The Beggar is Me

IAT = I am thankful

You know how you can read something a dozen times, and then for some reason, the 13th time, it has some kind of special meaning to you. Or you read something often and the meaning changes depending on your circumstance at the time. I've found that conference talks and scriptures are like that. Last week, I had that very experience. Because it was very personal, I'll leave some of the details out.

We read the following verses in Sunday School last week, from the Book of Mormon.

 16 And also, ye yourselves will ^asuccor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the ^bbeggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

 17 Perhaps thou shalt ^asay: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

 18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

 19 For behold, are we not all ^abeggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?

 20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a ^aremission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his ^bSpirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with ^cjoy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.

 21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to ^aimpart of the substance that ye have one to another.

 22 And if ye ^ajudge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your ^bcondemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life ^cbelongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.

 23 I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are ^arich as pertaining to the things of this world.

I've read those verses many times. And I always look at me as me, and the beggar as the beggar. And I have tried over the years to "administer of my substance" when I could. But, I have not always been free of the internal chatter over the reasons I am "having" to give. Sigh. I'm hoping my most recent insights will help me to stop the chatter and give from the desire in my heart to do so.

So, recent events had me contemplating, reviewing, praying, and other things. These other things, put me in a very humble mode. And I made a request of a few people I know. The request is private. But those individual people were the only ones who could help me with the request I made. And in all but one situation, each person responded lovingly to my request, and I was very thankful.

And then, we read the verses about beggars in Sunday School. And it hit me square between the eyes. I'm a beggar. Yes, I have even read those verses THINKING about my position to my Savior and how I am a beggar before Him. But I didn't really FEEL about it. Those recent circumstances and requests to others, came with full force to my mind, and I suddenly related very personally to the beggar. I was deeply moved that and grateful that my Heavenly Father has never treated me as I have sometimes treated the beggars that have come across my path. My Father has never been stingy with me. Has never pointed out to me, that He "told me so" or that I got myself into the mess I am in. He simply meets my need when I make a request or ask him to impart of His substance to me.

And then I realized of course that every person in my life is also a beggar. And they may not be dressed in rags, or holding a sign, or even directly requesting of my substance. But, if I know someone has a need, and I can fulfill that need, and I don't, isn't it the same as if I have denied the beggar? We each are beggars in some circumstance. Perhaps we need physical care, emotional support, a simple uplift, or merely mercy or forgiveness. How does it feel when that is withheld? It feels awful.

What if we looked at each other as beggars in need? And we gave a smile when needed? Offered a hand when needed? Gave a word of encouragement when needed? Wouldn't the world be a better place? I believe it would.

And as often happens, when I come to such a realization, an opportunity presents itself to see if I get the lesson. Suffice it to say, a beggar of sorts came into my path while I was in Canada. Someone in need that I could help. I specifically heard the word beggar, in my mind. And I am happy I was able to take action. I'll never see them again or know if it helped. But, I will be looking for those opportunities more often. And I hope that the one request of mine that remains, will be met some day. If not, I know that there is Someone Else who can meet all my beggarly needs and requests. And I hope that I can be as generous as He when opportunities come my way to offer of my substance.

Random Musings of a 1st Grade Sub

Long ago, I got a degree in education. For a few years, I was a certified teacher. But I was creating a family, so I chose to work and play at home with my children. On more than one occasion I used my teaching skills to home school, although I think parent is the only degree you need to do that.

The last three years, I've been a substitute in our local school district. I sub K-12. The most surprising thing I found, is that I really enjoy subbing for high school. I was terrified when I started. Seriously. And the bonus is, it's easy. Jr high is tougher, but you really earn your money in the primary and elementary grades. You'd better be on, or you'll lose them, and they'll eat your lunch.

The last two days I subbed for first grade. Here's some of what I discovered and experienced.

1st graders are full of wonder. How and when does wonder get squished out of us? Ok, maybe I'm still 6 at heart, because the hatching chicks in the other classroom and the caterpillars turning to chrysalisses in our class, completely fascinated me. I'm still trying to figure out how the caterpillars did it while we were in the room. I watched them like a hawk today and couldn't catch them. I seriously want to go next week and see the butterflies but I'll be in Canada dangit.

I giggled when the principal walked through the school yard with a huge box for the chicks and was mobbed by the primary kids who wanted to know what it was for and probably more importantly, whether they could play with it. Note to self, give 5yr old grandchildren a refrigerator box for Christmas. I'll be super grandma.

I had to wonder if any of my children went to school with no undies. Don't ask. I'm hoping the mother would be more on the mortified side than the clueless uncaring side.

