For my UNdecided friends

IAT = I am thankful

1. the election is almost here.
2. that my talk is over.
3. that I heard from EN3 today.
4. that it's beautiful Fall weather.
5. that the next president is OBVIOUS. To me anyway.

So, a week ago, I was asked to give a talk at the Institute for devotional Tuesday. It was on citizenship, being involved in the community, and voting. Ugh! A hard talk to give without losing people. I found a great resource to help young and old alike in making a decision. I included these in my talk today. Here they are.

How do you know which candidate to vote for? We know the church does not support particular candidates even if one of the Presidential candidates is a member of our faith. The church is strictly non partisan on this point. Where the church will speak out is on moral issues of doctrinal importance. Whether you think members of the same gender should be able to marry, it is a moral issue the church has addressed, and they ask us to support that issue. In the end, we each have the choice to support it or go with our own opinion. The church has taken stands on other similar issues.

Here are some suggestions for weighing the differences with candidates.

1-Use REASON instead of emotion. Especially be aware of fear tactics to sway you.

2-Use KNOWLEDGE. Go to the candidates websites and read their plans, stands on issues, etc. Use several sources of news. Its very easy in our day to fact check. But I’ve found even with fact checking, the truth can be hard to identify.

3-Study the ISSUES. Are they real or contrived? Some may be running around screaming the sky is falling. Maybe it’s not. Maybe it is. But find out why they are making the claims they are and whether they have merit.

4-Look at the candidates IMAGE. Write a list of your most important character traits or characteristics. If honesty, ability, experience, patience, determination are important to you, look for evidence of those traits in your candidate.

 

5-Look at their STRENGTHS real and perceived, and their weaknesses. Is their any validity to claims by their opponent?

6-Pay attention to PROMISES.  A few presidents back, “read my lips, no new taxes,” came back to haunt that President. Ask what power the office that is being sought has, and whether the candidate will be able to carry through with promises being made.

7-STANDING on principle or POSTURING for ego? Can you trust this person to do what he/she says, or is it all for the bigger show?

8-ACCOUNTING vs ATTACKING. It’s expected that there will be an accounting of experience and the course each candidate claims they will take. If the majority of a campaign is spent attacking the other candidates, see if you can figure out why. Ask yourself: Is the charge a legitimate call for accounting or a personal attack? If personal deficiencies are claimed, would they in actuality hinder the execution of duties, or are they immaterial to the office sought?

9-ACTION or REACTION. Be independent in your thinking and choosing. Base it on what YOU have researched and found and believe. Ask those you respect their opinion. Use their information to draw your own conclusions on candidates and issues.

10-A or B. Make your choice and then find someone who feels opposite and ask them why. Have a good discussion NOT argument. Determine if you still feel the same or has your opinion changed.

 

These came from an article in my church magazine from 1972 and I thought some of them were excellent. Particularly 1, 5, 7, 8. I think those are critical. Pray, vote, trust.

Praise and Gratitude

IAT = I am thankful

1. Vehicles that work.
2. A home that is safe.
3. Friends who are there even if they don't realize it.
4. Surprises.
5. Work.

There's this little "B" movie that I love. It's called Facing the Giants. And it has several scenes that are thought provoking. I came to blog today with the words on my mind, "if we win, we praise Him, if we lose we praise Him." That's from the second clip I'm sharing. Then my mind immediately went to a song we sang when I was in choir in High School. "I will praise ye Oh Lord Among the People." It's now running in the back of my mind. I tried to find a clip of a choir singing it but can't, but that's what my heart is singing. I love the reminder from the movie, that praise and gratitude are in order no matter what. We can always find something to be grateful for. It's something I try to remind myself of daily. And then the Giants move in. You know the Giants? Fear, failure, doubt, and so forth. I love the idea of the Lord as a stronghold. A place that has been fortified with strength for protection. We can go to Him for that needed strength, defense, protection. I love this scene below.



