24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day Six

Today in church we discussed Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk from this past Relief Society general broadcast. His talk was called "Forget Me Not," and for those who haven't heard or read the talk already, you can read it here.

This talk touched me when I first heard it, and if anything, it's become more powerful the more I've pondered what President Uchtdorf said.

There's one quote from the talk in particular that sums up today's Thanksgiving topic pretty perfectly. It says, "No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love.

"Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious Being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time!

"He who created and knows the stars, knows you and your name!"

I'm so incredibly grateful for God's love. I can only comprehend a fraction of it, yet I know the reality of it.

He blesses me every day in dozens of unseen, frequently unnoticed ways. I take most of those blessings for granted, not because I don't appreciate them, but because He blesses me on such a constant basis that I don't always realize that it's happening!

Do I deserve His love? Probably not. I'm such an imperfect, insignificant creature that there's no conceivable reason for God to even notice me, much less feel any kind of affection for me. But the thing is, God isn't just an uncaring being with unlimited power. He's also my creator. He's the father of my spirit. And therefore, to Him, I not only matter, but I'm loved beyond comprehension.

This is true for each and every one of us. I weep for people who curse God, blame Him for their misfortunes, or accuse Him of being indifferent or cruel. These people don't really understand who God is, and the nature of His relationship with them. They don't realize that He loves them, and is often pouring out blessings on their heads that they're not even noticing.

Why are people so quick to blame God for the bad things in life, yet slow to give Him any credit for the good?

God loves me. I don't deserve it, but I know that it's true all the same. I'm so grateful for that love, and I hope to live my life in such a way that He will not only love me, but be proud of me as well.

Another father who loves his daughter more than she comprehends. :)

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day Five

Sometimes, I think, we forget how blissfully happy "normal" life can be. I know I do. We may even feel bored, or frustrated that our lives aren't more exciting. The everyday pleasures we experience on a regular basis begin to feel repetitive, tedious.

Then, something will happen! We'll get wrapped up in a project, or some unexpected happenstance will throw us off of our usual schedule, or life will just get kooky for some reason.

Sometimes such things are a welcome diversion. But, the longer they go on, the more we'll find ourselves wishing life would just go back to "normal."

At least, that's what my experiences have taught me.

As I mentioned in my last post, my friend Juleigh and I have been working on a charity garage sale. I've been helping with the planning, advertising, and all the other minor details for the past couple of weeks. This week, the week of the garage sale, Juleigh's grandfather-in-law died and the majority of the responsibility got shifted to me. And it's been tough. Worthwhile, yes, but also tough.

As each day passed, and I spent my time baking treats, organizing donations, making posters, harassing people about helping out, putting ads for the sale on Craigslist, and doing everything else involved in putting together a garage sale, I found myself looking forward to the whole thing being done with. My laundry has been piling up, my dishes are mostly unwashed, my house is a wreck, and I've barely had a minute to rest. More and more I've been longing to get back to my usual routine.

Let's be honest - normal life is the best! There's something comforting about the familiar. Life is just less stressful when you have a routine. Even the sometimes-tedious chores and errands that come with everyday life can be relaxing.

In my opinion, there's something soothing about strolling through a grocery store, hunting down the items on your list. There's something satisfying about rinsing dishes and sticking them in a dishwasher. There's something about folding laundry into neat little piles that just kind of makes you feel good. And then, of course, let's not forget the time we spend with our families every day: reading stories, playing games, sharing meals together.

I've really missed all of that this past week.

I'm grateful for my life. I'm grateful for the little things. I'm grateful that I don't lead a life of chaos and constant surprises. My life is a good one, and even though I may complain about it from time to time, I find a massive amount of satisfaction in it. And I know that, whatever happens, I'll always be happy to go back to that blissfully slow-paced life after each unexpected adventure ends.

To sum up: I'm grateful that my garage sale adventure is over, and my normal life can resume.

Hello, life! I've missed you! :)

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day Four

I'm grateful for all of the opportunities I have had to serve others. I'm especially grateful for the project I'm working on now. And, in conjunction with that, I'm thankful to have such a great support system in my husband and daughter.

