Snowy Sundays

It was 82 degrees yesterday!  Apparently the snowflakes didn't really care about that, though, because as the temperature dropped rapidly this morning, down they came.  

Craig stayed home sick with a cold, and Emma had a singing engagement at a charity event at the PAC, so three kids and I went to church completely underdressed for the cold front.  I really thought I could get away with heels instead of boots today.  Church was awesome.  I played the organ, which I always love.  I'm so happy that the regular organist lets me sub for her once a month.  And then the testimonies that everyone bore were just really amazing.  Some Sundays are like that, every talk, every connection, every song is just exactly perfect.  I taught our Sunday School class by myself on the Atonement...eek!  But, as usual, I launched them and then those amazing kids actually taught most of the class themselves.  (For a second, I considered taking a quick picture of them teaching each other and posting it on Instagram because they were so dang amazing, but then I thought they might be creeped out by that, so I didn't.)  The Relief Society lesson was awesome, too.  It was entirely based on my favorite General Conference talk of all time and the only quote I have memorized:  "The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the greatest skill we can acquire in this life." - Julie B Beck (oh, I love that so much!)

After church, I looked outside and realized that the snow was coming down harder and people looked like they were heavily bundled to go outside.  As usual, I did not even bring a coat with me.  So I lingered and talked to as many people as I could before committing to walk outside in the Texas blizzard.  And then, the most amazing thing happened (I totally overuse that word, I know, but the day really was THAT amazing!)  I walked to the foyer with McKay (the girls had already driven themselves home) and the nicest boy was standing there at the door waiting for me.  He said, "Sister Thunell, can I walk you to your car?"  Hallelujah!  I enthusiastically said, "Yes, please!" because I knew that I had parked my car at the farthest end of the church parking lot, and that my choice was either to take my life in my own hands and walk across the icy lot in my spiky heels, or to take off my shoes and risk frostbitten feet. Neither sounded very appealing.  Matt let me hold his arm all the way across the parking lot.  And when we arrived at the Jeep, he pulled out his handy ice scraper (why does he even own one of those in Texas?) and scraped all the ice off my windshield.  Have I mentioned how much I love the youth in our ward?  Well, I do.  They are extraordinary kids who continue to surprise me every time I am with them.  

I made a mental note while I was sitting in my frozen car to: 
1) throw a jacket or a blanket in the trunk in case of future unexpected inclement weather 
AND 
2) to make sure to teach my little McKay to be as courteous and thoughtful as Matthew Collins was today.  

I am so grateful for perfect snowy Sundays, for wonderful youth, and to come home to blankets, heat, hot chocolate, and kids who like to snuggle.  

Sunday

Back to church…finally.  Three weeks feels like an eternity to be at home.  But being back in that beautiful building and being welcomed by everyone I had missed was such a great feeling.  There have been times when I would have happily stayed home from church in the past.  In fact, I'm sure I've longed to sit on the couch on more than one Sunday.  But these last three weeks, I've found it very difficult to stay home while my whole family goes to church without me.  

Today, Emma gave a talk about preparing for the Second Coming…holy cow!  What a huge topic for a 13 year old.  She was SO nervous and then just as we were walking from the parking lot to the building, her little shoe broke…ugh…poor thing.  She was nervous, frustrated, and now shoeless while she sat up on the stand waiting to give her talk.  But she did a fantastic job.  Somehow my children have been blessed with an amazing ability to express themselves and find relevant, personal experiences that illustrate whatever topic they've been asked to speak on.  It was so sweet to watch her up there, nervous and a little weepy, but still very confident.  She got so many compliments.  I was so proud of her.  

During the second hour, Craig and I taught our new-ish Sunday School class.  We teach the 16-17 year olds, but until the 18 year olds graduate and go off to college or missions, they'll stay in our class, too.  So along with the 5 additional Sophomores that we've acquired this year, we also have our original 15 Juniors and Seniors…phew!  It's a good thing we have a huge room because 20 kids is A LOT!  I absolutely LOVE them, though.  Craig mostly taught and I mostly filled in the spaces with personal stories, but I can't tell you how happy I was to be back in that classroom surrounded by all those amazing kids.  They have such great insight and they totally inspire me to think harder, and do better, and learn more.  

