On Coveting

Coveting warmth and sunshine...

Phoenix is 50 degrees warmer than Boston today. For a nice April Fool's joke, it decided to snow (but not in Phoenix). I tried to avoid being out for very long in the slushy rain stuff this morning by not scraping off the top of my car before starting to drive... and two blocks later, it all slid forward onto my windshield. The water-laden snow was immediately packed down by my windshield wipers, and they proved somewhat ineffective in places after that. Don't worry, though, I could still see. Just not around the edges.

I am longing for warm spring planting weather and grateful this weekend's General Conference is available on the Internet (check it out - the link goes to "watch it live!" - at least for the next two days...), so I can watch underneath a warm comforter if I want to. Mmmm... cozy.

I Serve

For thou shalt devote all thy service in Zion; and in this thou shalt have strength. - Doctrine & Covenants 24:7


Yesterday I had lots of work to do. It took 11 hours - nearly 12, when you count the driving. I missed FHE (sad!) but did eat dinner and work out instead. There is something refreshing about boxing after a long day. Even Wii boxing. (All right, let's do it together.)

Today I had lots of work to do. I brought some of it home so I could eat dinner before finishing. As I was settling down to work, my friend called. She's engaged and they were stuffing announcements, and she invited me to join them. I have learned over the years that sometimes the only opportunities I have to see my engaged friends are when I offer to help them with wedding stuff. I thought to myself, I need blessings, and service brings them. This will be good. So I did most of my work and then went to help.

It was good. They appreciated my help and I appreciated the company and the conversation - and the chance to qualify for the strength I need to finish the week.

Who I Am

Today I played two roles in church. The first was the more traditional role... choir member, listener, learner. We had fantastic speakers and they taught us well. The second was an entertaining role... I was the human jungle gym for one half of my favorite set of 3-year-old twins. She was entertaining herself - quietly, I might add - by climbing onto my lap on her stomach, and swinging herself headfirst over the other side so she could stand on her head. Apparently, my job was to keep her from falling off my lap prematurely or hurting herself. I succeeded, I think. She was still smiling at the end of the meeting.

Needless to say, I appreciate the children in my life. They are a source of great joy.

A Bright Spot

Grey days in Boston happen fairly regularly in the winter and the spring. On these days, as I drive to work, I notice the house with the yellow front steps. It is like a bright ray of sunshine on an otherwise not sunshine-y day. Every time I see these steps out of the corner of my eye, I look over to see where the sunshine is coming from. Then I remember - it is from the yellow front steps of my favorite house on that road.

Often, I have thought about writing a little note and leaving it on the front door of the house. It would go something like this:

Dear friend,

Thank you for painting your front steps yellow! It adds such beauty to every otherwise grey and cloudy day. It is a wonderful reminder when I drive by your home that there will always be a bright spot of sunshine, even on the gloomiest of days.

The world needs more yellow front steps.

- Me

On Choices

Tonight I had some choices.

1. Fold the clothes that have been piled in the spare room for two weeks.
2. Do the dishes that have been piling up for three days.
3. Play Wii Fit.
4. Read the three books in my pile of things to read.
5. Catch up on sleep.
6. Watch random TED talks on the internet.

Fortunately, I got through 1 & 2 before jumping right to 6. Apparently, I'm only good for about an hour of real productivity in the evening - no matter what time I get home.

It's supposed to snow for the next two days. What's up with that? I want daffodils and tulips, not snow.

Trash Talk

Last night, we did a service project for FHE.

For those who don't know what FHE is - it stands for Family Home Evening.  And for me, it's usually not with my family and not at home.  But it's still in the evening.  Every Monday evening, to be exact.  It's one of my favorite parts of the week.

So back to last night. It was cold. Raining. Not hard, just the drizzly kind that frizzes curly hair and dampens your outer layer. We all ate donuts, then donned gloves and grabbed a few trash bags, and went out to the bike path by Davis Square to pick up the litter.  Believe it or not, it was fun. Here's why:

Guy-girl ratio: 2 to 1. No joke.

People talk more freely when they're serving - especially when they're picking up trash. Good conversation.

It was so cold our wet-gloved fingers were freezing, but we were all freezing doing something good for mankind, so it was ok. Good adventures.

My trash-collecting buddy even used a stick as a tool to excavate some of the litter from underneath some thorny bramble bushes as we talked about how fun it is to make and use tools to make life easier.  Good thinking!

Some people walking by asked what we were doing, and then said thank you when we told them!  Good feelings.

