I Choose Joy

Who loves a spontaneous surprise?

This week I got one!  Our lives are so full that special days aren't always celebrated on their specific date. It's been a few months since my birthday [which we did celebrate the following day at home], but we were in the temple that day, so actually going out for supper got put off, and then there were other things that sapped our energy and kept us from extra trips to the city. So... long story short, my husband surprised me with a trip to the city and a birthday dinner in the middle of the week!

It was GOOD! We went out to Echodale Park which isn't really functioning right now as it had a tornado last year, so the lake has been drained. Let me just add... it was HOT! We parked at the top and I rode the scooter for my first time down the hill. There are some good trails down there so we decided to go for a walk. Did I mention how hot it was?!!! But it was so pretty. There was a thunderstorm rolling in creating a constantly changing arrangement of light and shadow on the hills.

We walked for about half an hour. The only wildlife we saw was a bunny crossing the trail. It was so nice. Before leaving the city we made a parcel delivery to Breanna and then we went out for supper at Montana's. As we walked into the restaurant, the heavens opened and huge drops of rain began to fall. It was so refreshing and welcoming after the heat that surrounded us!

The food was great but filling! On the way home we grabbed some more bark for the yard and bought some fish to go in the fish pond. As we traveled we discussed principles of teaching the gospel to help me prepare to instruct an upcoming teacher council meeting. 

It was a great evening. We did so much good stuff but the best part was the conversation... the connection... the promise of good things to come. We tend to discuss topics deeply as we drive, and the discussion always enhances my understanding. I love that my husband and I can learn together as we engage in conversation. We can feel truth settle upon our souls and we can help one another grow in knowledge and understanding. 

I do love surprises, but I don't always get super excited about the unplanned part. I don't always find it easy to let go of the things I thought I was going to do in that time slot... but I'm usually blessed well beyond what my nice comfortable schedule would have given me when I invite the unexpected into my life. There can be true joy in the unexpected - often it is all a matter of outlook. I choose JOY.

Refilled as I'm Running on Empty

How often do you let your car run down into the red on the fuel gauge? My car actually seems to like to run on less than half according to the gauge, yet I get better mileage on the bottom half of the tank. I never thought I was like my car... but these last couple of days - I have been!!!

This week started out with two super early mornings in a row [2:30 and 3:30 a.m.] and the night in between I didn't get home until 9:00 p.m. As you can imagine, I was feeling pretty tired not far into the second day. I could have laid down at any moment in the day and fallen asleep, but I didn't have that option.  Even when I got home there was so much that still needed to be done. I won't bore you with the details, but I mainly focused on the outdoor tasks that spring requires to be done within a reasonable time frame. I have finished planting the garden - It has taken 2 full weeks, but everything is in and it is also beginning to grow which is so exciting and rewarding for me! 

Some time ago, I learned that if I prayed for the Lord to bless me with the time I did not have to do all that needed to be done, somehow, He would help me get it all done in the time available  - It's like He gave me time. I have learned that this principle also applies to energy, and that is what my prayers were for these last couple of days... and you know what???  I have had the energy provided to me. Not the bouncing off the walls kind, but enough that I could summon up the energy for each task as it presented itself. Usually, my best energy is in the morning, but today I was much like my car, the bottom half of the energy tank didn't dry up as quickly as I would have expected. What a blessing.

The source of that energy didn't come from me at all. I was refueled by my interactions with others. Monday it came through participating in our Reflections Class - a small group of women who gather each week to study the most recent general conference talks. I LOVE it!!! Today it was a Relief Society Presidency meeting. My counselors are so amazing! I love them so much. They are wise and spiritual and they help me fulfill my responsibilities. Best of all we have fun doing all of that together. It fills me up being with them! Then there was working this morning with a good friend. And working both days with more friends who support me and appreciate the services I give. I believe that it is these interactions that actually keep me running when I am otherwise empty. The Lord knows that these things will fill me up and energize me EVEN when I am running on empty. It's not how we refuel cars, but I am thankful that the Lord gives me the energy I need as I need it to do the things I have set out to do without dropping in exhaustion part way through the task. 

