Concerned friends

Yesterday I received an email from a concerned friend of mine. She asked Pat why I wasn't at church on Sunday (I went for the Sacrament and then went home, sick with a cold), and said she'd email me. That she did. I'm grateful for her care and concern for me...it makes me want to be better at expressing my concern to others for their welfare.

Favorites

A friend invited me to attend an upcoming get-together. The idea is that you bring five of one of your favorite things that has to do with either health and beauty or crafting. (I chose the health and beauty one.) You cannot spend more than $5 per item, which means you can spend up to $25. Then, you exchange things! You get to take home 5 things that 5 other people brought!

What a clever idea!

I'm looking forward to attending my friend's get-together this coming Saturday evening. I'm grateful for the fact that I do have a favorite thing to share, and that it is healthy, and that I was able to pick up five of them today! Doesn't it just sound like a fun idea?

Strength

Some days are hard. Everyone has them. We wonder why is it that we have to endure certain trials. Sometimes we feel weak and unable to bear the burdens that lay before us. If we were all alone I'm certain that would be the case. However, we are not. We have our elder Brother, our Savior, Jesus Christ that bore our burdens in the Garden of Gethsemane. Because of Him we can bear life's trials.

The beauty is that it didn't end at the Garden that night, when He was in agony on our behalf. The beauty of it is that it is eternal, an everlasting blessing given to every person. Every person, ever.

Our Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson said this in October General Conference:

Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the trials through which we must pass. We know that there are times when we will experience heartbreaking sorrow, when we will grieve, and when we may be tested to our limits. However, such difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become something different from what we were—better than we were, more understanding than we were, more empathetic than we were, with stronger testimonies than we had before.

This should be our purpose—to persevere and endure, yes, but also to become more spiritually refined as we make our way through sunshine and sorrow. Were it not for challenges to overcome and problems to solve, we would remain much as we are, with little or no progress toward our goal of eternal life.

Only the Master knows the depths of our trials, our pain, and our suffering. He alone offers us eternal peace in times of adversity. He alone touches our tortured souls with His comforting words:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, He is with us. He has promised that this will never change.

Personally, with all the suffering I see in the world, with the sorrow of those I am close to who lose loved ones far too early; with the trials I am enduring now, and you are enduring now, I find peace in the words of President Monson, and those he quoted from our Savior, Jesus Christ. The depth of gratitude I feel for Him, for our Father, and for the companionship of the Holy Ghost, I am unable to express with words. My heart, my mind, my soul, know, without a doubt, that they are there for us. They love us. They want us to be happy. They want us to be successful in living the gospel principles. They want us to return home to dwell in their presence someday. That knowledge is what I am most grateful for today...it strengthens me.

Revelation

When I was expecting Sam we were living in Provo, Utah. During that time they had the first ever General Relief Society broadcast. My former roommate, Lizzie, her mom, and I attended together in the Marriott Center. I remember Sister Whitton commenting that it was a historical moment - the largest gathering of women ever. We were excited to be there, and anxious to learn what we were being taught. That was 35 years ago. Now there has been new revelation regarding this meeting. We, the Relief Society sisters will be combining forces not only with the Young Women of the church, but all those eight and over. Honestly, at first I was excited, then I wondered how it will be as they strive to teach such a vast range in ages. And then it hit me - this is part of the progression to help those girls realize that they can feel comfortable in Relief Society when they reach age 18. Also, what a wonderful opportunity for mothers and daughters - to share a special night together twice a year. Yes. I am grateful for modern day revelation and how it applies to us.

Life

Last Monday a coworker of Pat's passed away in his sleep. He was in his mid 30's, and left behind a 5 year old and his wife. All those that knew him were saddened by his passing. Everyone at Kleinfelder was in shock...understandably. Last night I discovered via facebook that a close friend of ours passed away, that same day, again unexpectedly. We kept in touch through Christmas cards, and wedding announcements. In fact Rach and I tried to see them when we were in Vancouver, WA in September. Sadly, it just didn't work out. He was only 51, and would've turned 52 on December 28th. (A very good day for a birthday) Keri, his wife, is one of the few kindred spirits I've met in my life. Larry leaves behind Keri, their 7 children, 4 children-in-law, and a grandson. We have no idea what happened, all we know is that it was sudden, and that we are very sad about it. I'm grateful for life, for how precious it is, and the lessons we learn when people close to us pass away. I'm very grateful that Larry is sealed to their family...that is everything.

The Unexpected

I am grateful for blessings that unexpectedly come our way! The great thing about these type of blessings is that by nature they are a pleasant surprise. You didn't see it coming, and voila - there it is, right in front of you. (I'm not saying anything has happened in our lives recently that warrant this post; it's just me considering the wonder of unexpected blessings.)

These blessings, to me, are magical. Why shouldn't they be? Aren't they a wonderful way of Heavenly Father saying, "Just thought you'd like to know that I love you and wanted to give you this to show you my love." Not that He doesn't always show us His love, but sometimes that love is shown in unexpected blessings. :)

Rest

The past few days I've been fighting a cold. While I did my best to beat it, I think the cold finally won. While I needed to run a few errands this morning, and take care of a few other things, I have spent the rest of the day resting. I'm still not feeling well, but am grateful that I can rest!