I've been working this week on putting together a garage sale. There's a family from our church whose house (and all their belongings) burned down in a fire a couple of weeks ago. My friend Juleigh and I had been planning to have a garage sale anyway, but when we heard about this family's plight, we decided to give all of the money we earned in the garage sale to the family, so they could replace some of what they lost in the fire.

Then, we opened it up to everyone at church. It gave everyone an opportunity to serve! We got lots of donations to the sale, and several helpful suggestions as well. Due to one suggestion, we decided to add a bake sale to the event. The whole thing just kept on growing! We were very excited about being able to help the family.

Then, Juleigh's husband lost his grandfather, and their whole family had to fly to Utah for the funeral. It was really too late to change the date of the garage sale, so I told her to go to Utah, spend time with family, and not worry about it. I'd take over the organizational responsibilities, and we would get it done!

And, for the most part, we've been fine.

It's been pretty stressful at times, though, I won't lie about that. I spent the whole day in the kitchen yesterday making goodies for the bake sale. I was exhausted by the end of the day. Then, I got up before the sun this morning, in 35-degree weather, to help set everything up. And, since it's more or less "my" sale, I had to be there for pretty much the whole thing today (all but the last hour or two), and will repeat it all again tomorrow.

Fortunately, I've had some wonderful people helping me. It hasn't been entirely on my shoulders. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am for the help I've had. The ladies at my church are truly Christlike individuals, and I'm so thankful not only for their help, but for their friendship.

Along with the actual, physical help with the garage sale, I've had a deeper kind of support from my husband. He's seen how worn out I've been this week, trying to get things ready. He's been with me during all the times I was so stressed out that I wanted to scream. He's been a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on when I felt overwhelmed. He has been a pillar of support, and I really couldn't have done it without him.

My daughter, Evie, has been fantastic, too. She put up with being dragged out of bed at 5 AM today (and put back to bed in a new location). She played quietly in the house once she was up, so that I could focus on the sale outside. And eventually she came outside with me and sat at the treat table, luring in customers with her adorableness. Her cooperation was also a huge help.

The garage sale isn't over. I have to go back tomorrow and do it all over again. But I know that this is for a good cause, and I know that it will bless the lives of the family who lost their home. We may not make a ton of money, but every little bit can help. And we'll have the joy and satisfaction that comes with serving another of God's children.

Serving certainly isn't always easy. But it's worthwhile all the same. It brings joy and peace to one's heart like nothing else can! And I'm grateful to have had the opportunity. :)

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day Three

Today, I'm grateful for lazy days. Days when you have no obligations, no worries, just yourself and a wide-open schedule.

Today has not been one of those days, however. Today, they feel like a distant memory.

Today has been incredibly busy, and in fact, I'm so exhausted that I feel like I'm on the verge of tipping over and becoming comatose. And I have another incredibly busy day tomorrow. And it starts at 5 AM!

So my lazy day will just have to wait. As will, more than likely, my next blog entry. I'll try to type something, though, I promise!

My wish for all of you is for you to have a productively lazy day sometime soon. Enjoy it for me! ;)

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day Two

For this second day of Thanksgiving, I want to talk about how grateful I am to have enough.

We're coming up on that time of year when people tend to be more aware of the suffering of others. During the Christmas season, charities abound. You have Angel Trees, Toys for Tots, and the ever-ringing bells of the Salvation Army outside many stores. Christmas brings out the Christlike love in most people, to a greater extent than you see during the rest of the year.

I've been a little worried about how we're going to afford good Christmas presents this year. In the past, we've always managed to have a little extra money around the holidays, but this year will probably be different. This year, we've got to make do with what little we can spare from each paycheck.

But the fact is, we WILL have Christmas presents. We are by no means wealthy, but we have enough to make ends meet, with a little left over. We may be on a tighter budget this year, but Santa Claus will be stopping by our house with plenty of goodies for my little girl.

Little Evie, back when we were poor. :)

Other families are not so lucky. Some go with nothing almost ever year. And with the state of the economy being what it is, there are probably many families who are going to be struggling for the very first time this year, when they have known plenty in years past. I can imagine how hard that will be for them. Hopefully the Christmas spirit touches their friends and neighbors, and all those who are less fortunate will be able to have a wonderful Christmas in spite of financial difficulties.

