Thursday, September 22, 2011

Simple Pleasures

Life has so much to offer. Sometimes the little things get lost in the midst of dramatic and demanding events and circumstances. But it's nice to sit back and enjoy the simple pleasures of life and realize how incredibly blessed we are. Here are some of my favorites.

Vine ripe tomatoes

Berry/almond vanilla yogurt for breakfast

waking up next to my sweetheart

a phone call from my sweet little Ike

a quiet cool morning jog

the whisperings of the Spirit

answers to prayer
the serenity and peace of the scriptures, and the call to action I often find there 

a cold drink of water

an afternoon with my mom and sisters, nieces, & friends

getting all wrapped up in a good book, so many to choose from

looking at pictures of my kids when they were little (sorry Steve, you were still in heaven)

talking to my kids on the phone or Skype

 squashed dragons

laying down on my bed when I'm really tired

cooking for my Dave

Cache's laugh

spending time in the temple

warm, just out of the oven cookies 

Sometimes I offer 'thanks only' prayers ~ when I don't ask for anything, just express my love and gratitude for the incredible blessings I have. No one is more blessed than I am, and no one is more undeserving.  I try to be aware and give thanks to my Father and my Savior for their generosity and tender mercies.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Remembering September 11, 2001

My thoughts and feelings leading up to the commemoration of Sep 11, 2001, are most eloquently expressed in the following article, it is excellent.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/911-destruction-allowed-us-to-spiritually-rebuild/2011/09/08/gIQAbkjKCK_blog.html

9/11 destruction allowed us to spiritually rebuild

Badge from fire helmet discovered in the debris post 9/11/01. (Ira Block)
 
The calamity of September 11th, 2001 has cast a long shadow. Ten years later, many of us are still haunted by its terrible tragedy of lost lives and broken hearts. It is an episode of anguish that has become a defining moment in the history of the American nation and the world. This week, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, along with Tom Brokaw, will pay its own homage to the unforgettable events of September 11, 2001.
There was, as many have noted, a remarkable surge of faith following the tragedy. People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding. Comfortable times were shattered. We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven. And, as ever, we found it. Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way.
Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has come with time, but so has indifference. We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt. Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives. The darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment. But we are forgetful. When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well.
Our Father’s commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers. Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us. He has promised us that this will never change.
But we are less faithful than He is. By nature we are vain, frail, and foolish. We sometimes neglect God. Sometimes we fail to keep the commandments that He gives us to make us happy. Sometimes we fail to commune with Him in prayer. Sometimes we forget to succor the poor and the downtrodden who are also His children. And our forgetfulness is very much to our detriment.
If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.
The way to be with God in every season is to strive to be near Him every week and each day. We truly “need Him every hour,” not just in hours of devastation. We must speak to Him, listen to Him, and serve Him. If we wish to serve Him, we should serve our fellow men. We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.
It is constancy that God would have from us. Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought, or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness. Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were. We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior. We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow. We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm.
Thomas S. Monson is president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.