And it reminds me of my favorite Psalm. My Granny taught me to love the Psalms. I love the 27th. When He is your light and strength, who really should you fear? In times of trouble he hides us in His pavilion and sets us on a rock. The whole chapter is filled with applicable wisdom for me in the last few years and right now. I just love it. Every time I read it.

And I'm a believer in faith being made manifest in action. When there are things I want to accomplish I try to remember to have faith but also not to just sit back and wait. Brigham Young said, (ok, I can't find it, I'll insert it later), but he basically said you can't pray for rain and not plant your fields or expect the Lord to plant the fields. And that idea is a part of this clip below. I love the idea of praying for rain and preparing fields. And open doors. And the Lord's timing.


Anyway, there's lots on my mind. But, in spite of my own "trials" I can think of ever so much I have to grateful for. 8 right off the top of my head. I love my family. I'm going to ignore the Giants.

On the Wings of Grace

IAT = I am thankful

1. A secure home with no rain damage.
2. Good health.
3. Happy children.
4. A devoted husband.
5. Technology.

I was talking on the phone with one of my closest friends today. Funny how our lives are so busy that even though we are in the same town, we don't take the opportunity as much to talk as we used to. Which has nothing to do with my thoughts other than, I was sharing my thoughts with her when something came out of my mouth I've never said before. In speaking of my gratitude to my Heavenly Father, I said, "he's lifted me (and the Bish) on the wings of grace." I can only believe that those words were inspired by the Spirit, because I've never said them before. Never even heard them before.

We have a chapter closing in our life, and a new one opening. The story is we are closer and closer to moving. We have lots of mixed emotions about this. Even though it is probably the best thing, it kind of feels like we are dragging ourselves. Maybe that is normal. We've lived here 18 years, so I don't remember what it is like to have that kind of security, because this is the only time I've had it. Part of the story is, that my dear husband has been The Bish the last five year. Ok, he's been the bishop of our local LDS congregation. For all intents and purposes, he's the pastor. And I'm the sister bishop, which really means nothing other than he has my complete and total support at all times. He will not hear when he comes home from 8 hours of church on Sunday, "where have YOU been???" He will not hear on a long night of interviews with members of our congregation, "Why did it take so long???" And he does not share why or who it took so long. So, I'm probably the most clueless person in the ward.

On occasion, not knowing he was about the Lord's business, I might ask, "where have you been or what took so long coming home?" And as soon as I hear, "I visited someone in the hospital, I stopped to see someone in jail, I had to check on someone," I don't need to hear anymore.  He has been my bishop, our bishop, our congregation's bishop for five years now. And curiously, I am feelng ambivalent about his impending release from that position. At the beginning, I would have thought I'd be very relieved. And I would guess he would be too. But we are both feeling this mixture of emotions. I think. Are you dear?

I feel a reluctance because of those beautiful wings of grace. I know in my heart they are available to all. And that, they will continue to be available to me. But it seems, that we have somehow been blessed with an extra portion. Have I miraculously become perfect? Uh, that would be an emphatic NO! But, I feel my patience has increased, as well as my emotional endurance. My natural abilities seem better able to meet the challenges that come from less time together, less family time.

There have been several major trials in the lives of our friends lately. Challenges with life and death, with home security, job security, and for whatever reason, we are being allowed a season of blessing. My gratitude knows no bounds. Once again, not everything is perfect, and we have our day to day challenges, but oh those wings! What a great blessing they are to me. And it's also a blessing to know that if our circumstances change, we can still rely on that amazing grace to lift us. There are no words that can express how I feel about that.

Happy Birthday DEAR CHRIS-topher

IAT = I am thankful

1. Birthdays to remember and celebrate.
2. My beautiful second son.
3. The blessing of children.
4. New goals.
5. A sold house.

Today is my wonderful son Chris' birthday. I think I should write about all of my kids on their birthdays. So, I am.

 Only two months old

His best friend. I never regretted having them 15 months apart.