I stifled a laugh when a darling girl on the playground approached me with a little handful of unknown treasure and asked me if she would get arrested for picking up trash. I assured her she would not and told her I thought she should get a good citizen award. Her little face lit up. She asked if she could have it. I told her if I were in charge she would. She asked me if I could be in charge. I laughed and told her she was wonderful but I wasn't in charge. At a later recess, I had an idea. I scrounged a quarter from my purse and "awarded" her for her good citizenship. She lit up again, and so did my heart.

Boogers! How in the world do primary teachers face the booger challenge day after day??? Bleck.

Children that age are devastated about everything. When someone cuts in line. When someone doesn't share or excludes them. When they get in trouble for talking or going to the bathroom. (Don't send me hate mail, I didn't punish for that). When they don't get to be the helper. It's all so sweet.

You know how people say, "those who can't, teach." Well I would encourage you if you know one of those people, to take your first two fingers in a V position and boink them in both of their eyes.I would never want to do all of that every day. I love waltzing in, teaching someone else's lessons, establishing enough of a relationship to get hugs in public and go home and do what I want the other days. With no parent problems or salary problems or all the other stuff that goes along.

Here's a picture of the hibernating caterpillars. I'm so grateful to get to be a sub.

Inspiration

IAT = I am thankful

If you are like me, you probably need inspiration on a daily basis. And since I am only speaking for me, I can say, I'm not always properly seeking inspiration, asking the right questions, or even keeping myself open to divine inspiration that I call revelation. But the still small voice, or the great big one, or true revelation are key to making good choices and decisions. When we have anything in our life beyond the ordinary, we need help bigger than ourselves. Well, that's what I think.

I wanted to do something last night when I was struggling between sadness and anger. Instead, I sought counsel from someone who might have a clearer perspective and was given great counsel, that put me in a pondering state. And in that state, an answer came, that was likely a much better answer and decision than the one I was considering. And that choice/decision led to some beautiful outcomes. IAT for that! Because in the talk I quote from below, you'll see that making decisions when emotions are out of control blocks the ability to receive the inspiration you need. Who knew?

Here are my favorite quotes and my thoughts about them from this recent talk in our annual General Conference. 

Did you know there is a difference between revelation and inspiration? I am sure I did, but I like this explanation. 

The Holy Ghost communicates important information that we need to guide us in our mortal journey. When it is crisp and clear and essential, it warrants the title of revelation. When it is a series of promptings we often have to guide us step by step to a worthy objective, for the purpose of this message, it is inspiration.

Here' something else I didn't know. Truly light bulb moment.

Relationships can be strengthened through the veil with people we know and love. That is done by our determined effort to continually do what is right. 

Here is Elder Scott's formula for receiving revelation.

*Fast.
*Pray to find and understand helpful scriptures.
*Read the scriptures.
*Ponder for meaning.
*Pray for inspiration.
*Ponder and pray if that is all.
*Listen for more impressions.

I think my formula has been, fast (sometimes), pray, maybe read a scripture, listen a little, run off and hope the answer comes. Luck out if it does. I think I should try Elder Scott's formula.

How I love when people speak in my language of emotion. How I wish my language of emotion was less likely to rule my life. But, I have EFT! Hooray. Many times, emotions DO NOT SERVE US. Pay attention to those emotions, and make sure you settle them however you settle them before proceeding for answers. There are enemies to revelation. And who would have though humor could get in the way? Certain kinds of humor can. I want my chances increased! I really like this part.

There are some practical principles that enhance revelation. First, yielding to emotions such as anger or hurt or defensiveness will drive away the Holy Ghost. Those emotions must be eliminated, or our chance for receiving revelation is slight.

Another principle is to be cautious with humor. Loud, inappropriate laughter will offend the Spirit. A good sense of humor helps revelation; loud laughter does not. A sense of humor is an escape valve for the pressures of life.

Another enemy to revelation comes from exaggeration or loudness in what is stated. Careful, quiet speech will favor the receipt of revelation.

There are also GOOD things we can do to increase those chances to receive revelation.

On the other hand, spiritual communication can be enhanced by good health practices. Exercise, reasonable amounts of sleep, and good eating habits increase our capacity to receive and understand revelation. We will live for our appointed life span. However, we can improve both the quality of our service and our well-being by making careful, appropriate choices.

It is important that our daily activities do not distract us from listening to the Spirit.

I know I have had times in my life, where I could not make the decisions needed without help. It is so gratifying to know there is Someone wiser who can help us.

I have seen individuals encountering challenges who knew what to do when it was beyond their own experience because they trusted in the Lord and knew that He would guide them to solutions that were urgently required.