My family and I are very fortunate that we have all of our needs met. We have been incredibly blessed. Living a military lifestyle certainly isn't always easy, but at least we don't have to struggle financially.

I'm sure it's nice to be rich. I wouldn't really know, because I've never been rich, but I imagine there's some satisfaction in being able to buy things on a whim. I'm a gift-giver - it's one of the ways I show love - and I would definitely enjoy being able to buy something for somebody "just because;" as a way of saying "I love and appreciate you."

I don't have that luxury. But the fact is, my family and I have enough. And that truly is a huge blessing.

When we were poor, starving college students, there were months when I had to decide which bills to pay. There were times when all we could afford was formula and diapers for our baby girl, and Ben and I had to go without. We were making less money than we needed to pay for everything most months, and it was incredibly stressful. I remember looking forward to the day when we would be able to pay all of our bills and still have enough left over for gas and groceries. I didn't dream of vast riches, I dreamed of getting by.

That dream is a reality now, and it feels wonderful. I have a strong sense needing to pay what I owe, so those past months when we were unable to pay some of our bills, or we had to pay our rent late, were terrible. I always felt so guilty.

Evie now! :)

It feels wonderful to have enough money to pay every bill that comes our way, and be able to cover living expenses. And with the little bit of extra we have, maybe we can brighten someone else's Christmas, too. Because we know how awful it feels to be broke.

Maybe having "enough" isn't as great as having "a lot," but for me... it's enough. ;)

And I'm so grateful for it!

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day One

'Tis the season for thankfulness! This year, I'm actually on top of the fact that it's November! Hooray! Last year, I ended up doing a retroactive Thanksgiving countdown, because it just didn't occur to me to do anything like this until the month was already half over. This year, though, I'm set.

Ideally, I'll write one blog per day, talking about something I'm grateful for. Some days may be more involved than others, because hey - life happens! But I'll try my very best to write about something every day. 

Today, though, I want to start with the most important thing in my life. It's something that has been in the limelight quite a bit lately, thanks to politics, but it frequently is cast in a harsh, sinister light. It frustrates me every time that happens, because anyone who knows anything about this topic knows that there is nothing sinister about it. 

Today I'm talking about the gospel; about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

Some people make thing I'm crazy, listing my church as more important than, for example, my family. But the fact is, every other good thing I have in this life is a direct blessing from God. He is the center of everything. And, as it says in Matthew 10:37, "He that ^aloveth father or mother ^bmore than me is not worthy of me: and he that ^cloveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."

So I don't think there's anything wrong with saying that the Savior (and His gospel) is the most important thing in my life. 

With Mitt Romney running for the GOP candidacy at the moment, there has been a lot of examination of the Church. In general, that's not such a bad thing. It gives church members more opportunities to share their testimonies, for one thing. I'm sure there are probably more curious visitors to mormon.org lately, as well. For the most part, I think this spotlight on our faith is a good thing. 

The unfortunate part, of course, is when anti-Mormon (and, frequently, anti-religion) "intellectuals" write opinion columns for major newspapers, bashing the LDS faith without a shred of evidence to back up their arguments. Clearly, they have done little, if any, research on the faith. And as far as I'm concerned, I don't think going to an excommunicated, anti-Mormon source is the best way to get a clear picture of what faithful, practicing Latter-Day Saints believe. Call me crazy, but that just doesn't seem like the brightest approach. On the other hand, of course, how can they get the smut they're so eagerly looking for if they talk to someone with a good opinion of the church? So I suppose I can see why they do it. But properly researched journalism it ain't. So let's not pretend that their opinion columns are anything short of bigoted, fallacy-ridden rants. 

The problem is, of course, that many people in the country are not familiar with the LDS faith. So, when they read these articles, they assume that they're learning something true. Even in an opinion column, you'd assume that the author got the basic facts straight  before forming an opinion on them. But that's very frequently not the case. So, unfortunately, a lot of misinformation is being spread around. 

It doesn't surprise me. We're living in the latter days, after all, and Satan is doing everything in his power to lead people astray.

But please allow me to present an alternative view of the Church. 