 Sweet cheeks

 Doing his favorite thing

Still best friends

 So grateful he loves me

 Always good to his siblings

Such a handsome man

One of the funny things I remember when I was expecting this wonderful child, was that we had one baby boy. And he was still a baby. And it was amazing to me how much love I had for that little baby boy. And I wondered if it was possible to love another one that much. I shouldn't have worried. In real life, all things being equal, love multiplies. Where 1+1 should =2, it doesn't. 1+1 feels like 10. So imagine how 7 feels.

I wanted to name him Christian, but as was the case several times with my children SOMEONE, (the bish) didn't like the name. So I insisted on Christopher, which means Christ Bearer. He is an example of the believers and some of the attributes he shares with his Savior are, humility, charity, love, obedience, faith, endurance.

He was a very energetic little guy as a boy. Some days he truly wore me out, but his enthusiasm and energy always came out in a happy way. We have lots of pictures of him with a big smile pasted on his face. He still smiles warmly and broadly and it lights up my world.

The RM, as he is currently called, is still so much fun to be around. He's loved by his friends and siblings. He has always had a heart for the plight of others. He has dreams and he's pursuing them. He has taken to success principles and I know because of it, he will be a great success. He has a forgiving heart.

 One of my very favorite things about this beautiful boy is how unashamedly he loves his family. I remember when he was in high school, and there would be a need for me to come to the school, if he saw me, rather than ducking behind the building or going back inside so he didn't have to be seen with me, he'd come RUNNING across campus, calling out to me, give me a big hug and often planting a kiss on my cheek. I have always wondered at that. He's never been embarrassed to show his affection to me, and still does.

He always felt bad for the underdog. His heart is so tender for others in trouble. I LOVE that about him.

He wants to know what he is doing with his life so he can go for it. When he got off his mission, he said words to the affect, "I don't want to waste time trying to figure out what I'm doing, get my schooling done, make money, and THEN find a wife. I want to find her and get married!" I was surprised by that, but he has been in pursuit of that goal, and when a young woman seemed to be hesitant to that idea, it was simply..."NEXT!" We think maybe that pursuit is almost over. :-)

I could go on for a very long time, but will finish with one more. He's always had an athletic ability, but for whatever reason was overlooked in sports. I don't know how or why that happens. He's only had one coach in his whole life, who saw him as a senior, saw his ability, and knew he could do something with it. He became one of the star players on his team in basketball his senior year, when previously he had mostly sat the bench. The following year, we were all surprised when taking a basketball class at the college, the coaches asked him to try out. And he made the team. I doubt basketball will be a permanent part of his future, but I've never seen someone so in the spiritual moment of basketball through his teens. What I mean by that is he seemed to be playing basketball in every moment. When he wasn't actively engaged in something else, he had a real or imaginary ball in his hand and he was scoring. I think the coach was only the vehicle for what he had already created in his mind.

And all success is like that. We create it spiritually in our minds and hearts, and then it moves into our physical space. Most of my teen years I dreamed of a happy marriage and family. And now that is a reality in my life. As long as I stay in the spiritual reality, I believe it will continue to be a physical reality.

Well, I'm off track. Christopher, and you will always be Christopher to me, I love you so dearly. Thank you for coming into our lives. And happy 22nd birthday. I love you!

Why the LDS Church is one of the FEW still Growing

IAT = I am thankful

1. My hot blooded well guarded temper that reminds me I am alive and care deeply about things.
2. Just enough of the mom worry gene to be concerned enough to love my children, but not so concerned that I interfere too horribly with their lives.
3. New opportunities.
4. New friends.
5. Old friends.

So, I read this article recently Mormons beating Evangelicals

The article gave six reasons why the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is growing, when other faiths are declining.

 Current Church membership

 Projected LDS growth

I'll summarize the article for you and add a few reasons more I think we hang on to our membership and continue to grow.

Six Reasons Evangelicals Leave:

1. The church is overprotective.
2. Their experience of Christianity is shallow.
3. Churches seem antagonistic to science.
4. The church's approach to sexuality is judgmental and simplistic.
5. They wrestle with the exclusivity of Christianity.
6. The church feels unfriendly to those who doubt.