Parched or Quenched

Well, things are turning green, and in places - at least in my yard - yellow... I am so thankful for the rain we received last night and like many of you, I am praying for the Lord to bless us with more. Yesterday we received an invitation to fast for rain, for crops, for fire relief, and for the overall blessing and benefit of our land. I am reminded of the passage in Isaiah where Isaiah is teaching the true law of the fast. It says, "And the Lord shall  guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." [Isaiah 58:11] We need rain, tiny droplets of water to quench our parched land, but in a similar fashion, we also need the Lord to quench dry and thirsty spirits as we endure the heat of trial and challenges. My friends, as you fast for rain, and as the rains come this month, I pray that you may also feel the dews of heaven quenching your souls in the dry deserts of your afflictions.

My Power Boosters

 The other day I had the blessing and privilege of spending the day with my grandchildren while their mother was away.  They are both super sweet, but very active. We jumped on the trampoline, but it was kind of chilly out so I led the kids back inside and discovered in the basement a whiteboard easel. I introduced my grandson to making his own games. We played x's and o's a half dozen times and then I asked him if he would like to play a new game. He loves drawing x's so he declined but a short time later he says to me, "Odin want to play a new game!" So I drew a simple maze for him. He's super good at mazes.  After 3-4 progressively more complicated mazes I decided to add the elements of hearts and monsters. I told him that he needed to not touch the monsters or they would eat his power, but if he got the hearts, they were power boosters and double hearts were superpower boosters. He loved that idea! He began drawing his own mazes and it became my job to draw the hearts for him so he could get his power boosters [and he didn't miss a single one!]

He was so fascinated with power boosters and mazes that they occupied his attention for the better part of the day - in fact, he didn't even want to watch tv! [which NEVER happens]

As I thought about that, I considered the power of a heart in one's life... meaning the power of love. Love is my power booster. I am blessed with people that love me, and I am also blessed to feel the Lord's great love for me. One super power booster, a place where I can really feel God’s love is the temple. His love and grace multiply my abilities to do what is right in a world that is confused about right and wrong. I have found scriptures study and gospel discussion to be great power boosters. Prayer journaling is a power booster as is service. There are so many things that invite me to feel God's love and when I recognize them and thank Him for them; it is like finding another heart in the maze of life. I am so grateful for the power of love that flows from God to His children - all of us. To quote President Nelson, "Jesus Christ is joy."

Finding Personal Peace

This week I have had the opportunity to study President Eyring's talk, Finding Personal Peace.  You can almost tangibly feel President Eyring's desire for us to have peace. In the guide to the scriptures, peace is defined as "the inner calm and comfort born of the Spirit that God gives to His faithful Saints." This kind of peace is a state of heart. Our faith in the Savior is a steady anchor of peace through the troubling nature of our mortal experience. It is like Sister Harkness taught "The Savior teaches us how to feel peace and calm even when the winds blow fiercely around us and billowing waves threaten to sink our hopes." I also loved the emphasis on parenting in peace. And I love the assurance that the Lord raises up PEACEMAKERS that have the Holy Ghost with them and He guides them to His choice but errant children to reclaim them. President Nelson has asked us to be peacemakers and President Eyring makes it clear that one of the roles of a true peacemaker is to not only receive the gift of personal peace but to help many others to find it and pass it along.

A few days ago I had an experience that shook my peace of mind. It occurred within a friendship. I felt rejected and the high hopes I had held were dashed. As I pondered, I realized that my hopes had infused more into a relationship than was there. The exchange brought sadness, disappointment, and a feeling of loss. I fell asleep that night with a heavy heart and a prayer on my lips. The following morning, focused on the Lord's love, and with His help, I accepted the reality of the condition of that relationship. My hope is restored though it looks different now and peace has returned to my heart. I am so grateful for a personal peace gifted to me by My Savior, Jesus Christ through His infinite atonement.