Sabbath Ponderings

Happy Sabbath!  It is my favorite day of the week.  Although today has presented some interesting challenges...

I came home from church to find my wireless connection was on the fritz.  Of course, the first thought that popped into my head was, "you should call RB (a CS grad known for his problem-solving skills)".  So I did, and he talked me through fixing the wacky wireless connection.  I got off the phone thinking: problem solved. I can access Gmail again, so I'm all set.  And I know how to fix it next time it goes nuts.  Life is good. Right? 

Wrong.  I started making dinner, and my microwave fritzed out.  No kidding.  It's like it hates butternut squash or something!  Seriously.  The sad thing is, this time, I don't have a graduate in "microwave science" with problem solving skills in my reportoire of friends to fix it for me.  Thus, the first thought that popped into my head this time was, "I need a husband."  And I do.  And I'm taking applications.

The good news, of course, is that I can live without a microwave.  Well, I won't eat butternut squash until it's fixed, but whatever.  Why is it so easy, you ask?  Because... I have a toaster oven!  Think toasted muenster cheese on sourdough bread.  For every meal.  Mmmm.....  Well, except breakfast. Breakfast is why they invented cereal... and who microwaves their cereal?  Seriously.

In other news... last night I went to a friends' house to watch the BYU/Utah game.  I haven't watched football in years, purportedly because I'm not that into it.  Then I caught myself yelling at the TV when two BYU guys were trying to catch up with and tackle a Ute player who had the ball.  They did.  And then I was happy.  Maybe I don't watch sports because I do get into it.  It was entertaining, to say the least, and I enjoyed watching a bunch of fans jump up and cheer for a team playing two times zones away when we made the final touchdown. 

I also went to the temple with my friend S yesterday.  Good friends are a wonderful part of mortality that make me happy.  And tonight, RB and HTE made pancakes.  I ate well in exchange for a few dishes done... at least one of the two kitchens is clean! (Mine's not.)  Thanks, friends.

And now the Sabbath is ending and a new week awaits.  So much for my lovely vacation... it's over.  Fortunately, it doesn't have to be Thanksgiving for me to be grateful!  Today I am grateful for

friends...

feeling the Spirit in church meetings...

a deeper understanding of the condescension of God...

iTunes (whose music kept me from getting upset when said microwave fritzed)...

Christmas music...

choir...

& my bed.

Goodnight.

Discoveries

Today I discovered that L really likes broccoli.  She's two and a half.  I think that's entertaining.  I didn't like broccoli until I was in college, if I remember correctly.  Despite her odd affinity for vegetables and Mentos, she's a cute one!  We went to the store together today.  Aside from the oddness of driving a minivan instead of a 4-passenger car on unfamiliar roads with only verbal instructions for how to get where we were going, it was a pretty fun experience.  Things take longer when you are with a little one.  It was refreshing to take my time and stop and enjoy the experience instead of just rushing in, picking up what I needed, and rushing out again.  Then again, when I'm on vacation, I have time to take to enjoy the little things.  It wasn't like I was rushing back to work.  And that was also nice.

Tonight we played DDR together.  We have to do that, you see, to work off all the pie we are eating.  So far we have made 5 pies in celebration of Thanksgiving week: apple, peach, pumpkin x2, and blueberry.  Pie is one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions.  If there are as many pies as there are people, it is a successful pie making year.  This year, we've done 5 for 3 adults and 4 kids.  That's good.  Mmm...

Baptism & FHE

Yesterday I went to my niece's baptism.  She's eight and has the most delightful giggle!  It was touching for me to see her choose to do something because she believes in it.  I love M.  I have observed in her a great desire to do what is right, and she is a deep thinker, even at her young age.  We sang songs about baptism, heard talks on baptism and the Holy Ghost, watched M get baptized, and ate treats to celebrate afterward. 

Today I helped my other niece B teach a family home evening lesson on being diligent and studying the scriptures.  We used the text of a General Conference talk as the basis for our lesson.  Teaching children is different than teaching Relief Society.  It requires more object lessons and less theory.  It also requires being very practical (as opposed to theoretical), and out of necessity, it must needs be focused so as not to lose the attention of the audience.  And yet, I learned much from today's lesson in spite of the change in style.  It was good to be reminded.

