Stronger Through Him

  It had been more than 13 years.   13 years since we had spoken, corresponded, or really done much more than the occasional social media like or love. There have been graduations, illnesses, weddings, and lots of new gray hairs on both sides.   Then a few months ago, she excitedly shared her impending grandparenthood.  The hope and joy of a new generation, hopefully with some healing as well.   And then an e-invite to attend a baby shower.  "You should go."   What? Where did that thought come from?  It is a busy time of year and weekends are my worst times.  It would literally make me sicker to fit in a trip like that.  I brushed it off and went to click "decline".  "You should go."  There it was again.   I have learned not to ignore that voice.  I still do sometimes, I'm not perfect, but I knew I had a prompting.  And so I clicked "maybe". I arranged for my daughter to travel with me and se...

  After dealing with a rather frustrating situation today and feeling my feathers a bit ruffled, I walked into the 4th grade classroom.   I was monitoring students during indoor recess and turned to the girls working at the board and asked, "If you knew someone was really struggling with trying to calm back down and not be so frustrated, what would tell them to do?" One girl quickly spun around and spoke up confidently, "Tell them to try medication!" My inward chuckle did, indeed, calm my feathers but then she corrected. "I think I meant meditation!" Both have their places.   President David O McKay instructed, "Meditation is one of the most secret, most sacred doors through which we pass into the presence of the Lord. Jesus set the example for us."  He then expounded on Jesus going to the wilderness for spiritual strengthening after being baptized.   But there is also definitely a place for professional, skilled health care.  And p...

  I was sent to teach a kindergarten class earlier this week.  The teacher had fallen ill and there were no substitutes available. This class had been learning about the rain forests and were making persuasive posters to encourage others to help protect them. They were telling me about the animal they had each been assigned to study and using rich vocabulary like undercover and foliage.   As they wrote and designed their posters I watched as some students started with artwork and were more developed artists than others.   Others were sounding out words and writing clearly discernible complete sentences.   One little girl was carefully writing long strings of Os and Is.   In each case I helped scaffold, or support, their one individual next step.   For some they needed to draw lines to represent the words.   For some encouragement to add detail. And in my little friend with Os and Is I asked her to read it back to me.  She q...

  She didn't let what she didn't have stop her. She found a paper towel and a pen.   She wasn't afraid to share her feelings. She wasn't worried about her art skills and she generously gave me long eye lashes and a crown.   Once again I am reminded why we are supposed to learn from our children. They give love freely.  Elder Jack H Gauslind Jr taught, "I am persuaded that much of our love is confined to mere lip service and dreams of good deeds accomplished, but true love must be expressed in unselfish acts of kindness that bring others closer to our Heavenly Father." Don't wait for the perfect day and perfect way.  Share your love freely with what you have. 

My daughter shared this from her mission Thai week: Something spiritual that happened this week was with our friend Francisco. We had been explaining God's plan and the purpose of life, and where we go after death, and Francisco asked where bad people that try to follow Christ go. We explained if you're trying to follow Christ, you aren't a bad person, and asked if he had the desire to be baptized so he could become clean of his sins. He started crying and said yes, and didn't know that it was possible to repent, and if was a super beautiful moment. I'm really grateful for the chance I have to invite others to come unto Christ, and I know that Jesus Christ is our savior and through Him, we can all be saved. Repentance. It's not a punishment.   It's a beautiful gift.   A process that restores our connection with Heaven, paid for by Jesus Christ.   It's about hope. It's about redemption. It's about love.   And sometimes I need to be reminded of tha...

  In December, when my birthday came, a dear friend sent me a gorgeous bouquet of tulips. She knew that tulips are not only my favorite flower, but have exceptional meaning to me. And that the gift not only made me smile for days, but reminded me just how well she knows and loves me. Personalized gifts are like that.   They can elevate, uplift, soothe and bring joy.  Any parent who has ever sacrificed to give a special gift understands that.  Matthew 7:11 reads, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" Why?  Because we are loved and known personally.   More than we can truly fathom.   But when we make the effort to see the touch of the divine in our lives, we will begin to see evidence of that personal love. Evidence like tulips on a winter day. 

  Years ago, while serving as PTO President at my children's elementary school, I was tasked with cleaning out and updating the files.   And there were more than 80 years of files!  It was a bit of a treasure hunt and took me way longer than planned because I spent so long walking through the memories told by the files crammed full of receipts, meeting notes (with parliamentary procedure ensured), photos, news clippings and more. The scrawled cursive writing turned to typewriter notes, than mimeo blue, then more typewriting complete with telltale blobs of white out and finally the early computer printouts, floppy disks and then memory sticks.   In the midst of this I found a particularly intriguing fundraiser plan from a time which predated not only water bottles, but also water fountains..... Here was the plan.  They would serve "extra salty popcorn" for free at the meeting and then charge 5 cents for a dipper of water.  It proved to be a prof...