So Much to be Grateful For

 The last couple of weeks have been full and rich! In the last general conference President Russell M Nelson challenged us to increase in faith and to use that faith to move the mountains in our lives.

“My call to you is to start today to INCREASE YOUR FAITH. Through your faith Jesus Christ will increase your ability to move the mountains in your life. BECOME AN ENGAGED LEARNER. IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE SCRIPTURES to understand better Christ’s mission and ministry. KNOW THE DOCTRINE of Christ so that you understand its power for your life. INTERNALIZE THE TRUTH that the Atonement of Jesus Christ applies to you.

“He provided the power for you to MOVE EVERY MOUNTAIN you will ever face. You obtain that power with your faith, trust and willingness to follow Him. Moving your mountains may require miracles. LEARN ABOUT MIRACLES. Miracles come according to your faith in the Lord. The more you learn about the Savior the easier it will be for you to TRUST IN HIS MERCY, His infinite love, and His strengthening, healing, and redeeming power.

“THE SAVIOR IS NEVER CLOSER TO YOU THAN WHEN YOU ARE FACING OR CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN WITH FAITH.”

I love this so much!!! It encourages me deeply and I am truly seeking to learn to exercise greater faith in the power of the Atonement of my Savior, Jesus Christ.... and He is helping me. 

A couple of weeks ago I came upon a course on the internet that resonated so deeply with me, I purchased it on the spot. Now typically I am not an impulse buyer, but I am now about 30% though this course and I haven’t regretted the purchase yet!!! I have been teaching what I have been learning to my family members and they too are finding ways to implement those same things into their lives. What is the course you ask? It is found on the site https://learndobecome.com/step Through it I am learning principles of organization that influence not only my home, but also my emotional energy. I have had greater energy, increased enthusiasm for learning, greater purpose in doing the little things I once thought mundane chores, and I thrill at purging the excess ‘stuff’ from my brain and from my home. It has literally lit me up! Every day I thank my Father in Heaven for guiding me to learn how to overcome a mountain I didn’t even recognize in my life.

Let me share my first big project... an elimination of piles in my office workspace. I haven’t finished yet, but this is what I started with... 

And this is what it looks like midway through the project... [I will try to remember to update this post with an after picture when I finish the room.]

It actually could be worse... but I have so much stuff filling this small space, that it is a little bit stifling. In the two weeks since I started I have cleared out 4 bags of shredded paper, donated extra office supplies, and contributed piles and piles of paper to the recycle bin in our community. It feels GREAT! Now, here is the real beauty. Since I have gotten rid of so much excess in my home, my mind is clearer and I am enjoying my daily activities so much more! I approach dejunking with enthusiasm that I have lacked for years. The mountain of STUFF requires faith because it is otherwise overwhelming and shuts down my energy and desire to even tackle it. You see... God really is helping me.

This past week I was asked to help with cleaning out the belongings of a dear family member who has moved from their home into a long term care arrangement. I know, without any doubt, that it is because of the principles I am learning in this course that I was able to do that work without overwhelm AND to my delight my soul literally brimmed with joy all that day! Perhaps that is a miracle in my life.

I am so grateful for a prophet that challenges me to stretch and learn and do so that I can become better. This process is so joyful and I commend it to any who desire personal improvement and clarity in their own lives. God bless you in your efforts... it requires diligent work, but it is so very worth everything you sacrifice in the end.

Finally - A Wedding Reception

Last fall our family grew by one - a fun-loving young man by the name of Josh. He is perfect for our daughter and we were excited even when they eloped. I mean, who can blame them? The restrictions made gathering for a wedding nearly impossible... however, all this time we have been waiting for an opportunity to celebrate with them in a more public way... A date was chosen, the day after they would go to the temple and have their marriage sealed [preserved for not just time but also for eternity by the power of God which is on the earth]. The plan was for a drive-by reception to follow in Josh's hometown.

The week prior was filled with lots of preparations and planning, lots of phone calls and pictures, and it was so fun to have that common goal drawing family members together. Friday night we had 9 people gather at the temple for the preparatory teaching and sealing ordinances. It was so wonderful to be in the Holy House of the Lord once again. It is a place of love and peace and I have missed it so much [it has been closed for much of the pandemic]. It was extra special to be there surrounded by beloved family members. Melodee was beautiful and Josh radiant. I was delighted beyond expression when I realized that it would be light enough outside still for photos of all who had attended and then add to that delight, a surprise visit from another daughter and her husband and children. They had made the one-hour drive after their children's bedtimes just so that they could be there when Josh and Melodee came out of the temple. What a joy it was to have them there and since the restrictions had lifted to 20 outdoors, we never went over the limit. So many blessings in such a short period of time.