 Reasons the "Mormon" church is growing. (Read the referenced article for explanations)

1. Mormons have bigger families.

2. Mormons have lower divorce rates.

3. Mormons share their faith.

4. Mormons are "orthodox."

5. Mormon leaders ask a lot of their members.

6. Mormons are less selfish.

Here are my personal thoughts on additional actions or benefits offered by my LDS faith that help keep us faithful.

***Missions for young men and young women. It was mentioned in the article the conversion of those who serve missions. Even though only 1/3 of young males serve missions for the church, the experience is invaluable for them in converting and retaining a testimony. They spend 2 years denying themselves of their own selfish pursuits to think of others, serve others, and teach them Christly principles. Many of the 2/3 that do not go, however remain active. And more and more young women are also giving themselves to 18 month missions. As members, we get to feed the missionaries and enjoy a message and respond to the invitation of who we can invite to fellowship with us.

***Seminary and Institute. I'm not sure anyone would argue that when children hit their teens and beyond that college, the influences of the world begin to take hold and it can be difficult to maintain the faith their parents have so painstakingly tried to instill. For most other faiths, if you aren't doing something to actively offset that influence, good luck maintaining their faith!

This was brought home to me a couple of years ago with my then senior son. I asked him, other than LDS, were there any other teens in his high school, who were faithful, and everyone knew they stood for something. That for example, because they were Catholic, or Baptist, or ________ people knew that they would have certain standards. According to his perception, the answer was a clear no. He was fair to admit that there were LDS youth also not living their standards. But he said the ONLY youth that others knew there were standards for, were the LDS teens. I was so deeply saddened to think that either, those teens were not living their faith in a public way, or the influence of faith has simply disappeared in this little corner of the world. (Having said that, I believe I live in a deeply religious small town, and I don't make these comments to disparage any faith, it is simply to explain my point of why there is a difference).

Every day beginning in 9th grade, LDS children in my and many other communities across the world, can either walk across the street from school during the day, or go to a local church early before school starts to enjoy and hour of religious instruction and discussion. Every day. For one hour. Every day. They join with their like minded friends, invite others to join them as well, to immunize themselves if you will, against the influence of the world that runs contrary to our faith. I am so thankful for that influence! And I sincerely wish other faiths had a similar program for their youth. It continues in college. Most college campuses in the US have an "Institute" program, to continue where the seminary program left off.

When a student attends a non LDS (think BYU campus) college and are exposed to ideas and philosophies they may not have ever pondered, Institute can be a very grounding place. Instead of being swayed by established "intelligent" professors, those ideas can be balanced with their own principles of faith. And it really helps! I have the added benefit of being married to a seminary and institute professional teacher.

***Visiting and Home Teaching. This falls under service mentioned in the article, but I consider this so HUGE as to mention it on its own. Every family in every ward, active or potentially active, is offered home teachers (2 men for the family) and visiting teachers (2 women for the women only) to watch over, provide help in need, to teach, inspire, and befriend. I have loved being a visiting teacher and having my own. Some are better than others, but I have met and come to know so many wonderful men and women through these programs.

As a young mother, on bed rest multiple times, I had faithful sisters visit me, bring meals, help clean my home, and care for my children when I could not do so. When I had the flu and another time a miscarriage I was able to ask a home teacher to assist my husband in giving me a blessing of strength. You can't imagine the comfort it brings to know you can call on someone in a time of difficulty need or sadness to be a help.

Conversely, I have been able to offer help, tears, friendship, and comfort to those who I have visited. And I have made friends I never would have. Particularly older women who were so fascinating and wonderful. It brings a richness to my life that would not be there without this awesome program.

***Relief Society. Relief Society is the world's largest women's organizations, if I am not mistaken. An organization who's motto is Charity Never Faileth. The visiting teaching program is run through Relief Society. There are ample opportunities for leadership through RS as well as other organizations in the church. The women in the LDS church are greatly cherished and upheld. Sometimes it's a little embarrassing how much we are fussed over. Because I feel like I could be doing a lot better. And yet I know that when I am in a leadership position, my opinion is respected and valued, I have always been treated with respect, and I have never felt talked down to, or belittled by anyone who has any leadership authority over me. In addition, I know that I can go to any LDS church in the world, and there will be a roomful of "sisters" who immediately want to know who I am, if I'm moving in :-), and how I can be made comfortable. Some places are better than others at this, which is to be expected.

