A Slow Day

It was a beautiful summer day in Boston; the perfect kind of day to be outside. A gentle but persistent breeze tangled my curls, and the sun shone brightly but not too hot in the blue, cloudless sky. Picture-perfect and idyllic. We wandered along the causeway at Castle Island, sat in the sunshine to watch the water, and talked about important things like who is expecting and who is a twin and the joys of nieces and nephews and experiences we've had that helped us grow into better people. We lunched in the shade of some trees just off the beach, and learned about Fort Independence from men who survived wars and knew what forts like this one stood for. We enjoyed our morning, the slow kind of morning, that lasts a long time yet seems so short, where you do what seems like nothing but it was the best kind of activity that could possibly have been planned.

The rest of the day was the same; slow, steady, a different sense of time than the frantic weekday pace I sometimes often keep. Tomorrow is Fast Sunday. It seems appropriate after slow Saturday. :-)

On Balance

It's been one of those weeks. The kind you look back on and think, Seriously? Where was the balance?

Tuesday I worked until 7:45 or so...

Wednesday I played the "take the car in before work (oh by the way the mechanic wants it by eight) then balance a whole day (on less sleep than usual) and try to get back again before the shop closes at six but don't forget you have that meeting at five and oh by the way don't forget to get a ride or else you have to leave even earlier to catch the T" game...

Then came home and did a week's worth of dishes, hung the laundry I did last week (two weeks ago?), filed the six months worth of paper I had started sorting on the dining room table when I was distracted by the furniture delivery last Saturday and hadn't gotten back to yet, and watched Hercules (until my computer died because I didn't have the power cord with me) to try to disengage from reality.  Which, by the way, makes a lot more sense after reading the Percy Jackson series or getting Greek mythology lessons. The movie, not reality.

Now that my house is clean (ish), I can think more clearly.  One thing is super clear - I need another vacation. 

I determined tonight that it's been about a month since I've gone more than two days without hearing offensive language (and those were all weekends).  There needs to be something to balance it out.  It's really the question of what you think about when you're thinking about nothing.  If you've failed to actively create something else to choose from, wouldn't you think about what you saw and heard all day?  And what if that was all lousy, uneducated, or offensive...?  So it must needs be that we fill our minds with good things, so we have something with which to fill the empty spaces that the bad things would otherwise creep in and take over.

As Elder Holland says, "Like thieves in the night, unwelcome thoughts can and do seek entrance to our minds. But we don’t have to throw open the door, serve them tea and crumpets, and then tell them where the silverware is kept! ... Throw the rascals out! ... Whatever thoughts you have, make sure they are welcome in your heart by invitation only."

Thus, choosing to read (and going back to memorizing) scriptures is more than just good.  It's imperative.

End of sermon to self.

Random Brain Dump

It's a curl up on the couch and watch a movie sort of Friday. Only one problem. No couch.

Notes I would write today - and in case you couldn't tell, I'm really glad for the weekend.

Dear people who wanted everything done five minutes ago all day long,
CHILL. I'm trying to do what it took four people to do last week. You can wait.

Dear sis,
Thanks for looking up a most important piece of information before playing your game tonight. :-)
<3

Dear Chick-Fil-A,
Won't you please consider opening a branch near Watertown?  PLEEEEZE???  Burlington is just too far to drive for dinner on a whim! And you're the only fast food I can stomach.
Your chickin-lovin-customer-to-be.

Dear random beauty consultant,
Just because someone told you I might be interested in her makeover party and gave you my email address does not give you permission to send me unsolicited emails. Especially since I have never met you. Plus, I get better stuff from my sis.

Dear friend whose call dropped twice in 2 minutes,
Thanks for being patient with my lousy reception! It must have been the weather.  If I'd known it would happen, I would have prayed for better reception.  It worked last time.  ;-)
Love, Me.

That is all.

A Summer Sabbath

Last year, I felt gypped out of my summer.  This year, I am not complaining.

I have to keep reminding myself of the former, because it helps me with the latter.

I carefully prepared for church this morning... just like every other Sunday.

Only this Sunday, the A/C was sputtering (at best) and ineffective in our building.

This Sunday, everyone needed a program.

As a fan.

This Sunday, we all had a glow about us.

