Sunday thoughts for Mother's Day

I was blessed with both a mother and a grandmother who are women of faith. They love the Lord, they love each other, and they love me, and I consider all of those things to be gifts.

 

Grandma taught me about how the Spirit spoke to her frequently. She once told me that she didn't need an alarm - the Holy Ghost would wake her up whenever she needed to awake. I was a bit skeptical then, but I have experienced the same thing enough times now to know she was right. From her, I learned that our Heavenly Father cares about us and our lives, and that the Spirit can help and comfort us in endless ways.

My mom also taught me about promptings from the Spirit. She would return home from the grocery store and start putting things away, only to exclaim, "Oh! The Spirit told me to buy butter! I knew I should have gotten some!" Again, I doubted that the Holy Ghost would be concerned about her grocery list, but now I know from her example and from my own experience that the Lord cares about everything that matters to us. She taught me not to doubt, and to follow promptings.

Recently, I was reading the comments for the daily reading of @bofm365 (on Instagram, I highly recommend it). There was some discussion of Mosiah 3:19, one of my favorite scriptures. A commenter said something that really struck me: she said that she has learned to say "yes" whenever she receives a prompting from the Spirit. If she doesn't understand, or doesn't see how it is possible for her to act on it, she quickly prays, "Yes. How?" or "Show me." Almost immediately, the way is shown to her.

This pretty much rocked my world. I feel like a whole new perspective has opened up to me. I just need to internalize this, to shift to an instant willingness to be shown the way. It's not really my nature to be positive, optimistic. But I am absolutely going to work to adopt this "yes" attitude.

Sunday thoughts

This week I was thinking about our new ward. We've been in it for 7 months now, and it still doesn't feel like home. (Obviously, as I still think of it as our new ward.) I'm in Primary, so I still don't really know that many people. And it seems like we have more than our share of problems.

Today in testimony meeting, a man stood at the pulpit and sang his gratitude. He then spoke about being unemployed for two years, and announced that he now has a good job, and his family has benefits again! He gave thanks for living in a ward where people know what it is like to suffer, to experience adversity, and yet to hold fast.

Well. I, for one, am grateful for a new perspective.

Sunday thoughts

I've been reviewing my notes from Time Out For Women, and there is so much good stuff in there, I am overwhelmed by it all. So I just picked something that Hilary Weeks shared:


She decided to ask Heavenly Father in her morning prayer each day which one thing was most important for her to do during that day. Most often, her answers were small things, such as emailing a friend or writing a note to her daughter. And frequently, she would discover, after the fact, that following through on that one small act was an answer to someone else's prayer, and a great blessing to herself.

There is a special kind of peace at the end of the day when you know you have done the most important thing you could have for that day. (I would like to experience that!)

Heavenly Father will be as much a part of our lives as we will let him be.

Sunday thoughts

For my Sunday thoughts today, I'm going back to last Saturday's evening session of stake conference. Marc's parents attended it with us, because they came to hear us sing. It was one of those really great meetings where I didn't feel at all bad that they had to sit through the whole thing just because of one song, you know?

Sister Herrmann

• Example is the best teacher – our children watch to see if our actions are consistent with our words.
• Do our children know what we know?
• Focus on the big picture: it helps us to put things into perspective and a tempering takes place within us.
• We don't have to be the best, we just have to do our best.
• Have hope and believe in good things to come.
• The Lord wants our children to be happy and successful even more than we do.

Brother Lunt

• Reminded us of an apostolic blessing given to us by Vaughn J. Featherstone many years ago: If we attend the temple regularly, we will have greater love and unity, we will prosper in our professions, our children will be safe, and angels will surround us.
• There are people divinely positioned to help us in our trials.
• Conversely, we can be those people prepared to help others in their trials. Are we preparing ourselves to be instruments in God's hands?
• We must be humble enough to turn to the only sure source of comfort and peace.

Sister Smart

• Ask yourself each day how you have seen the hands of the Lord in your life.
• The Holy Ghost will help us to recognize our blessings.
• An appropriate sense of humor can do much to get us through times of trial.
• We can be happy in spite of the challenges we face because the Savior is watching over all.
• We need miracles and we should be praying for miracles.

