Today while running errands I listened to Dennis Prager. A caller was telling a story about a friend of his who is a quadriplegic. To sum up, his friend was wheeled into a room with a young man who was also a quadriplegic. The friend tried to initiate a conversation with the young man only to discover that the young man was paralyzed from the mouth down, so could not speak. The friend kept track of this young man. Eventually the young man was given an optical device where he could use his eyes to look at letters to spell what he wanted to say. Those who provided it for him asked him if he could do anything, what would it be?
Would he like to go to Disneyland?
No
Would he like to go to Disney World?
No
They really wanted to do something for him so they told him they would do anything or take him anywhere he wanted to go.
Last night as I knelt in prayer and reflected with the Lord upon the day (being Easter) my mind reviewed the many references to the Saviors Atonement given in General Conference. As I proffered my deep gratitude this post came to my mind.
To recap, I had been going through a horrific struggle in my life. A struggle that had taken a few precious years away from me. I clearly remember the hopeless feeling I felt while on my knees and then crying myself to sleep. I clearly remember the dream. I clearly remember the feeling the next day as I was driving in my car and suddenly understood how the Atonement works.
It’s been over three years since I’ve had that experience and as I contemplated it I realized that I still struggle against the things I struggled with then. I still get that panicky feeling. But I am still rowing.
Only, I am not rowing alone; if so, I wouldn’t have made it this far.
My little craft is like an acorn cap bobbing in the current of the Mighty Mississippi. My oars are like toothpicks with which I am frantically paddling to navigate the currents and whitewater that constantly threatens to capsize me. And I have been capsized.
But still, I have made progress.
Because each time I have been capsized, I have been scooped up, dried off and set back on course. I have been guided on my way, pushed from behind, and in the worst of times, I have been picked up and carried in the palm of His hand.
I love Easter and the opportunity it affords to contemplate the great, eternal sacrifice of our Savior. But I love even more that every day I can avail myself of that sacrifice. Every day the Atonement is alive and working in my life.
Wow...look what I can do! I've always wanted to do that!
It's been so long since I've really messed around with my blog that I didn't even know about "new editor".
And then there are so many things that I hadn't really paid attention to before...like quotes, how nifty that you can just hit that little quotation mark and they automatically indent...
Today I was in a rushto get out the door. After a quick shower and hastily applied make-up I quickly perused my closet for something suitable to wear. I threw on a little used shirt and a hoodie and sprinted to the car so that I could make it to class on time.
When I got to class everyone was talking about the color of their clothes and all of a sudden it dawned on me that today was St. Patty's day. I had completely forgotten!
And then I looked down at the shirt I was wearing and burst out laughing in amazement...it was BRIGHT GREEN!!!
I never wear this shirt!
And to wear it by accident today of all days...Well I can only say it's the Luck O' the Irish!
Unless it is imposed upon you by your almost 18 year old son who wants to be a lawyer and he is a logical, sequential thinker and you are not. Then it hurts.
Actually it was yesterday...which was 17 minutes ago, but who's counting?
Exactly. Who's counting? My mother-in-law brought the traditional cinnamon rolls over this morning (she does it for all our birthdays) and asked how old I was. I had to stop and think...for a good 2 minutes. When I reached my mid 30's I quit keeping track. I mean, what's the point after that? It's just a number after all.
My favorite part of the day was when my visiting teachers came over and brought lunch for me and my kids. No one has ever done anything like that for me before. It was so much fun! They gave me a picture of a wheat field because they knew how much I loved Elder Bednar's General Conference talk. I had mentioned how I wanted a picture of a wheat field to remind of being consistent. I was so touched by their thoughtfulness.
So as the song goes, I'm "one year older and wiser too!"
Actually, I've been contemplating that. How much wiser am I now as opposed to last year? So I went back through my posts to see what I learned this year and here's what I know:
Home is not a beautifully decorated house. Home is where my family is.
Biggest Loser workouts hurt.
Growing a garden is very satisfying, but just be sure to put chicken wire around the garden boxes before your cat messes up the perfectly planted rows of lettuce and carrots doing his business.
Sisters make life worth living. Oh, and brothers too...(hi boys!) (not like they read this or anything)
Juggling can be hard with so many balls, but Somebody is always catching the ones I miss.
I have the best husband in the world...sorry ladies.
Trees are strong and beautiful. I am a tree.
When you want to change other people, it really does work if you change yourself first.
Scripture reading produces soft feet.
Yoga is very satisfying, but painful!
And last, but not least: The Lord giveth and he taketh away, but in taking He is really giving. (Haven't blogged about that one yet...)
Today I met a Holocaust survivor. She told us of her experiences. She was 20 at the time. She was in Auschwitz. She has a tattoo. A number.
A16786
It's on her arm. She let us touch her tattoo. It was an almost reverent experience. She told to forgive those who trespass against us. And she told us to always look forward to the future. Her words and her spirit are forever tattooed upon my heart.
I have been blessed with dry skin. Yes, I said blessed.
Who, in their right mind, is grateful for dry skin?
OK, so I’m not always in my right mind…just stick with me.
For most of my life the soles of my feet have been dry and rough with deep, painful cracks. Putting on a pair of nylons without running them was nearly impossible. I have tried all kinds of remedies, but to no avail…until I met Burt.
