The Miracle of the Invisible Dog Hair

So in keeping with my missionary daughter's example, I'm sharing the following faith promoting experience I had today.  It's possible this miracle thing might be contagious... 

I happen to be really, really allergic to dogs...actually to anything with fur...which makes my moppy dream dog kind of a ridiculous thing to wish for, but I'm holding out hope that there's a hypo-allergenic version of him somewhere because I just love that face so much!  

I had a VT appointment scheduled today with the sister who has that giant beautiful dog who happens to be in love with me.  I really like visiting teaching.  And I really like this sister.  I don't know her very well, and I'd like to have the opportunity to get to know her better.  But I can't do that if I'm sneezing my head off because her dog wants to sit in my lap.  

I also happen to stink at remembering the details of people's lives.  I had been trying all morning to remember the name of the camp this sister had gone to with her daughter last month, but I was getting nothing.  And even her daughter's name wasn't sticking in my head.  I had to keep looking it up on my phone.  pitiful...

A couple of years ago when Craig and I flew to Utah for his 25th mission reunion, I was shocked that Elder Andersen was able to remember not just every single missionary's name, but he also remembered every area they had served in and who their companions were.  He also knew where they were currently living, any callings of significance they had held, ALL their spouses' names, all their children's names and where any of their children had received mission calls.  Holy cow!  I remembered thinking then that that must be some kind of spiritual gift he had been given with that calling and he just somehow managed to hang onto it all these years. 

Knowing that I was already working with a few limitations, but really wanting to make an effort to connect with this woman today, I decided to try Savannah's technique of asking for a small miracle...or two.  

Just before I left, I knelt down and prayed for the Gift of Remembering Things so that I could remember the details important in this sister's life.  And I also prayed that my dog friend would be in some other room or that she would at least leave me alone so we wouldn't all be distracted by my constant sniffing and sneezing.  

And then I drove to my VTing appointment.

When she opened the door guess how surprised I was to find that instead of one dog, they now have two!!  hmmm...this was going to be interesting...

The dog that thinks she's married to me sat right next to me just like last time and would NOT let me stop petting her...just like last time.  Every time I moved my hand, she would just stuff her giant furry head back underneath my arm to let me know she was still there.  I was unfazed and unsniffy, though, and just kept asking questions.  I asked my friend about her trip to SKY RANCH with her daughter (whose name I totally remembered!) #MIRACLE  
I also asked about their new little dog, which prompted her 4-yr-old to pick it up and plop it in my lap!  So now I was entirely surrounded by dogs (with fur) and yet still happily and unsniffily carrying on an enjoyable and interesting conversation with this sister who I was learning so much about!  #MIRACLE

By the time I got up to leave, I had spent 30 lovely minutes there not bothered at all by any allergies, I had remembered every detail I needed, and I had asked more questions than I answered!  Yay!  That sweet sister even hugged me before I left!  (That's never happened before!)  And then just before I walked out the door, her little boy screamed, "WAIT!" and came running from the other side of the house to HUG me, too!  #MIRACLE  We sit right in front of this family at church nearly every week and he has never even wanted to make eye contact with me before!  

I left there feeling so grateful for a successful visit, prepared to go straight home and change into some different clothes, but instead took a quick detour to the high school because Emma texted about a dire emergency.  (It wasn't actually all that dire, but every now and then it's good to respond to their calls for help.)  I picked her up, helped her solve her problem, and then drove her back to the high school within about an hour.  As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I happened to look down at my navy blue sweater which was TOTALLY COVERED in dog hair...and realized that I had not sneezed or sniffed or coughed one single time...not once.  #MIRACLE  

So, apparently all of our senses can be coated in the pure love of Christ, there is such a thing as a Spiritual Gift of Remembering Things, and miracles are everywhere! 

"God has not ceased to be a God of miracles. Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes?  Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?" - Mormon 9:15-16