Saturday dawned bright and sunny, but it was still chilly and there was a wind that made decorating the arch a little complicated... however, we persevered as the parents, and we got it looking beautiful. Chad helped me secure the wisteria across the arch as a finishing touch. When the appointed time arrived we were basically ready. Flowers were distributed, and boutonnieres pinned on the men. What a good-looking bunch of young people. Melodee had her aunt and her sister stand with her. One special part of the day was the arrival of Melodee's grandma, who, because of health, doesn't get out much anymore. She was so thrilled to be there. It was a great morning, topped off with a carriage ride for the newlyweds through town. Josh's family then gathered for a meal. [The family dinner was done in two parts to stay within the allotted numbers currently outlined.] Later that evening, Melodee's side gathered for a meal at her grandparents' farm. It was another nice evening and an added blessing was the easing of the wind as the day progressed. They got lots of pictures and it feels like we at least had an appropriate celebration in their honour. 

 

 

 

It is hard getting married during a pandemic! It has been a process of over 6 months, but they no longer have to hold space for some unknown date to celebrate with their loved ones. It has been a complete joy to meet and associate with Josh's family a little more - they are such good people - and to feel the energy of the newlyweds as they embrace life with enthusiasm and eagerness.

So Many Little Things

 So... here I am once again... life has been so busy that blogging has all but stopped which is obvious in the frequency of my posts as of late.... but there is still joy, through it all and it is time to share it again. Publicly for the world if they care to know, for the skeptic and the supporter alike, this blog is a place of unguarded truth, joy and love... yes, love for every person in my life, and you my reader, whether a spectator or participant are invited into my life. I love your presence and the quality it offers to me and the world around me.

So much has happened since my last post - a worldwide pandemic stretching into years rather than just months, graduations, weddings, family celebrations all being affected by the careful considerations of those monitoring the situation - and we trust that they have been acting in our best interest. I have had lots of doubts through it all, but in the end I found that the conspiracy theories, and doubt-sayers actually contribute far too much to fear, building it and feeding it.  I will NOT live in fear... so I have chosen to try FAITH as an antidote to the fears that surfaced initially. It has been a great blessing, and peace has been restored to my soul. But it has still been hard.

Let me back up to the beginning... when the pandemic was first declared it was only weeks following the funeral of my younger sister who died unexpectedly and suddenly. She and I had mended fences and were beginning to make plans to do great things together, so the loss was especially hard to bear. Even now, over a year later, I can’t help but selfishly wish she were still with us. I am certain though that those great things we were going to engage in together, will still occur at some point in the future because of the glorious plan of our Father in Heaven, God over the earth. He is my purest source of joy. 

Anyway, 10 days after her funeral the world stopped in its tracks, ground to a halt by the COVID pandemic. At first I felt fear. It was portrayed as extremely deadly and contagious. Work changed - suddenly there were no students left in the schools, the hallways echoed and there was nobody left to clean up behind. It felt like the Pied Piper had come and played his magical flute and taken them all away. It was eerie, but the numbers began to show truth... perhaps, though contagious, it wasn’t deadly for as many as it was initially thought. But through it all I have been overwhelmingly blessed... I have had consistent work with no interruptions.

My son returned home from serving a 2 year mission in England 2 months after we were shut down. I consider it a great blessing that he was able to get home without complication. The airport was hauntingly empty when we picked him up. We quarantined with him for the required two weeks and enjoyed a building project together in our back yard. He painted with the air sprayer and shared his stories and experiences with us. It was a sweet time - one of those blessings amidst a storm. Life was quieter, and lent to sweeter experiences with family.

One particularly wonderful experience was the graduation of my second youngest daughter. With school shut down, graduation as we knew it in previous years was not happening. Outdoor gatherings were still permitted and so the then 12 of us gathered for a graduation celebration. We had a banquet in the back yard in formal attire followed by the graduation ceremonies complete with a guest speaker, MC, class history, prediction, and a valedictory speech. Every person present had a part in the program and it was fun, and light and a joy to pull together at such a time as this. I never realized just how much fun such a small, intimate gathering could be. It was by far, the best graduation ceremony I have ever attended.

The pandemic continued, at alarming rates around the world, but in our little rural community we were largely untouched. July brought a new addition to the family, a wee baby girl came to the home of our Naomi. I was blessed to spend some time helping out and bonding with this special spirit that has joined our family. As she has grown, one of her greatest gifts is an extra ready big smile. Now, I know, most babies smile but this little one, since she was 4 months old, has been separated from us personally by the measures put in place to curb the spread of the virus. So we have had many video calls, and every single time we visit with her, she has a smile - she lights up - and it is a joy to see. I am so thankful for the technology that has fostered in person relationships to grow and continue during this time of separateness we have endured (and continue to endure).