Meet my best friend: Burt’s Bees' Coconut Foot Crème.
I have a little ritual. Every morning when I shower I scrub my feet with a pumice stone. Then after the shower I apply a liberal amount of the Foot Crème on my soles and slip on a pair of socks. I wear the socks as long as possible before getting ready to go. Sometimes at night I’ll put on more crème and wear the socks to bed. When I do this on a regular basis, my feet become soft and supple. I can wear nylons without running them. I can wear sandals and not be embarrassed by my cracked heels. Life is good.
But sometimes I get rushed…or lazy. I skip the pumice stone. Or I don’t want to take the time to rub the crème on and put on the socks. It’s a thick, oily crème that requires a little time to rub in (like maybe 30 seconds). So I skip that. If this only happens once or twice it’s not too noticeable. It might take a few times of getting back in the habit before my feet are soft again, but it’s not too hard.
Sometimes, however, I get out of the habit. Way out of the habit. So far out that my feet become very dry. They begin to crack. Then they begin to bleed. It is painful to walk on them. It hurts to put shoes on. Life is not good.
When I ponder on this as I am showering and scrubbing my feet I think of this scripture from Isaiah:
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! ~Isaiah 52:7
I have another little ritual. Every morning I awake at 5:50am. I get dressed and gather a pillow, a blanket, my scriptures and my ponderings journal. I drive my daughter to seminary and while she is in class I snuggle down in the seat, say a prayer, and read and ponder my scriptures. When I do this on a regular basis my soul becomes soft and supple. I am open to the inspirations of the spirit. I can “run and not be weary, and walk and not faint”. Life is good.
But sometimes I get rushed…or lazy. I skip on the scriptures and take a nap. Or sometimes I just rush through the reading and don’t take the time to really ponder and let the truths sink into my soul. If this only happens once or twice, it’s not too noticeable. It takes me a couple of mornings of getting back into the habit to keep my soul open to enlightment, but it’s not too hard.
Sometimes, however, I get out of the habit. Way out of the habit. So far out that my soul becomes very dry.Relationships become strained, sometimes even painful. I begin to crack. My soul begins to hurt. Life is not good.
My temporal condition is a daily reminder of my spiritual condition. My sole reflects my soul! If I want to keep my feet beautiful, I must take care of them daily.Every morning as I am getting ready for the day and I am tempted to skip the foot crème, I remember the pain of having dry, cracked heels and so I choose to apply the healing balm that will keep my feet soft and supple.Likewise, this little ritual reminds me that if I want to bring good tidings and peace to those around me, I must keep my soul beautiful by applying the healing balm of the Word of God each day.
And that, my friends, is why I am blessed with dry skin.
I'm happy to report that my laundry is done... for this week anyway Yes, I did 17 loads in 4 days No, it was not fun But it was cheap I made my own laundry soap It only costs .007 per load Ok, I'm not sure that is right but I can't find my calculator on my computer That's how computer savvy I am
Ok, I'm done writing in short sentences without periods. . . . See all those periods? Oooo and even a question mark.
Ok, I'm being a bit silly.
You know what I did this morning? I put a pad of paper and a pen by my shower so that as soon as I stepped out I could record my thoughts before they dissipated into thin air. The first four lines I typed are what came out of my head.......
OK! So not everything that I think of in the shower is profound,
but... but...
I did think of another post that I am working on that is pretty profound.
So get ready to step on over I'll be putting my best foot forward Stepping out in style Tappin' my feet
I have been studying The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It's affected me greatly. It has also had a significant effect on my family. I have been more kind to my family , and it isn't an affected kindness, truly I am trying to effect change within myself so that I can have more of a positive affect on others. As I have tried to put into effect the principles I have learned and I see how it is positively affecting my family I feel pretty darn good about the effect I am having.
Today in the shower I decided that I needed a waterproof recorder so that I could record all the posts that go through my mind whilst cleansing myself.
As the mist from the hot water swirls around in the air, so do thoughts swirl in my mind.
I write the most profound posts as the hot water washes over me, purifying my body and my mind.
Then I turn off the tap.
I open the door.
And as the mist dissipates into the air...so do my thoughts.
If there are new posts from me on your Google Reader (or whatever you use), don't get too excited...I just imported the posts from my old blog.
But while I'm here I'll tell you something I learned the other day.
I've been studying Isaiah again. I love that man.
Anyway he refers to the righteous as "trees of righteousness" so I started thinking about that comparison and here are my scribbles.
Trees have strength. A strong core holds them upright in a gale. Their roots run deep. They seek living water.
They grow upwards toward heaven, always reaching towards the sky.
They are majestic and hardy.
They suffer through heat and cold.
They are glorious and versatile, showing their beauty through all seasons, from the beautiful green in summer, to the glorious foliage of autumn, to the starkness of winter when they are naked, yet unashamed to the world, to the renewal of spring with the bud and the bloom.
They are fruitful, some bearing sweetness, others of a more savory nature.
No two are the same, even those of the same species have their own unique shape.
I wish to be called a "tree of righteousness...a branch of the Lord...beautiful and glorious."*