The Lord has declared: “And ye are to be taught from on high. Sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power, that ye may give even as I have spoken.” The words sanctify yourselves may appear puzzling. President Harold B. Lee once explained that you can replace those words with the phrase “keep my commandments.” Read that way, the counsel may seem clearer.

Tremendous gems in the following part. Am I haughty, prideful, conceited, desiring praise, recognition, letting my emotions rule, thinking of myself? Well, if I am, I guess I won't be getting much inspiration. Wow!

For spirituality to grow stronger and more available, it must be planted in a righteous environment. Haughtiness, pride, and conceit are like stony ground that will never produce spiritual fruit.

Humility is a fertile soil where spirituality grows and produces the fruit of inspiration to know what to do. It gives access to divine power to accomplish what must be done. An individual motivated by a desire for praise or recognition will not qualify to be taught by the Spirit. An individual who is arrogant or who lets his or her emotions influence decisions will not be powerfully led by the Spirit.

When we are acting as instruments in behalf of others, we are more easily inspired than when we think only of ourselves. In the process of helping others, the Lord can piggyback directions for our own benefit.

Maybe we already have been given answers and have ignored them. I believe when we do that, a portion of the Spirit withdraws and is unwilling to be a help to us. Unwilling is probably not the right word, becomes unavailable to us.

Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail but to succeed gloriously.

If you feel that God has not answered your prayers, ponder these scriptures—then carefully look for evidence in your own life that He may have already answered you. (read the whole talk for the referenced scriptures)

How do we KNOW? How do we know we are getting inspiration or revelation? So important to know that process. Because our mind and our emotions CAN most definitely deceive us and I am sure I have been deceived by those things at times. He did not mention the agreement between heart and mind, but I think it's another way.

Two indicators that a feeling or prompting comes from God are that it produces peace in your heart and a quiet, warm feeling. As you follow the principles I have discussed, you will be prepared to recognize revelation at critical times in your own life.

The more closely you follow divine guidance, the greater will be your happiness here and for eternity—moreover, the more abundant your progress and capacity to serve.

What if you totally flub it up? Thankfully there is a plan for that too.

Should choices be wrong, they can be rectified through repentance. When its conditions are fully met, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Savior, provides a release from the demands of justice for the errors made. It is wondrously simple and so incomparably beautiful. 

This last part got me. I don't think I see prayer as trivial, but I may show by my actions that I act as if it is trivial. Here's a good question. What if I saw prayer as sacred, every time, rather than trivial? M Hm. I think I should ask that question every day.

Communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter. It is a sacred privilege. It is based upon eternal, unchanging principles. We receive help from our Father in Heaven in response to our faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency.

I'm going to go read it again. I want inspiration in my life every day, and I want revelation to be something I recognize and am worthy for.

IAT for Amazing Questions

IAT = I am thankful

 For a long time, or at least since it came out, I have wanted to get the book Change Your Questions, Change Your Answers, by Wendy Watson Nelson. At the Genius Bootcamp I went to this weekend base on the book by Leslie Householder, Portal to Genius, the book was brought up. And it was on sale at Seagull. Hooray. So, I went and bought it and started reading it. Based on one of the early things I read in it, I've been reading Alma 5. I think that chapter is one of the most powerful in the Book of Mormon. Even if you do not look at this book as scriptural, the questions are amazingly powerful and this is only part of them. The parts I like the most. What would the world be like if we all asked ourselves these questions?

26 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a ^achange of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the ^bsong of redeeming love, I would ask, ^ccan ye feel so now?

 27 Have ye walked, keeping yourselves ^ablameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently ^bhumble? That your garments have been ^ccleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to ^dredeem his people from their sins?

Could I say that? That's a good question. I've accepted Christ as my Savior. I am sure I could be more humble at times.

 28 Behold, are ye stripped of ^apride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.

If you want to read more about the universal sin of pride, here's the BEST TALK EVER. I'll be the first to admit, that I do have knee jerk reactions and think I know better sometimes, but I always come back to if I am upset, there is something wrong in me. And I work on that. And then once I have worked on that, I come back to the problem and see if it can be approached from a happier point of view. It is REALLY HARD WORK. Changing your thoughts is one of the very hardest things you can do. But it helps you not to judge and not to be so prideful.

 29 Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of ^aenvy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare ^bquickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless.

 30 And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a ^amock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?

 31 Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the ^atime is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!

 32 Yea, even wo unto all ye ^aworkers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!

 33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto ^aall men, for the ^barms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.