In Relief Society, we had our first lesson from the new Joseph Fielding Smith manual.  He was an amazing man.  I so enjoyed hearing the history of his life and the graceful, faithful way he endured the many challenges he faced.  The bulk of the lesson was about understanding the divine characteristics of Heavenly Father.   Another weighty topic…but…right in the middle of the lesson, the teacher played this video excerpt of a Conference talk from 2011:

link

Here's what was said…

"Please understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be.  You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever.  We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him.  Have hope and faith in that promise.  Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and in deed.

Be assured that if you but hold on, believe in Him, and remain faithful in keeping the commandments, one day you will experience for yourself the promises revealed to the Apostle Paul: "Eye hath not seen, not ear heard, neither have entered into the hearts of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit.  He knows you.  He loves you with a perfect love.  

God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season - He sees you as His child.  He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become.  He wants you to know that you matter to Him."  

Here's what I heard…

There's amazing stuff coming.  My life is abundant and wonderful right now, and I am aware of that everyday, but there are things that I am impatient for…grandchildren, missions, weddings, future callings, retirement, etc.  I have a hard time being patient and waiting for the things that I know are coming in the future.  But Heavenly Father knows me.  He wants me to learn patience, to have faith in Him, and to be good so that all of those things that I have seen glimpses of, I will actually be prepared for and worthy to receive.  

I am so grateful, not only to have been able to go to church today, but also to have been reminded once again that Heavenly Father has everything under control.  I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has a uniquely divine plan for each of us.  

Be Good. Be Patient. Don't Forget.

Day of Service

A few years ago, the First Presidency of the Church commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Church Welfare program by asking church-members worldwide to participate in some kind of organized service project during that year.  Throughout the year, we received reports of all the local service wards and stakes were doing in their areas.  It was truly inspiring. Since then, the Church-wide Day of Service has become an annual event.  

This year, our ward participated in a clean up project in Princeton, TX, an outlying area within  our stake boundaries.  (Yep, that's the place I wandered to earlier in the week when I was looking for a photo opportunity and a little adventure.)  Over 40 families drove to the Princeton Cemetery to pick up trash and clean up their little community. 

We had to get up early on a chilly Saturday morning, and there was work involved.  None of those things typically sound very appealing to teenagers.  But we had committed to participate in this activity, and once we got there, we were so happy to have been part of it.  We cleaned the cemetery, the POW memorial park, and a long stretch along their main highway.  It was a great feeling to see all those yellow vests working together.  

A few hours later, the cemetery was beautified, we had solidified a few friendships, and we felt great about our super-productive morning.  This is rapidly becoming one of our family's favorite annual activities.  A few hands doing a little bit of work really can make such a huge difference.  

And this was my absolute favorite picture of the day.  Isn't that the sweetest little boy?  He toddled around after his older siblings all morning and I couldn't resist catching a few pictures of him.  

Church in Key West

Yesterday we were so excited to find this little LDS chapel in Key West.   We are so far away from home, but you know what?  The wonderful people who shook our hands and played the piano and spoke today in Church made us feel like we weren't really all that far away.  They were warm and kind.  And each person who spoke had a sweet, humble testimony of the Savior.  They talked about the power of prayer and testified of the ways Heavenly Father is aware of every detail of our lives.

I loved the meeting we attended today.  And I am so grateful that we stopped for an hour or two this morning and took the time to walk into that church building.  It brought a little more gratitude and reverence into this vacation life we've been living.

Notes from Church...on Monday

I know I write too much about my fiascos in life, but this one has a lesson at the end...

I'm combining my Notes from Church post with this late Monday one because even though it started on Sunday, it took me a full 24 hours for this lesson to really sink in.  

Yesterday morning I was still reeling from an incredibly productive, meaningful Saturday.  Everyone slept in, so everyone was in a well-rested kind of mood, which is always good on a Sunday.  I threw some coffee cake into the oven and then hopped back in bed to let the Scout Master run some ideas by me for his lesson.