"We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." That is our very first Article of Faith. For those of you unfamiliar with the Church, we have thirteen Articles of Faith that give a brief explanation of what we believe. And this is at the very top of the list. We believe in God. We believe that His literal son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, came to earth and atoned for our sins. We believe that He suffered for us so that we could repent of our very human shortcomings, and return to live with Him and our Father again when this life is over. We also believe that they provided a guide for us in this life - the Holy Ghost - to be our constant companion and help us make good choices. 

Does that sound like an evil cult to you?

We believe in baptism, and repentance. We believe that we're responsible for our actions. We believe that it's important not only to have faith in God, but to act on that faith. We hold the Bible and the Book of Mormon close to our hearts, as we believe that both are divine scripture. We believe that God is unchanging, and the fact that he gave revelation to people in times past means that He is still capable of giving - and, in fact still does give - revelation. Similarly, we believe that as He spoke to prophets in times past, He speaks to prophets today. We have a prophet who leads our Church, just as prophets guided the church in days of old. 

We believe in the very same gospel that Christ himself established when He lived on the earth. 

We believe in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and helping those in need. Our Church is always one of the first on the scene to provide relief when disasters strike, all over the world. We have an active faith, one that requires us to go out and do good, and live Christlike lives; not just sit at home and profess faith. 

How can you call such a Church "sinister"? Our gospel, just as the Savior's gospel, is all about love. 

I can say with absolute certainty that my life is a joyful one. I love the Savior, and my Heavenly Father. I know that the things they ask of me - which sometimes seem restrictive and severe to people outside the gospel - are for my own good. I know from experience that by living my life as I'm asked to, I have been blessed. I have joy. I can't imagine that there are many people in the world who live happier lives than I do. 

That doesn't mean that life is pain-free. There will always be trials, there will always be heartache. But those experiences only make me stronger when I'm willing to turn to God and rely on Him to help me through. God gives us trials, yes, but He also provides us with the love and support we need to overcome those trials, and to grow spiritually. 

I'm grateful for the Gospel. It is the very best thing in my life. I wouldn't change it for anything. You may call me crazy, and call my faith "weird," "sinister," or even "a cult." But I know the truth. It's Jesus Christ's church here on earth. It's the most beautiful thing anywhere in existence, and those who choose to live their lives as faithful members are blessed beyond comprehension. 

If there is anyone reading this blog who is unfamiliar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and would like to know more, I invite you to go to mormon.org and look around. 

You may be pleasantly surprised by what you find there. :) 

Dances with Spiders

This morning, I passed through the living room on my way to the kitchen to fix breakfast. As I passed by our coat closet, I spied a moderately large, moderately hairy spider sitting on the door. Naturally, this was discovered on the one day in recent history when Ben has had to leave the house early. So it was up to me to dispatch the beast. 

I ran and got the fly swatter, thinking I'd just smack the hairy little creep. I swung the swatter, and it seemed that my aim was true. Somehow, however, the spider ended up doing a back flip off the door. Whether this was due to my ineffectual swatting abilities, or the spider's own keen senses and jumping skills, I know not. Either way, I let out an involuntary shriek and jumped backward, tracking the beast's progress with my eyes, as it arched through the air and landed... in a basket of clean, folded laundry. 

My clean, folded laundry.

I panicked, visualizing the horror of putting on supposedly clean clothes, only to find a spider (dead or alive) lurking therein. 

I scanned the basket, but the spider was nowhere to be seen. 

I searched the floor around the basket, nudging each dark spot on the carpet in the hopes that it would turn out to be an arachnoidal corpse. 

Yes, I just made up that word. No, I did not find the spider. 

I began gingerly lifting clothes and shaking them, praying that the spider would be discovered so that I could finish what I started, win my battle with nature, and go about the rest of my day with my mind at ease.

No spider.

I continued to hover over the basket, hunting for some sign of wriggly, hairy, menacing life. I stood there at least ten minutes, possibly twenty. But the beast continued to elude my watchful gaze.

Finally, I had no recourse but to give up. I told Evie to keep her shoes on while she was getting ready for school, and to avoid the war zone in the living room. I got her ready to go, took her to school (giving the area around the laundry basket a wide berth), then spent the rest of my day so far hiding in my bedroom. 

I'm going to stay here, too, until Ben gets home and can carefully examine every piece of laundry in that basket. 

He will be my champion.

You've won the battle, spider, but you will NOT win the war!!!