And finally, ***covenant making. I know this exists at some level in other faiths, but this is something that is at least a weekly occurrence in our services and rituals. The first covenant made is at baptism. Every time we make a covenant, we are promised blessings. After baptism and the receiving of the gift of the Holy Ghost, we can partake of the sacrament (the emblems of the body and blood of Christ) each week and renew the covenants we made at baptism. So every week, it can be as if we are clean again, if we partake, repent, and allow the grace of Jesus Christ to bless us. After baptism, young men make priesthood covenants. And at marriage men and women both make temple covenants of obedience, virtue, and cleanliness all with an eye single to the glory of God, which can be renewed by returning to the temple as often as desired.

I'm very grateful for the way my faith helps me to be stronger spiritually, closer to my family, more faithful to my God, and more aware of those around me. It's a great blessing.

On Family Unity

IAT = I am thankful

1. When life is slow.
2. My boy is coming home after being gone all summer.
3. I'm in an awesome place in my life.
4. Rain!!!
5. Brownies. :-) I didn't taste! Hahaha

It's been almost a month that I wanted to post this. I've probably forgotten a lot of it. But these are thoughts from a talk the Bish gave in church last month. He spoke about unity.

I appreciated that he began by saying we had a lot of things in our community that were not unifying, and he was not going to speak to any of those. He also wanted everyone to know that he was not speaking to anyone in particular, but everyone. And he didn't want anyone else thinking, oh, so and so should be here because they need to hear this. :-) And hopefully the Spirit would touch those who needed the message. The purpose of his talk was to speak to family unity.

He started by quoting from Elder Eyring's talk on Hearts Knit as One. "We see increased conflict between peoples in the world around us. Those divisions and differences could infect us. That is why my message of hope today is that a great day of unity is coming. The Lord Jehovah will return to live with those who have become His people and will find them united, of one heart, unified with Him and with our Heavenly Father." He quoted Mosiah 18: 21

And he commanded them that there should be no ^acontention one with another, but that they should look forward with ^bone eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts ^cknit together in unity and in love one towards another.

 and Moroni 7: 48:

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

He said he believed our "eternal welfare rests on being able to get along."

He quoted Elder Eyring, "The joy of unity He wants so much to give us is not solitary. We must seek it and qualify for it with others. It is not surprising then that God urges us to gather so that He can bless us. He wants us to gather into families. He has established classes, wards, and branches and commanded us to meet together often. In those gatherings, which God has designed for us, lies our great opportunity. We can pray and work for the unity that will bring us joy and multiply our power to serve."

He spoke about an institute teacher he used to have that often said, "I may not say everything I think, but I think everything I say." He encouraged us to pray to Heavenly Father and ask him to help us think before we say things. And that just because something was true, did NOT mean we need to say it. He encouraged us to see others in God's perspective. To take off the glasses we wear that we see others through.

 One of his favorite scriptures is:

• Jacob 4:13

  13 Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old.

Truth is things as they REALLY are. (Not how we may think they are). We see others differently than the truth. The self sufficient tend to be critical of those who are not. Examples: how the bishop uses fast offerings, a spouse who does things differently than a parent. (Dawn's note: I know my husband's biggest struggle as a bishop is the proper use of fast offerings and that he would much rather err on the side of generosity than caution. He is very aware of his accountability on this point. Would you like to bear that burden?)

He said we need to pray for the gift of discernment. Here is a quote he used to define discernment. Very enlightening.

 Stephen L Richards: “First, I mention the gift of discernment, embodying the power to discriminate … between right and wrong. I believe that this gift when highly developed arises largely out of an acute sensitivity to impressions—spiritual impressions, if you will—to read under the surface as it were, to detect hidden evil, and more importantly to find the good that may be concealed. The highest type of discernment is that which perceives in others and uncovers for them their better natures, the good inherent within them."