It was on the Godhead and this was the talk he used..."Cast not Away Therefore Your Confidence" (You MUST read this, or even listen to it so you can feel the full Jeffrey R Holland effect.  Don't just skim through the parts that I mention in this post.  It's an incredible talk.)  

We talked for awhile about Satan's influence and how quickly he seeps into the little unattended cracks in our lives.  I mentioned a few examples that I thought the boys might relate to.  And then I jumped up and said, "Please make sure you emphasize the part that this isn't like getting your Eagle.  There is no RESISTING TEMPTATION merit badge.  It's not a place you can GET TO or an achievement you can ATTAIN.  Satan is always around the corner for everyone.  None of us are immune.  There is never enough that you can know or learn or prepare for that will stop Satan from trying."  We talked a little more about when and how those attempts come and why they happen just before or after something really big, and then I left to go finish drizzling coffee cake with swirly icing and promptly forgot about the talk.  

A few minutes later I got a text from the ward organist saying that she was sick and asking if I could fill in on short notice.  I said, "Absolutely!" and hurried to run through the hymns on the piano.  I had never played or heard the Sacrament hymn, but I felt confident that I could wing it because it's a slow one.  And I intended to get to church a little early to practice.  I had a couple of other things I needed to do yesterday before church and during Sacrament, but I didn't feel like this organ thing would be a big deal. 

I had an hour to get ready for church...PLENTY of time.  And then I felt like I needed to write some quick notes on the inside of the choir folders the Young Women would be using for the song they were singing in Sacrament.  And then I left to pick up our cute investigator friend, Casey.  What I didn't realize, though, was that the battery in my bathroom clock had been dying a slow death and was actually 10 minutes slow.  It takes about 10 minutes to get to Casey's house and I didn't realize until I pulled up that it was now 12:47.  EEK!  I totally should have already been at the church.  I said a silent prayer to get back quickly and to make it before Sacrament started.  I pulled into the parking lot at 12:58.  I was both hopeful and nervous when I didn't hear any music as I walked in.  And I also didn't see anyone sitting at the organ.  The Bishop was already conducting so I decided to just calmly walk up to the organ and be prepared to play the opening hymn.  What I didn't know was that the Bishop had asked someone else to play it on the piano.

I don't know how well you know me just by reading this blog, but there are a handful of consistent personality traits that I have.  I HATE to be late.  I HATE to disappoint people.  I HATE to be misunderstood.  And I HATE to appear unprepared.  

The walk up to the organ was mortifying enough, but then to be sitting up there and have the Bishop ask someone else to play because I was nowhere to be found was positively horrifying.  The rest of the meeting went downhill from there.  After the opening hymn on the piano, the Bishop made what I would have otherwise thought were lovely remarks about the talent in our ward and the blessing that it is to have people to call on with a moment's notice, but do you know what I heard?  I heard, "We should all be so grateful for this pianist who was able to step in when Haunani was not where she was supposed to be."  I heard disappointment.  And I felt the glaring spotlight on me while I sat there trying not to look angry or embarrassed.  I don't think it worked.  In the next hour, I managed to work myself up into thinking that the Bishopric would never give me any responsibility of significance again, that the organist would just drag herself to church the next time she had the flu, and that the entire congregation probably thought I was at home just doing something ridiculous and irresponsible like touching up my mascara or changing into yet another outfit.  

And I was baffled that Heavenly Father would let something as awful as this happen to me after the amazing day I had just had on Saturday and the good intentions I had had all morning.  I wasn't trying to over extend, I was just trying to help.  I was prepared for the YW song.  I had planned to pick up Casey.  And I knew I could manage the three hymns on the organ.  What I was not prepared for was Satan slipping into the little cracks.  I didn't think I had left any cracks unattended yesterday morning.  I thought everything had been sufficiently shellacked with my feelings of gratitude and love and a desire to do good things and contribute in meaningful ways.  

