Reaper...cool addition, she had added names of fictional characters who have died on her scythe

Darci as the Queen of Hearts

Angie as Cruella de Ville and Darla

Bonnie and Penni as The Riddler

Marla as Biff

My enemy Poison Ivy, I mean Liz  :)
 We had a great time acting out our parts and trying to decide who killed Lex Luther.  We also enjoyed visiting and discussing the Agatha Christie books we read.  Great book club!