Stronger Through Him

I never had the honor of meeting Sister Patricia Holland. But she was a hero and mentor of mine, even if she didn't know it. Reading or listening to her words felt like chatting with a loved friend.   The world is absolutely a better place because of her time in it.   Elder Holland's words about his beloved spouse which were read at her memorial included these beautiful words.   "A remarkable relationship with heaven did not come without effort. She prayed all the time about everything. Her scriptures were in her hands constantly, especially the Book of Mormon. She would have lived in the temple if she could have, so she made a temple of the home in which we lived. She was as loyal to her covenants and her Heavenly Father as any woman could possibly be." It wasn't magic.   Or somehow without difficulty or tragedy. But she wanted it.  And she trusted her Heavenly Father and put in the work. And I want to be like her when I grow up. So I need to do like her each day

  "I see my mother kneeling, with our family each day.  I hear the words she whispers as she bows her head to pray." The lyrics by Janice Kapp Perry are from a song that I love- "Love is spoken here." But it was always much more of an end goal and a moving target for me.   My kids rarely saw me kneeling.  I've had nine knee surgeries over the course of my life and my joints remind me regularly that I can go down but coming back up may be difficult!  Our song would be more like this. I see my mother praying after the first time my dad hits the brakes last second and she remembers we didn't pray before we left. Or I see my mother leaning against the wall and tapping her foot so we can get through scriptures and prayers and go to bed. Or maybe I used to see my mother kneeling by my bed when I was little but now she goes to bed before me. My kids probably heard my voice raised more than whispered. And they aren't sure if I'm playing a

  I met a man walking along the beach.   He was slowly swinging his metal detector back and forth, back and forth as he listened for the signal that something metallic had been found. I sometimes get a whim that seems to become of great importance and a couple weeks ago getting a metal detector was just that whim.   I let my practicality and budget win that mental argument and didn't purchase one.  But it made me doubly and excited to see this gentleman with his gear.   When I passed him, he smiled and said good morning.  I smiled back and asked if he had found anything.  A handful of loose change was his bounty for the morning. "What's the best thing you've ever found?" Back in Pennsylvania where he lives near Harrisburg, he found an antique gold chain on his brother's newly purchased property.   He hasn't found any coins older than 1912.   "But", he quipped with a smile, "worst case scenario I get some exercise and find

  We are at a family reunion this week.   At the beach. It was interesting to hear different perspectives on the beach.   Some said it's too sandy, too hot, too salty, too rough. Others we could hardly pull out of the surf, even for meals.    There was a lot of laughter and shrieks of joy.   A few cries of fear as waves swept with more force than anticipated. I walked along the shoreline with the salty foam licking my ankles and the warm sand sliding under my toes.  My camera was in hand and I was capturing moments that caught my attention.   And suddenly I saw my six-year-old niece, Sarah, skip excitedly into the surf.   She simply radiated with joy.   She was completely absorbed in the moment and using all of her senses to fully experience  it. She wasn't worried about the flight delays and cancellations, what will happen tomorrow or what anyone thought.  She simply relished this precious moment on the beach.  And I got to be in that moment with her.  

  Fort Sumter is best known for being the location of the beginning shot of the civil war.   But in July of 1863 when the Union was attempting to regain the fort, they bombarded the edifice with short range fire, crumbling the walls.  Ironically, the assaults indirectly strengthened the fort.  Confederate soldiers used the crumbled materials, cotton bales and bags of sand to strengthen and fortify the walls to an impressive thickness that artillery could no longer cut through. Eventually the union troops were victorious and the confederates, rather than surrender, abandoned Fort Sumter.  But the lesson remains. Our life "hits" can also become our strength as we use the damaged pieces to rebuild and fortify our own lives.   We can truly have our weaknesses, become our strengths. And what if what we thought were our weaknesses or downfall actually become the most important part of our new foundations?  I can then turn and tell Satan, "You can't get me do

  As we were driving across Ohio today we came to a progression of signs along the roadside. Old fashioned tent revival!  Signs, miracles and wonders!  7:30 tonight. $10 each. Then we passed an awning set up over several rows of chairs.   I have sincere admiration for all seeking to come closer to God and to feel His influence and recognize His hand. But how grateful I am to know that his miracles weren't limited to the ticketed few in Ohio tonight. D&C 35:8 teaches: " I am God, and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show miracles, signs, and wonders, unto all those who believe on my name." They are available to all who believe. Helaman 16 reminds us that even with all the signs and miracles that had been given, many still struggled to believe.  And Hebrews 2:4 teaches that the miracles, signs and wonders are given. according to the Father's will.   They are big.  They are small.  But they are there.    He is there, especially amidst