It wasn't until tonight when I re-read Elder Holland's talk, that I realized it wasn't that Heavenly Father had LET this happen.  Stuff just happens.  And sometimes that stuff eats away at whatever shellac we think we have, just enough to let Satan slip in.  Just a teeny doubt is a crack.  Just a little mistake that makes us a little insecure is a crack.  And poof! there's Satan, ready and willing to fill our heads with all the lies and misconceptions he can sneak in.  And I sat right on that stand in church and let Satan whittle away at my confidence until there wasn't anything left and all I wanted to do was run out of the building as quickly as possible.  

"Cast not away therefore your confidence."  At that point, I was casting everything away.  

I missed Gospel Doctrine.  I missed Relief Society.  I missed the chance to tell the Young Women how angelic their voices sounded and how wonderful it is that they let me drag them from singing opportunity to singing opportunity without ever complaining.  I missed blog posts.  I missed compliments from kind, well-meaning people.  I missed a lot of stuff while I sat for 24 hours and tried to figure out how the rug had been pulled out from under me.  

And then this afternoon when another thing out of my control happened, I thought, "Oh great. It's just going to keep coming."  But then, just as quickly, I thought, "Don't miss anymore stuff because of this."

Things happen.  Batteries die.  Clocks stop.  Lights turn red.  Belts break on garage doors and they come down when you expect them to be up.  There will always be things that happen that Satan will try to capitalize on.  He looks for the crappy things to make us feel crappy about ourselves.  Stuff is crappy sometimes.  But WE are not crappy.  (That's pretty profound, I know.  You have permission to quote me if you want.)  We can't always choose our circumstances, but we can ALWAYS choose our response to them.  Even though I didn't get to church on time, I am still a reliable person.  Just because I backed into the garage door, doesn't mean I'm reckless and irresponsible.  There may have been some people who didn't give me the benefit of the doubt yesterday at church, but I bet there were more who did, and even more still who didn't even notice!   For every untruth and negative thought that Satan plants in our minds, Heavenly Father is waiting patiently to replace it with truth and light and love.  

I'm writing this down so that the next time it happens I'll remember that.

"I acknowledge the reality of opposition and adversity, but I bear witness of the God of Glory, of the redeeming Son of God, of light and hope and a bright future. I promise you that God lives and loves you, each one of you, and that he has set bounds and limits to the opposing powers of darkness. I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the victor over death and hell and the fallen one who schemes there. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and it has been restored, just as we have sung and testified this morning.
"Fear ye not." And when the second and the third and the fourth blows come, "fear ye not. . . . The Lord shall fight for you." "Cast not away therefore your confidence."                                                                                 - Jeffrey R. Holland

Stand

I am so excited about the 2013 theme for the youth.  

"Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come, for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen." - D&C 87:8

What an amazing thing to hear over and over just before they prepare to leave home, go to college, serve missions, and start families.  

Notes From Church

I did something scary today.  I played a piano solo in Sacrament meeting.  I don't know why I always get so nervous...like I was seriously shaking up there.  It was the craziest thing.  I've practiced and practiced this song.  And I've played it perfectly in the the privacy of my own home.  But something about playing for a lot of other people is absolutely terrifying.  BUT I did it anyway.  And it was really beautiful.  I don't know if everyone else liked it, but I loved playing it.  My hands were so shaky at the beginning that I came close to messing up a few times, but I caught it.  And then right in the middle of the song at the key change, which is my favorite part, I stopped thinking and just let my fingers do their thing.  For just a second, in the middle of that song, I forgot about all the people in the building and only thought about the people who love me.  I pictured their faces and heard their voices and saw their smiles of encouragement and I played the heck out of that song. And it worked!!  Hooray!!

I know I'm supposed to play the piano.  I know that I've been given this talent so that I can contribute.  I know there's a reason I feel compelled to practice certain songs and that I'm drawn to certain music.  I walked toward that vision today and it worked.  

Silent Night/Still Still Still

Here's what I played...you can listen to it if you want, although this recording isn't me.  It sounds pretty close, though.  :)

It's kinda fun to do scary things on Sunday!