(Maybe from sweat, maybe from the Spirit.) 

Sacrament meeting wasn't too bad, but it got progressively hotter as the meetings went on, and by the end of Relief Society, I felt like I was going to melt. 

Choir practice felt (as heat exhaustion goes) like mile 12 of a half marathon.

But we were all there - faithful people wanting to worship, even if it was hot, because it was the right place to be on the Sabbath (and as my friend said in the closing prayer, because she knows it's hotter in hell).

In spite of the heat, I felt the Spirit testify of the power of the temple, the reality of the Atonement, and what things I need to ponder this afternoon.

I felt the love of my Savior.

And now, as I sit in my small but air conditioned space at home with a big glass of (mostly) ice (and some) water, I feel grateful for the experience.

Because I know that feeling hot for 4 hours is a small thing to sacrifice in exchange for what I was given in return.

On Memorization

I decided last week that if I used a portion of the time I spent in the bathroom and the car memorizing scripture (no extra time required - just multitask while washing your face or driving to the store!), my day would be a degree more productive without much additional effort.

I started with something easy: Psalm 23. Within a week, I had it down, thanks to a Mormon Tabernacle Choir rendition of the Psalm that helps jog my memory about the order of the phrases.

Then I started in on Isaiah 53. I figured if Abinadi can do it, so can I.  Although perhaps someone could put it to music, too (Handel's Messiah doesn't cover it all)... it would help me.  I'm still working on it, but I have been interested to observe that, as I memorize, I have to first make sense of it - which means I find myself pondering why Isaiah used certain words or phrases.

Why, for example, did he refer to Jesus Christ as "a man of sorrows"? Of all things, I would not have considered His life as one marked with sorrow - particularly because of His triumphant victory over death and hell.  However, as I pondered, I understood that when He saw those who had rejected Him and the salvation He offered, it undoubtedly brought Him much sorrow.  But that cannot be all He experienced - after all, men are that they might have joy.  And He describes His joy multiple places in scripture.  Thus, it stands to reason that His mortal experience was not unlike mine - the deep sorrow He felt carved out a place in His heart for the joy, and His capacity for joy was expanded through His sorrows. 

No wonder He felt a fulness of joy after the completion of His infinite Atonement!

So Exciting!

I came home from church and other activities tonight to find little baby cucumbers, and little teeny baby bell peppers growing in my back porch pot garden!  I'm a real gardener!  It was SO exciting.  Fresh veggies for lunch every day, hand picked and tasty... here I come!

Many more happy things happened today too... but it's super late and my internet finally started working just when I need to go to bed. So you don't get to hear about them.  But my RS lesson went better than expected (and sorta different than the two I planned), and I'm grateful it's over and grateful for the guidance of the Spirit as I teach. It helps me more than anything else could. It turns out that what I needed to learn from the lesson and what I needed to teach were two different principles - and that was OK.  The right one came out during the lesson.

Happy Monday (almost)!

On Calming Storms

Sitting at a stoplight on my way home from CostCo, I looked ahead of me and noticed something unusual: even though there were only a few drops of water on my windshield - not even enough to justify turning on the wipers - the street a few blocks ahead of me looked like it had just been pummeled with rain.  I was literally sitting at the edge of the storm. Sure enough, when the light turned green, I drove right into it - a rip-roaring downpour that rivaled anything I've ever seen.  Windshield wipers on top speed increased visibility to maybe 10 feet.  Roads flash flooded with water up to the headlights. Thunder crashed only seconds after lightning struck.  Umbrellas were useless.  Then, an hour later, it was gone. Rain softly drizzled from the sky, then stopped completely, and all that was left was destruction.  Asphalt roads torn up in huge chunks.  Tree branches down.  Stalled cars stranded in ginormous puddles.  The post-storm stillness.

Now I study and ponder and seek the Spirit to guide me as I teach tomorrow about the Master of the storm. And as I do so, (now that I've quit trying to prepare the lesson my way,) He calms the storm of indecision in my mind, and replaces it instead with peace in my heart. I think I finally know how I'm going to present this one.

“If we love God, we will trust and obey Him, as Jesus did. If we love others, we will help them meet their physical and spiritual needs.”

Can You Relate To...

This?


Or This?