Afterwards, we all agreed it was the most fun we had had at a Family Home Evening in a long time. And the bike path is much prettier now.

The End.

Small Things

"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."


My day was full of good things... a women's conference, a visit with my brother at the airport, picking up food for next week's meals, a celebratory open house. Yet, on my way home, I felt sort of "meh". As I drove down Rte 2 and looked at the giant moon, brighter and clearer than I have ever seen it, the thought ran through my head: when upon life's billows you are tempest tossed... count your many blessings.
 
Then I pulled into Trader Joe's, and was wandering around the store thinking about nothing, trying to decide what to buy, and noticing that soymilk was cheaper there than at Target (where I stocked up earlier that day), when I ran into my friend. No, not literally, but almost. She and I talked a few minutes and caught up on how things were, wandered through the checkout together, and walked out to our cars together.
 
And as I drove home, I thought to myself, this was the best thing that could have happened tonight. My heart felt lighter, I was smiling, and I was grateful for a loving Father who reminds me to count my blessings and then inspires my friends to go to Trader Joe's at random times so that my spirits can be lifted.

Laughter is Good For the Soul

So is spring weather.

It was warm enough to go for a walk at lunchtime - so I did.

Plus, I made it home before dark for the first time this week! (Crazy, I know, since we started DST already.)

Then I read my nieces' latest posts on their blog tonight, and laughed out loud.

And now I feel better than I did when I got up this morning.

The End.

Daily Bread & How to Get It

Here is a good talk.

And it seems that this is all I have to say today.

Enjoy.

Post Edit:

OK. I changed my mind.

We talked today in Sunday School about the parables Jesus taught during His ministry. Specifically, we discussed the parable of the sower. You know the story... a sower went forth to sow, and his seeds fell on four different types of ground. Each one had a different result - the seeds that fell by the wayside were picked up by the fowls of the air... the seeds that fell among stony ground sprouted, but then died because they had no depth to their root system... the seeds that fell among thorns grew, but then were choked and died... and the seeds that fell on good ground brought forth fruit in varying measures.

It occurred to me as we discussed this parable that if the interpretation of the parable includes the sower to mean Jesus, and the seeds to mean the word of the Gospel, and the ground to mean our (collective) hearts, that a concept we don't talk about enough includes the sower's preparation of the ground prior to sowing; that is, He does everything in His power to make our ground good - rich, deep soil that will take the word and let it grow. This includes harrowing, roto-tilling, digging, removing stones, etc. - and that is what His Atonement does for us, if we let it. It takes our rocky, wayside, or thorny ground (and I would venture to guess for most of us, some of each) and makes it good. It is usually a painful and difficult and lengthy process, but over time, as we allow the sower to till our hearts, we find that we have good ground, deep and rich, and that the seed of His Gospel has sprung up and become a tree bearing a most delicious and wonderful fruit.

And that opens the door for an extensive and enlightening study of Alma & Amulek's discourses on faith and the works that follow such faith... but that is a topic for another day.

Things Are Growing!

Spring is on its way! The lilies of the valley are starting to poke up through the ground. This is exciting.

There might still be ice on Fresh Pond and maybe even on the Charles, but Boston is starting to emerge from its winter cocoon. That makes me happy... like long walks in the sunshine happy, fresh vegetables in salads happy, and smoothies and sourdough happy. Down with heating bills and wool coats!

Tomorrow is the beginning of another daylight savings period, where we compromise an hour's lost sleep for some sunshine later than six in the evening. I think it might well be worth it this time. Especially since I'm tired enough to fall asleep an hour earlier than usual anyway.

Happy Sabbath!

I spent a lovely day visiting with old friends - people with whom I have spent too little time in the past few months. It was fabulous.

Spring is springing... the snow in front of my house is nearly melted, allowing for safe street parking again (yippee!) without fear of being whacked by an oncoming car as you exit your vehicle... plants are starting to bud and blossom... and I didn't have to wear a coat to church today. These are exciting things.

I made a successful white sauce today, and turned it into the most awesome lasagna I've ever made (not hard, honestly, since I think I've only attempted lasagna one or two other times), from THIS recipe.

How did I find it, you ask?