Isn't it wonderful that when we fall short, repentance can help us return to our relationship with God?

 34 Yea, he saith: ^aCome unto me and ye shall partake of the ^bfruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the ^cbread and the waters of life ^dfreely;

 35 Yea, come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness, and ye shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire—

 36 For behold, the time is at hand that whosoever ^abringeth forth not good fruit, or whosoever doeth not the works of righteousness, the same have cause to wail and mourn.

 37 O ye workers of iniquity; ye that are ^apuffed up in the vain things of the world, ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone ^bastray, as ^csheep having no ^dshepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath ^ecalled after you and is still calling after you, but ye will not ^fhearken unto his voice!

Oh, how I want to be a meek little lamb and here his voice!

 38 Behold, I say unto you, that the good ^ashepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; and if ye will not ^bhearken unto the voice of the ^cgood shepherd, to the ^dname by which ye are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd.

 39 And now if ye are not the ^asheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? Behold, I say unto you, that the ^bdevil is your shepherd, and ye are of his fold; and now, who can deny this? Behold, I say unto you, whosoever denieth this is a ^cliar and a ^dchild of the devil.

Who's name do I act in? Who am I known as? I know who I want to be known as.

 40 For I say unto you that whatsoever is ^agood cometh from God, and whatsoever is ^bevil cometh from the devil.

 41 Therefore, if a man bringeth forth ^agood works he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow him; but whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a ^bchild of the devil, for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him.

 42 And whosoever doeth this must receive his ^awages of him; therefore, for his ^bwages he receiveth ^cdeath, as to things pertaining unto righteousness, being dead unto all good works.

Edit. 

 54 Yea, will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another; yea, will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren, who humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God, wherewith they have been brought into this church, having been ^asanctified by the Holy Spirit, and they do bring forth works which are meet for repentance—

One of the things I really have tried to work on is realizing everyone has a point of view, trying to understand where people are coming from and not letting differences get in the way of relationships.  Sometimes you just can't. There are some people who don't want to know where you are coming from, understand you or see things your way, and in the end, that is ok. You have to make the best of it and move on. But I know for sure, I am not better than anyone else. God loves us all the same, good and bad, weak and strong, rich and poor. And I am grateful for that.

 55 Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the ^apoor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them?

 56 And finally, all ye that will persist in your wickedness, I say unto you that these are they who shall be hewn down and cast into the fire except they speedily repent.

 57 And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the ^agood shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye ^bseparate, and touch not their unclean things; and behold, their names shall be ^cblotted out, that the names of the wicked shall not be numbered among the names of the righteous, that the word of God may be fulfilled, which saith: The names of the wicked shall not be mingled with the names of my people;

 58 For the names of the righteous shall be written in the ^abook of life, and unto them will I grant an inheritance at my right hand. And now, my brethren, what have ye to say against this? I say unto you, if ye speak against it, it matters not, for the word of God must be fulfilled.

I am hoping I will be in the book of life. I think I better keep asking myself these questions. It's kind of like a great interview by God. See end.

 59 For what shepherd is there among you having many sheep doth not watch over them, that the wolves enter not and devour his flock? And behold, if a wolf enter his ^aflock doth he not drive him out? Yea, and at the last, if he can, he will destroy him.

 60 And now I say unto you that the good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold, and ye are his sheep; and he commandeth you that ye suffer no ravenous wolf to enter among you, that ye may not be destroyed.

Interview by God:

Soooo, Are you still singing the song of redeeming love?
Are you blameless before me?
If I brought you home to me today, would you be humble enough?
Are you cleansed of sin through my Son?
Are you proud? Did you look down on some? Did you look up with jealousy at others?

Yeah, I think I'll stop or start with those and then see how much farther I can get. Good stuff. And after I've processed this a little more, I'll read some more. It's not a sit down and read book. It's a sit down and ponder book. Awesome!

Sometimes you GET One More Day

IAT = I am thankful

For months I have been planning to attend a seminar called Genius Bootcamp. After several busy months, I finally had an open weekend, and the facilitator was kind enough to have it on a weekend I could go. But that is not what this post is about.

Just over 9 years ago, my beloved auntie passed away. My auntie Mo was a dynamo. And she was my substitute mother. We were very close. I remember the day she graduated, which is what my cousin and I like to call it. I sat boltright up in bed at 5am and I KNEW. I like to think that perhaps her angel spirit came down to the basement to kiss me goodbye before she left. I wondered if I should go wake anyone up and finally concluded that it would not do anything to do that, so I tried to go back to sleep. About an hour later, I heard footsteps on the stairs, and my aunt's hubby and my cousin were there to tell me what I already knew.