My sis and I had a great conversation about Dilbert-land tonight. It was fun. These two strips made me laugh the hardest... probably because I can totally relate.

Holy Rock

I like this pic. There's a wonderful child standing behind that little rock, peeking through the hole in its center.  It represents perspective.  It represents the power of small things - currents of water and consistent, repetitive effort - to accomplish great things. And it represents love. There is a God in heaven who knew that she would be delighted with this rock - so He made it.


I have been impressed the past few days with the readiness with which our Father answers our prayers, and the profound blessing of His love. In preparing to teach Relief Society on Sunday, I have been studying the life of Christ (no small topic to cover in a 40 minute lesson...). It is profound to consider that every doing and teaching of His life was motivated by one thing: love. As such, no matter what problem we face or struggle we confront, we can find an answer in studying His words and His deeds. As I have considered this truth, I find that it adds a new dimension to the scripture in which He declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life...".

He is my rock. He gives me perspective. And it is through the small things He asks me to do that I can become great.

Random Thoughts

I caved. A week's forecast of 90-degree weather and no rain in sight... that'll do it to just about anyone. I finally called a friend and recruited help getting my A/C units installed again (thanks!). Now I can move from the "man it's hot" stage to the "woah, check out that electric bill!" phase of summer.  Whee!

Does anyone else use their laptop's battery life as a method for determining whether they've spent too much time on the computer in a weekend?  I just congratulated myself for going 3 days in a row without having to charge the lappy.  (And then I plugged it in, so it won't auto-hibernate while I finish writing this post.)  What a way to measure accomplishment!  Granted, one of the days was 4th of July and I wasn't even home, but whatever.

In the spirit of the holiday season... some of my fireworks pics.  We were sitting downwind...

My favorites are the ones that blow up big and then - KA-POW! - you feel the explosion as much as you hear it.

Happy day-after Independence Day.

Small and Simple Things

In the summertime, children are drawn to water like moths are to light. The creek by the lodge we stayed in last week was no exception. It was probably the result of snow runoff, punctuated by little waterfalls here and there, running swiftly down the mountainside.  A part of it crossed the path we followed on our hike on Saturday. It seemed treacherous to cross the first time, and most of us ended up with wet shoes, wet feet, or more, depending on our ability to scurry across the little "bridge" made up of two of slick logs. The best "creek adventure," though, involved full-on playing in the water as well as a mini-project to make this creek crossing slightly less treacherous.  With six or eight of the kids, Gpa diverted the water in some places and removed debris in other places. A small dam was built above where the water wasn't wanted, and a larger dam was removed from the water's natural path. Stepping stones replaced the logs for easy crossing. When we were finished, some were covered in mud, others looked like they had barely touched the water, but all had had fun.

On the outside, it might have appeared that we were simply playing in the water: squealing about how its frigid temperatures made our feet numb; squishing our toes in the mud and letting the creek wash them clean again; picking up interesting rocks, keeping some and using others for a dam; scrambling after runaway flip flops; and getting generally muddy and wet. A deeper analysis, however, reveals some interesting ideas: relationships were built along with a creek crossing, allowing love to flow more easily ... scriptures were taught, as we discovered a real-life answer to the question "How long can rolling waters remain impure?" ... memories were made, unrestrained by the usual requirements of the day (keep clean and dry so mom doesn't have to do laundry) ... and family drew closer together because of a small and simple activity.

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." (Alma 37:6)

Loving Home

I am home again.

I loved being away...

the visits with old friends - and learning how time changes some things, but not others...

the hugs from little ones - and the unconditional love they represent...

the sharing of talents, from writing to Rock Band to recorder...

the going to church with family - there's something about hearing an 8-year-old sing that touches my heart...

the laughter - from baby T's giggles to the joyful sound of cousins loving each other...

the post-kid-bedtime game ritual...

the visits to the frigid creek and accompanying adventures in mud...  

the pictures - from iPhone fuzzy to professional...

the birthday and the baptism - what a great experience!... 

and the mentos. 

I still think we should have dropped them in diet coke for one of our activities.  Maybe next time.

I love being home...

My vegetables are growing...

my perennial garden is beginning to bloom...

(hold your finger and thumb about 1/4 cm apart...)

I'm this close to buying a new living room set...

and I get to sleep in my own bed tonight!