Notes from Church

Sometimes church isn't what I expect.  The Christmas program is always one of my favorites because it's the one time of the year when we get to sing and sing and sing those beautiful Christmas hymns.  Oh, how I wish we could sing them all year long!  This year's program wasn't quite what I expected.  We have a new choir director who has had to work against overwhelming odds to pull together even one song for Christmas.  We sang Joy to the World.  But that was it.  The Primary sang.  And there was one other special musical number.  And a handful of speakers who spoke about things other than Christmas.  We discussed Moroni Chapter 7 in Gospel Doctrine, and "Seeing the Potential in Others" in Relief Society.  Why do we not set aside the entire day to talk about the birth of the Savior?  And sing songs that are about the birth of the Savior?  What a shame that December is now nearly over and we haven't once sung "O Little Town of Bethlehem."  (sigh...)

But even though the meetings weren't exactly Spirit-filled for me today, the Spirit still managed to sneak up on me...as usual.

There is an older couple in our ward who recently moved here from Arizona.  They are retired, empty nesters and they are delightful.  We had the pleasure of sitting in front of them for the first time today in church.  When the opening hymn started, I heard myself singing and recognized the familiar voices around me, but there was a new voice from behind me that I had not heard before.  It was this new brother behind me singing so beautifully that I had to stop and just listen.  His voice was so clear and so perfect that I was completely overwhelmed.  I barely sang the hymn and instead just chose to listen to his beautiful voice for all four measures.  I listened for him to sing the Sacrament hymn and later the closing hymn, and that satisfied my longing for beautiful music today.  His voice behind me, standing out above all the other voices in the congregation, was better than the Primary and the choir and all the speakers combined.  I told him afterward that it was a pleasure to sit in front of them today.  (And I will secretly be finding ways to sit near them in the future.)

I found out later that this man used to be in the St. Louis Opera Theatre.  Well, no wonder he was so amazing...

And I also found out that he now suffers from dementia.  So, even though he has been blessed with this amazing and beautiful gift, he isn't able to perform publicly anymore because he can't trust his mind.  He is able to retain things from the past, but has difficulty with short term memory.  I felt so privileged to have accidentally sat in front of that couple today.  I don't know how many other people will get to hear that voice since he doesn't share it publicly anymore, but I loved that little tender mercy of getting to be one of the few.  

I am so grateful for the talents we've been given.  I don't understand all of the mysteries of the world...why people suffer with illness and mental challenges, why we have to wait for things, why we don't all have the same abilities and talents, and why some of us choose not to share what we have.  But I am so grateful for the beautiful tenor voice that sang behind me today, and that even though it is impeded at the moment, it is still such a wonderful gift to the people who get to sit near it.  He reminded me to use my own talents more often, and that time flies by very very quickly and situations change.  I am quite sure that sweet man's voice will be numbered among those angelic voices that will bless all of us in the next life.

Nativity

This is how we spent the first weekend of the month, but it's been so busy around here that I never got to the part where I actually posted the pictures and wrote about any of it. 

Sometime near the end of October, I received a phone call from the Stake music director asking if I would play the piano during one of the 30 minute time slots of the two-day Nativity event that our stake holds every year.  I was shocked that she asked and excited to play and said YES without hesitation.  

This is such an amazing, spirit-filled way to launch the Christmas season.  I absolutely love it.  Beginning in early November, announcements are made in each of the wards requesting "donations" of Nativity scenes.  People from each congregation come to the Stake Center with their personal Nativity scenes to be used in a massive display during the first weekend in December.  There are so many unique and beautiful ways to depict the birth of the Savior.  

A day or two after receiving that first phone call, someone else from the stake called and asked if I would be on the decorating committee and be in charge of the living Nativity scene.      Yikes!!  I'm SO not the decorator type.  I agonize over the smallest things, and this was NOT a small thing.  I reluctantly said yes and hoped there would be people there who had previous experience (or at least a picture) that could help me.  