In the fall of 2020 our family grew again. This time a new son-in-law joined us. The restrictions then in place made wedding gatherings nearly impossible, and so they eloped. We were permitted a 10 person wedding reception - which was essentially a family dinner with the bride and groom, their parents, one set of grandparents and an aunt who doubled as the photographer. But is was a sweet relaxed gathering. A welcoming and connecting we might have missed out on in a larger setting. Life does indeed go on, even in a pandemic.

Christmas was shadowed with even stronger restrictions, and simply wasn’t what we had anticipated but we did what we could to pull together. We had a family Kahoot game which was actually a lot of fun when it worked, but we had to give up on it Christmas Day because the program would not run - apparently many families were thinking along the same lines as we had been. We did it on boxing day with great success. We also had a family gingerbread house decorating contest. Submissions were done by zoom and I loved how creative everybody got. There were good memories, even though it wasn’t what we had originally hoped for.

The new year brought hope. Hope that life can resume, but also anticipation for the blessings and opportunities that would surface in the months ahead. First of all we had yet another addition to our family. Another sweet granddaughter. I was thankful to be able to spend a couple of days helping as mom and babe adjusted to a newborn schedule. One morning, early, I heard my grandson wake up. He and I played together in the dark before the sun rose making shadow puppets on the wall, looking at pictures on the iPad, and playing finger games. It was a blessing to have that time together - especially in a time of separation imposed upon us.

In February the temple opened a crack... meaning, it was open on a very limited basis to a very small number of people. My nearly 19 year old daughter was in the midst of missionary preparation. She had received her call to the Canada Montreal Mission and was to report to the MTC the first week of April. When we received word that the temple had opened for first time patrons, we jumped at the opportunity to go. Nearly 1 year to the day, Chad and I and several of our children were able to return to the temple with our missionary daughter. The temple is a sacred place - a house dedicated to God himself - where we go for instruction. We are taught about the great plan of our Father in Heaven to save His precious children - all of them if they will let Him. We are given opportunities to make commitments to Him to assist Him in His work and to improve ourselves. As such, the temple is a very important part of our lives, a place to reconnect with heaven on a higher level. I am so thankful for the temple. That experience was so special as we went together as a family of 12 (that was the maximum we were allowed). It was so sweet to be there in the temple surrounded by loved ones, as we learned about being a truly forever family.

Only two weeks after that sweet family experience we lost my father-in-law. It was a hard time as COVID pretty much eliminated the possibility of a funeral. Twenty people were permitted to gather at the funeral home to bid their last respects. That is a hard thing to manage. To keep the numbers within the limits when there are so many family members that NEED to say goodbye, and to feel support and love from one another, not to mention longtime friends and extended family.

About that same time my back went out - bad! It hurt to walk. I had pain shooting up and down my leg, and I couldn’t sit with my legs crossed or lay on either side. I got help, but still struggled and it has taken a couple of months to finally be able to sit cross legged again! There are still days that it hurts. Only a couple of weeks ago my metatarsal arch fell - again, very painful... but the BLESSINGS!!! We were once again shut down by COVID restrictions, and my co-worker went out of her way to help me and lighten my load. I have had an opportunity to return the favor when she hurt herself and worked with a great deal of rib pain. I am so grateful for my health - even when it would seem age is beginning to have an impact on my activities.

In April my daughter had her mission training via zoom in our home. It was a special time as she shared with us at the end of each day the things she was learning. It strengthened us all I think and it was a blessing to be there with her in the Missionary Training Center online - an opportunity and a privilege not granted to many parents of missionaries in the past. She flew out to Montreal April 27 and is filled with enthusiasm for the gospel of Jesus Christ which she is sharing with anyone who is interested in learning more. It is a great source of JOY. I see it in her face each week since then as we visit with her. The blessing of coming the Jesus Christ is peace, joy, love and so much more. He can make us into so much more than we can make ourselves.

And so here we are... 14 months into a global pandemic. Has it been awful? I suppose in some ways, but it has been good in so many other ways. We have become more creative in our interactions with others - particularly family. We have found ways to build and strengthen each other that are different from what we used todo. We have begun what I believe will become new traditions. We have had an opportunity to slow down and reprioritize. We are learning to worship from home - a gift for the troubling times we live in as it may be in the future that we will not be able to easily gather in houses of worship... plus, as we worship from home, our homes are viewed differently - they become more holy. That brings joy every day because we are holier, in a holier place.

God is so good. He has blessed us so abundantly in so many little ways on top of the highlights I have shared. I have found Him in every single day of my life, and it amazed me and fills me with great joy.