(I was impressed that discerning included uncovering the better natures of others. I LOVE that.)
He encouraged us to see the good, not the evil, and see as God sees. He quoted D&C 18: 10. Remember the ^aworth of ^bsouls is great in the sight of God; and encouraged us to come to a point where the worth of souls is great in OUR sight.

The Bishop said we have more in common that we have differences and we need to pray for humility. He referred to Ether and his telling us that we have weaknesses that we will be humble. He said we need to focus more on ourselves than on others. We need to change our own selves and focus on our own issues. (This is a theme I come back to again and again. When I am upset with someone or circumstances, I remind myself that the only person I can control is me, and what should I do to change me?)

He referred to the fact that the word busybody is in the New Testament. And that it often seems easier for us to fix others problems. But we need to be humble and fix ourselves. He counseled to resist the urge to gossip. That we should be "repositories of information." In other words. When someone shares something with us, we need to hold on to it. We need to not share it with others. It will not create unity and it separates and divides. If we must share something, he said to call someone far away who doesn't know the participants. Aunt Edna in Connecticut for example.

He encouraged us to develop charity. 1 Corinthians 13. Charity is the more excellent way. We should act, speak, and feel and the Savior would. Moroni--pray with the energy of the heart that we may be filled with this love. And then he made a promise. "I promise that if we do, we will come to feel about our families and ward members differently." He said to love our enemies, pray for those that spitefully use us. We can do that. We can get to a point where we can honesty say I love you to our enemies and bless them. (Easy peasy, uh-huh. Dawn)

When charity becomes real for us, we want to extend it to others. He encouraged us to do as scripture says and take up our cross. Once we have, we can forgive others. We ought to learn to get along (families) not just for eternity, but for joy in the now.  As we follow how we are prompted, he promised we would be able to change.

Much needed words of wisdom from my bishop.

Unnatural Disasters and other AWESOME blessings

IAT = I am thankful

1. Patient piano teachers.
2. Pianos.
3. Fresh fruit slushees.
4. Summertime.
5. Happy endings.

This weekend the Bish and I and maybe some other players are headed to pick up/purchase a new van. "New" is relative of course. I don't believe in paying for a vehicle that costs more than our first house. So, we set a budget and we search until we find the perfect one. I guess I love taking trips. No, it's true, I do. So this is actually the 3rd vehicle in a row, that one or both of us has traveled to get. Dallas, Denver, Orem, Utah.

But there's a long story of blessings behind this purchase. See the cast of characters on the right side of the blog.

Because of our lovely commute, I have fuel efficiency on the brain and this isn't very fuel efficient.

 Yes, only a few short years ago, we had 9 passengers in this 12 passenger van. But for the Summer, we are down to 5, and will only have 6 for less than a year. So, out of the blue...really? We'll see. Out of the blue, I decided it was time to sell the van, and I realized in the process, that we could pay off our sweet little Mazda that RM2 was going to purchase from us, and replace the van with a more fuel efficient mini-van. 2 of our adult boys thought a mini-van was far less than cool. Really? I can't wait until they are parents and have budgets and other concerns. I will stand back and smile and bite my tongue and NOT say I told you so. Haha. And encourage them to dream.

But I am off track. This Mazda.

 BEST BLESSING OF ALL--NO ONE HURT

Oh! Oops. Saturday we got a call, that another salesman was driving the RM's car and someone wrecked into them. Thank goodness they had insurance and we had full coverage as backup. I was not upset. And within only a few hours actually found myself hoping it was totaled, except for I was a little worried about the RMs situation. But it would drastically help ours. More on that later.

And then we got a call Sunday from the Married Student. He wanted to tell us about this.

ONCE AGAIN, NO ONE HURT--SO GRATEFUL!