On Gratitude

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Watching this new video filled my heart with gratitude.  (My heart would fill even more with gratitude if I could figure out how to make it show up on this page instead of as a link, but whatever. I'll learn someday.)

Happy pre-Thanksgiving week!

On Plans

All my life I have been taught about the Plan.  Plan with a capital P, because it's big.  Big enough that it encompasses every person on the earth: all those who lived before, those who live now, and those who will yet be born.  The Plan of Happiness, the Plan of Salvation, the Plan of Redemption.  The scriptures have given it all kinds of names - all accurate - and basically, it is the Plan that God put into motion to allow all His children the opportunity to be saved.

This week, I gained a bit of insight into another plan.  This one has a little p, because it's comparatively tiny.  But just as important.  This plan is the one He has carefully and lovingly designed for me.  Not me along with all His other kids - just me.  It's the micro version of the big Plan - and there's a micro version for everyone.

Being one who loves creating both a high-level conceptual design and a low-level detailed process flow, it is a comforting and happy thought to know that there is a 100,000-foot view that encompasses the entire world, and a 10-foot view that is just for me.

And that is one more reason why I believe.

Sharing

NieNie shared this with me...

now I share it with you.

Jeffrey R. Holland's thoughts on love. 

I will probably watch it a few more times,

just to make sure it really sinks in deep.

In other news,

my time in the temple tonight

created a bubble of joy within my soul,

and filled my heart to overflowing.

It was wonderful.

Scripture Study is Good for the Soul

I am preparing my lesson for Relief Society on Sunday.  Today, that meant immersing myself in the scriptures.  As I pondered the role of this final dispensation in the greater context of the Plan of Salvation, I found my heart lighter and my mind elevated.  It has lifted me beyond the concerns that have lodged in my heart this week, and helped me to see past the sometimes mundane tasks that fill my waking hours.  I felt the joy that accompanies light as it filled my mind and heart.

Imagine how motivating the words of the Prophet Joseph must have been to the early saints of the Church.  They certainly motivate me!

"The work which has to be accomplished in the last days is one of vast importance, and will call into action the energy, skill, talent, and ability of the Saints, so that it may roll forth with that glory and majesty described by the prophet [Daniel]; and will consequently require the concentration of the Saints, to accomplish works of such magnitude and grandeur. ... well will it be for those who shall aid in carrying into effect the mighty operations of Jehovah."  (Joseph Smith)

In what greater work can we engage than assisting our Lord in bringing salvation to His children?

On Kindness

These words from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin floated around in my head last night and today.

"Kindness is the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others. Kindness should permeate all of our words and actions at work, at school, at church, and especially in our homes. ... When we are filled with kindness, we are not judgmental. The Savior taught, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” He also taught that “with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

“But,” you ask, “what if people are rude?”  Love them.  “If they are obnoxious?”  Love them.  “But what if they offend? Surely I must do something then?”  Love them.  “Wayward?”  The answer is the same. Be kind. Love them.  Why? In the scriptures Jude taught, “And of some have compassion, making a difference.”  Who can tell what far-reaching impact we can have if we are only kind?"

It has been 4 years since he spoke these words.  I am finally starting to recognize the implications of their application.  This is one of the greatest sermons on kindness of which I am aware.

This is my favorite place around here.  It is a place of beauty and peace.  I was here three times last week.  What a blessing!

Happy Sabbath!

Beginnings

Welcome to my new blog. For those who are hoping for detailed updates on my life, you might be disappointed, at least at first. My imagination tells me this will be more of a place to share my thoughts and things I'm learning. It will be a place to visit that will leave you a better person than when you came, and a place to share what I know to be truth.

Why Blue Skies and Lilacs, you ask? There is a Primary song that I have always loved, which contains these words:

Whenever I hear the song of a bird

Or look at the blue, blue sky, ...

Whenever I touch a velvet rose

Or walk by a lilac tree, ...

I know Heavenly Father loves me.

And that is why.