The living nativity scene came together beautifully (because I had A LOT of help.)   And guess who got to play the part of Mary in the living nativity?  Yep, that's my little Flowering Buttercup!  She volunteered for one of the hour long shifts during the weekend.  She was so reverent and beautiful in that costume, and her friend Brayden was the perfect Joseph.  People kept walking up to the stage to see if they were real.  

We went to the Nativity several times over that short 48 hours, both for our various responsibilities and also just to listen to the beautiful music and to feel of the Spirit.  I wish they could have kept it up longer.  It is an amazing way to testify of the birth of the Savior at this time of year and a great reminder of the reverence of this season.  

"Finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done, nor is it found in the purchasing of gifts.  We find real joy when we make the Savior the focus of the season.  We can keep Him in our thoughts and in our lives as we go about the work He would have us perform here on earth.  At this time, particularly, let us follow His example as we love and serve our fellowman.

There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus the Christ.  It is the time to love the Lord, our God, with all our heart - and our neighbors as ourselves.  

Let us make Christmas real.  Is isn't just tinsel and ribbon, unless we have made it so in our lives.  Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting.  it is happiness because we see joy in people.  It is forgetting self and finding time for others.  It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values.  It is peace because we have found peace in the Savior's teachings.  It is the time we realize most deeply that the more love is expended, the more there is of it for others.

As the season envelops us with all its glory, may we, as did the Wise Men, seek a bright, particular star to guide us to our Christmas opportunity in service to our fellowman.  May we all make the journey to Bethlehem in spirit, taking with us a tender, caring heart as our gift to the Savior."  

-President Thomas S. Monson

2012 Christmas Devotional

Notes from Church

I substituted for the Primary Pianist today.  I LOVE that calling.  If I could pick my own calling, it would be that one...forever.  There is no better place to be than behind a piano.  I love hearing the kids enthusiastically singing those simple truths found in the Primary songbook.  And I love being able to set the tone as they come into the room.  

I also love hearing the Sharing Time messages.  Today it was based around this scripture...

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."  Luke 2:52

http://figurativeartlivingmasters.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/del-parson-1948-american/

The sister teaching the lesson asked the children to think of stories of Jesus that they loved.  They thought of examples of him teaching, healing, and feeding people.  And they thought of his birth and his resurrection.  But then she said, "Do any of you ever think of Jesus as a child?"  None of the Junior Primary did.  They were all convinced that he started as a baby and then somehow magically became a grown man.  But the fact that He was a child, and that He learned and grew and "increased in wisdom" just like all of us, gives us hope, doesn't it?  Hope that we can be like Him.  Hope that Heavenly Father can work miracles in each of us.  Hope that we can someday be worthy enough to stand before Him and thank Him personally.   I'm so grateful for that little Primary Sharing Time message that put such a small thing into a much bigger perspective.  And I'm grateful to have been asked to play the piano today so that I could be in just that very spot where I could hear it.  

Notes from Church

Sometimes I think I'm the only one who has these kinds of Sundays...

This morning, two of us woke up with colds. There were instruments and music and clothing scattered from the front door to the living room and all the way up the stairs, that were left over from the concert we did at the Nativity yesterday.  Six deacons trickled to our front door from 10:00am - 11:00am looking for either the Scout Master or the Fast Offering envelopes.  The Christmas tree was up but not yet decorated, and all the things that needed to be on the tree were strewn all over the floor.  The chili I had planned to make for a family we invited over for dinner was still not even close to getting into the crockpot at 12:00.  The Scout Master and June were taking apart something under the sink.  Children were arguing about who did and did not need to take a shower (they all did!)  And I needed to be at church early to play the organ.  Sometimes even late church at 1:00 isn't late enough for me.  

I tried really hard to remember that sometimes good enough is GOOD ENOUGH, but it wasn't sticking.  I was frustrated, grumpy, impatient and HUNGRY.  But I went to church anyway.  

I made it to church...early.   I played the three hymns well enough that everyone could sing them.  And I totally enjoyed all the testimonies today.  There are times that I think I would just keep running at full speed if I didn't have to stop for a few hours each week and go to church.  There's a reason we're supposed to stop and do that.  