President Kennison

• Don't we all want to get to the place where we have "no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually?"
• What if is just became part of our nature to feast upon the words of Christ, to speak with our Heavenly Father, to look for ways to serve others, to see God's hand in our lives?
• Our hearts are changed when we offer them to Him.
• There is no neutral ground in the universe.
• We become disciples by doing what disciples do.

President Killpack

• Remember, recognize, and record.
• Good seeds planted in healthy soil with nurturing and periodic weeding yield a wonderful harvest.
• "He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness." (John)
• "Arise, shine, and reflect the boundless light of the Almighty." (Isaiah)
• It seems wise to ask every day who needs light that we could provide.
• We can push darkness away when we receive His light.
• If we have asked for heavenly light and have received it, we have the obligation to share it.
• His light can inspire husband and wife, mother and father.
• It is repulsed by that which is ugly or unworthy.
• By choosing light and life, we are choosing hope in spite of pain.
• Understanding the eternal nature of the temple will draw you to your family. Understanding the eternal nature of your family will draw you to the temple.

I wish I could present these things as beautifully as the speakers did, but instead I had to rely on my cryptic notes.

I was so uplifted and strengthened by our stake conference, and now General Conference is only 2 weeks away! I can hardly wait for one of my two favorite weekends of the whole year.

Sunday thoughts

Today in sacrament meeting, a member of our bishopric was sharing his testimony, and he reminded us that we are all children of God -- eternal beings who are currently living a temporary mortal experience.

I know this, but the way he said it really struck me. He talked about living with an eternal perspective, and that this enables us to find happiness, even in the midst of trials and difficulties. I have found this to be true. I know it's possible to be happy, even when times are hard. I don't know that there will ever be a time in our lives when everything is perfectly in place, so I've learned to be happy now. Find joy in the journey, as President Monson says.

This bishopric member also said that he is grateful for the passage of time. I don't know that I've ever thought of it in quite that way before. He expressed gratitude for the life experiences time has brought him, as well as a little wisdom along the way.

While I do appreciate the things I've learned and experienced in my life thus far, I cannot unequivocally be grateful for the passage of time. Christmas vacation, for instance, sure did pass by quickly. I'm not ready for the kids to go back to school tomorrow, for the lessons and dentist appointments and everything else to start up again. I have loved this relaxing, at-home time.

Strangely enough, it hasn't felt like the new year yet to me, not until tonight. Now I feel it. So, in that vein...

Goodbye 2008:

Goodbye President Hinckley
Goodbye Fourth Ward
Goodbye to Marc being the financial clerk
Goodbye hopelessly unorganized studio
Goodbye Grammy Lou
Goodbye to our wonderful trip to San Francisco
Goodbye linoleum!
Goodbye lovely Oregon Coast
Goodbye diapers!
Goodbye to a quilt 4 years in the making
Goodbye Charleston
Goodbye mice! (thanks, Lelly)
Goodbye to bags and bags of donations and trash
Goodbye to some of our retirement fund
Goodbye perennially freezing basement
Goodbye ugly white railing with plastic sheeting
Goodbye holiday chaos

Welcome 2009.

I will try even harder to keep an eternal perspective this year, to find joy in the journey, to appreciate each day so that I will not mourn the passing of time.

a matter of perspective

Last Sunday, during the administration of the sacrament, Eva was having great difficulty with being reverent. She kept talking, I kept whispering to her to be quiet. Then she practically yelled out to the silent congregation, "It's too hard to be quiet!!" To my great embarrassment.

Yesterday, a member of our Primary presidency was giving a talk in sacrament meeting, and she reminded us of the lesson we were taught last week by "a member of our nursery". I can't even remember how she fit that into her talk now, because I was too busy being embarrassed all over again.

As we were leaving the chapel, our former bishop and his wife stopped me to tell me that they laughed about Eva's comment all through their Sunday dinner -- because it was so cute! Whaaaaat? I told them I was thrilled that they found it cute rather than annoying and embarrassing, as I did. They assured me that it was just an example of the wisdom of youth. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.