Well, as I was driving home yesterday from my temple shift, I decided I wanted to go to the store prior to going home, since I was tired enough from working that I knew if I went home I wouldn't go back out again, and since I had a dinner scheduled for tonight and I had rediscovered lasagna noodles in my food storage when I moved it all back into my kitchen last weekend, I determined that I needed to make a lasagna, but I didn't have a good recipe, so I called my sister, who (awesomely) looked one up online for me and told me what ingredients to buy while I was out shopping. Incidentally, I also found a cute top at Ann Taylor (don't ask me how that got on the recipe list ... these things just happen).  Then, later, I decided I should buy real milk instead of trying to make a white sauce with soy milk, because (seriously!) the sauce is already loaded with dairy anyway (read: 1/2 cup butter, 2 cups cheese...), so why bother with the soy milk - and I don't know if you even can make a white sauce with soy milk - so I ended up going out again after all. So much for that. :-)

One thousand positive reviews, it turns out, are a pretty good indicator that a recipe is worth it.

On Privilege

I watched a video today that left me feeling astounded at the blessings I possess - blessings I fail to even consider most days. You can watch it here, if you like.

Never before have I thought about how my faith might be different if I lived in a country on another continent. If an opportunity to see the prophet in person came only once or twice in my lifetime. If the closest temple required a passport or a visa and extensive travel.

I marvel at how faithfully the youth of the Church serve in and live the gospel - particularly those who have not been as privileged as I have been. I, who grew up an hours' drive from a temple; who went to school in a place where one could be in the presence of a prophet of God not just once, but many times; who needed no translator to understand that prophet's words (although the Spirit of God typically translates them into life-changing messages); I am both grateful for and profoundly touched by the faith and devotion of the Saints in the Ukraine temple district. They make me want to be better.

A Random Conglomeration of Thoughts, Separated Into Paragraphs

I kid you not: I filed my taxes on Monday. I get my refund on Wednesday. That's 9 days, people! Perhaps our government can be efficient about something. How's that for neat?

I went to a meeting tonight with Bishop Burton and Elder Costa. During Bishop Burton's talk, he spoke about how when he was a teenager, he met with David O. McKay, during which conversation President McKay told him about how when he was a teenager he had met with John Taylor, who had showed the young McKay the scars on his arm from the wounds he sustained during the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. I thought about how wonderful it is that I can hear a man testify that he knew a man who knew a man who spent time in the presence of the Prophet of the Restoration - a prophet who died over 120 years before I was born. That close a connection to the first prophet of this dispensation may not be had by future generations, and I am grateful to have heard that story tonight. As well I am glad for the personal knowledge we each can have of the reality of a living prophet of God on the earth.

About a week or so ago, I had an interesting conversation with a friend about the next generation of electronic entertainment. We have great technology at our fingertips now... the Wii, Kinect, etc, that let us exercise in the comfort of our own homes. This friend predicted that soon, gyms will go the way of all the earth, and people will be able to go to the "virtual gym" without leaving their home. The technology is almost good enough to sense motion in all dimensions - and when it gets there, watch out world! It will be an entirely new way of doing things.

And lastly, a comment on innovation. It is pretty much awesome. I love the creative process and the results of collaborating with people to obtain an innovative and new solution to an existing problem. Everyone should do it.

The End.

I'm a Popsicle.

Today while I was out, the wind blew. And blew. And blew. It was one of those fierce winds, that whips past your face, pulls the tears from your eyes, and numbs your cheeks instantly. The kind that you have to push back against to stay standing up.  Whistling past as fast as it could go, it blew all of yesterday's warmth away, out to sea, and brought winter back with it. Occasionally it would stop, and we would breathe a sigh of relief, and the moment's reprieve would feel a great blessing. Later, it felt even more invasive, finding its way inside my coat sleeves, under my scarf, and through my hair, tugging all my body heat away with it.  At the end of our walk, I felt like a popsicle.

But sometimes, it's ok to be a popsicle, if it means a good adventure with a good friend and good food. Have you ever had a frittata?  Mmm...

Happy Friday!

Well, what do you know. I still want Starburst jelly beans.  (All the more reason to avoid going to Target this weekend.)

Homemade calzones are awesome.  Especially when you don't have to make the dough.

The best default movie is Pride & Prejudice. Yes, the loooong A&E version.

It was warm enough today to melt some of the snow - now I can see the cars coming when I back out of my driveway! Miracles will never cease - so long as there is faith upon the earth. I have been exceedingly grateful the past few weeks for the lack of falling snow - and, this week, the warmer weather that is making it all go away. Bring on Spring!

Arizona grapefruit are still amazingly wonderful. And fresh-squeezed orange juice? Dee-lightful.

That is all.