"The injunction from God to "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Ex 20:8) has been in force throughout human history.  There is power in keeping the Sabbath day holy.  I testify that God lives, that we are his children, that he loves us, and that he gives us commandments so he can bless us as we keep them and thereby have joy.  As we keep the Sabbath day holy, he will bless us, and we will achieve a quiet power for good as individuals, as families, and as nations, that we cannot obtain in any other way.I further testify that when we eventually see things through the proper perspective of eternal truth, we will be amazed at how much we were blessed in important - though often unperceived - ways through keeping the Sabbath holy."                              - Elder John H. Groberg, The Power of Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, Ensign, Nov 1984 

I did not walk into the chapel this afternoon feeling anything close to "quiet power" but I left there feeling it.  Sometime between 1:00 and 2:15, I stopped thinking about all the things that were wrong with my house and my children, and all the things still left to do at home, and instead thought about the sister who was just called to be the new RS President, and the missionary who is sad about being transferred, and one of my friends who tried really hard to make some missionary efforts this week, but ended up hugely disappointed.  I hugged people in the hallway and thanked people who I hadn't yet had the opportunity to thank for various things they've done.  

I love being at Church.  No matter what I bring with me, the Spirit is always there to soften it, refine it, and clarify it, so that I leave with something much more than I came with.  I am so grateful for the opportunity we have to worship freely, to live in a stake with inspiring, faithful people, and to stop what we're doing once a week to come together and lift one another.  What an amazing blessing.  I have a testimony that Church is the right place to be and that there is power in keeping the Sabbath day holy.

Home

Oh, I had such great plans for all the blogging I was going to do on the road last week.  Unfortunately, we were SO busy and I am SO not used to blogging without my MAC these days that every time I attempted to post something, I just gave up.  Instead, I have notes on my phone, and scribbles in my journal, and ideas still swimming around in my head for all those awesome posts I should have written.  I promise to fill in all the gaps from this trip as soon as I catch my breath and go to the grocery store and get kids back to school and do a million loads of laundry.  But until then, here's a little bit of our weekend drive home and a quote from the Conference talk we listened to this morning while the sun came up. 

I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving and that you're also in your warm, comfortable home right now, surrounded by people who love you, and about to crawl into bed.  

"The gradual increase of light radiating from the rising sun is like receiving a message from God "line upon line, precept upon precept" (2 Ne 28:30).  Most frequently, revelation comes in small increments over time and is granted according to our desire, worthiness, and preparation.  Such communications from Heavenly Father gradually and gently "distil upon [our souls] as the dews from heaven" (D&C 121:45).   

"As you appropriately seek for and apply unto the spirit of revelation, I promise you will "walk in the light of the Lord"  (Isaiah 2:5).  Sometimes the spirit of revelation will operate immediately and intensely, other times subtly and gradually, and often so delicately you may not even consciously recognize it.  But regardless of the pattern whereby this blessing is received, the light it provides will illuminate and enlarge your soul, enlighten your understanding, and direct and protect your family."

David A. Bednar The Spirit of Revelation, April 2011

Etiquette Dinner

Last night, the girls were able to attend the Combined YM/YW Etiquette Dinner.  I got to sneak in and take these cute pictures, but I missed the part where the girls were escorted from the chapel into the gym where they were seated for dinner.  We have so many boys in this ward that most of the girls had TWO escorts.  

The YM/YW leaders were the servers for this event and they were SO CUTE!  Some of them had some great waiter-skills leftover from past lives apparently.  :)

  

Mack and a friend had a smaller, quieter, younger version of an Etiquette Dinner in the YW room.  They sure were lucky all those moms in the kitchen made them special "helper" plates.  

 

This was such a great evening for the youth in our ward.  It was a huge success and my girls are still talking about what a great time they had.  I'm so grateful that these wonderful activities are so well planned and that the kids are so enthusiastic about being there.  I love this ward and the people who do so much to make it amazing.