This is his DW's car. And it's paid for. Or was paid for. Another salesman borrowed the car and unfortunately was temporarily distracted and veered off the road. Totaled. Sigh. Well, I can't say I was happy or seeing the blessing, but I certainly felt more perplexed than anything. I wasn't upset, just truly perplexed. Two totaled cars in two days? Well, there has to be blessings in it. Unfortunately, there was only liability insurance on this one and it's a total loss. The driver also had no insurance. Well, hmm, we can't really help TWO children with wrecked cars, so I felt bad telling the MS that he was on his own. Fortunately, there has been some help offered by others and we are grateful. I choose to believe that a loving Heavenly Father will make this up to this wonderful young couple by blessing their bottom line now or some other time in the future.

So, before I got all of this news, we had sold our van and it's gone. The blessing to us is, the insurance will now pay off the Mazda, and our funds can go toward our new purchase. And we are giving some of the insurance to RM2 so he can eventually purchase another vehicle.

There is an AMAZINGLY HUGE blessing that I cannot even write about (until later, hee hee) that is going on. I am so excited about how our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers, how seeming trials, can turn into glorious blessings, and how if we don't throw ourselves off track by crying, whining, and complaining, He reveals His wondrous plan by answering our prayers in ways we never thought the answers could come. He weaves a wondrous tapestry out of our trials and leaves us in awe of the gifts given. But we must be grateful in the moment, and still, and looking for the beauty, to see it all. I promise, in a few weeks, I'll tell the missing part of the story.

But, I digress.

I drove two vehicles I really liked this week, and made an offer on one of them that was turned down. I know from experience now that I don't have to get hung up on the one I think I want in front of me. There is ALWAYS a better deal. So, I just kept looking. I knew I wanted a Honda Odyssey and was discouraged a few times at how far away some of the deals were. And so in frustration a few nights ago, I did what I did to get the exact van we've been driving the last 7 years. I made a list.

A goal is just a wish unless it is written down. I truly thing that writing down what we want, begins the process of bringing it into physical creation. I wrote a list like this when we got the big van, and because I wasn't finding what I wanted, I made this list. And while I wrote this list, I just said a simple prayer that we would be able to find it. This, or something better.

The Bish really wanted an '05, but in the ups and downs of the week with the insurance, I wasn't sure we could go newer than an '04. When I make lists like these, I always realize that I may get everything I want, and I may not. But, it will be the best possible and for us in all cases. Less than 24 hours later, I found it.

An '05 Honda Odyssey. Power everything, 7 passenger (not 8), Sage brush pearl grey, (that's a greenish grey), 92,000 miles, multi CD, DVD, leather seats. Woohoo! Price, after hearing the insurance payoff, is right where we want it to be. Woohoo! It's not in Arizona, but the next best place it possibly could be. Orem, Utah. Where we first lived when we were first married. And Utah feels like my second home. When I saw this van, I felt extremely happy, and that it was perfect for our family. I know stuff doesn't create happiness. But solving a problem does. It's exactly what I want for our needs, and that does make me happy.

But it gets better. Because the car is in Utah, the Bish felt like his mom might want to go visit her sisters. So, the plan was, we'd all drive up together and she'd visit her sisters and we'd drive the van back. Well, we can't convince grandma to go along but she may loan us her car, and we'll take the kids, and we'll both have passengers back, so I don't have to go alone, and maybe wreck our new car due to my African sleeping sickness disease. It's a joke. Kind of.

And the icing on the cake? Because the boys were going to be gone for the Summer not driving any of our vehicles, I took the 2 not driving our vehicles off the insurance. We also took the van off because it has sold. We took the Mazda off because sadly, it is dead. And I got an estimate for the new vehicle and combined with our other cars, our insurance bill has dropped MORE THAN HALF. Which means, most of that savings will make the payment, and we are way better off having gone through all of this. I have no idea why the Lord felt to bless us in such an ENTIRELY HUGE way, except to show me that other decisions I am making in my life, WILL BE MADE up. Simply because He can and He chooses to. I won't question it. I will simply PRAISE Him and THANK Him. And do my best to bless the lives of others.

And that is the very long story of how two totaled cars, made us way better off. As a final note, the darling couple has found a very nice vehicle and I just know it will all work out with them and they'll be able to pay that car off in NO TIME. Be believing. You just can't go wrong.