The next day I was driving somewhere. We were preparing for the Easter weekend funeral. And I heard this song, one of my favorites of Diamond Rio, on the radio.

ONE MORE DAY

Sometimes, you don't get one more day. Like when your mother takes her life. Or an aunt dies from cancer, or a granny dies from old age. And then sometimes you do. Accidents that don't turn out bad. Promptings that keep you safe. And medical emergencies that turn out right.

We had a scare this weekend. My dear husband who is also my hero, had a medical emergency. He thought he was having a panic attack. Several of his symptoms were consistent with a heart attack. And I was out of town! He called me to let me know, as I was on the last hour of my trip ironically with our Dr's wife. We contemplated what the best thing to do was, and finally opted for finishing the trip with my being able to be to the airport in an hour and Tucson in 2-3 where he was being transported.

It's an interesting thing when your life gets suspended in a moment. We were waiting for news and my brain began worst case scenarios. Why is that? Why not best case scenarios? Why doesn't our faith show up before our fears? I don't really know. Perhaps our faith needs to be fed more than our fears. Pictures began going through my mind, like how do I call my boy in the MTC with bad news? Well, that's where the stop sign in  my head just barged in. WE AREN'T GOING THERE!!!

I knew I needed a blessing. And so, while my husband was having hands laid on his head I was wondering who could do the same for me. Fortunately, my seminar mate and capable driver had a son in Provo and we were almost there. And so as I tried to hold myself together, he laid his hands on me and told me that my dear husband would be ok, and that I would be able to enjoy my seminar. Good news for sure. I decided to feed my faith and let go of fear. If I was going to enjoy my seminar, it certainly COULDN'T happen if there was something bad happening to my husband.

I was still concerned, but decided just to trust. In the meantime, he'd been blessed that the doctors would know what to do. I was hesitant to post this private information on facebook, because I knew he wouldn't like it, but I wasn't home to make calls and wanted as many people as possible praying for my bishop! And theirs.

We still aren't really sure what happened. I believe it was stress related. There was evidence of stress on his heart from the tests. We were immensely relieved when the angiogram showed no blockage and the song One More Day came back to me. Now that I have hugged him close, and began filling him with supplements, and he is continuing on his new diet, I feel much better.

I am so thankful, to a mother in law who looked after my family. To sons who raced to the hospital to be with their dad and bless him if they could. To all who said they were praying for him. To his dad who met him in Tucson when he got there. To those who visited him in the hospital. For doctors and nurses who treated it very seriously. To my husband for going in quickly. For the results that show he should have a long life in this regard. To tools to help with what we do know, including stress. To his best friend for begging for some way to serve and support him, and in doing so supported and served me. To a kind traveling companion who would have turned the car right around if I asked. For the distraction and comfort of the information I learned in my seminar. And to new friends who were rooting for us that all would turn out well. I am so blessed.

And I am so grateful for what I suspect are many more days.

IAT for a Picture Perfect Day

IAT = I am thankful

Wow! Life got in the way of living. We have been in full blown wedding and missionary preparation day and are still in the thick of it, but I wanted to just post something small. Besides the almost every day nearly perfect days....I mean hey, I have people who love me, a roof over my head, food in my tummy, my health, my faith, my freedom, what more could I ask? But besides days like that, every once in awhile you get a super duper picture perfect day. Like yesterday.

My firstborn son was married. How in the world did that happen? I mean, I KNOW I got married 24 years ago, but it seems like I could just fold time from point to point and it happened yesterday. Even though I know 7 kids and everything that goes along with it, happened in the fold.

So, here was our happy groom posting a video clip on his facebook before he left.

What was he posting you ask? A favorite clip from a favorite movie. He kinda looked like Kevin when he was little.



It was dark in our hotel room, but here he was at 6:45 all happy to go.

Less than 4 hours later, MR and MRS Norton. That's weird and wonderful.

She's already taken off those 6 inch heels!

One less, but one more. :-) They are their own family but still a part of ours.

Joseph is going off to Andrew's mission on Wednesday.

We had family who helped with pictures and kids. We had friends who we could not have made it through the day or the LUNCHEON without their help. We were hurried and we did not take some of the pictures I had hoped to since Joseph was leaving, but hopefully in the ones we took, their will be some keepers. The memory is the most important thing. And it was an awesome day filled with memories. You know the trite saying, "all because two people fell in love." I'm so glad we did. And now it starts all over again for Drew and Elizabeth. We feel so blessed.

Are You Bullet Proof?

IAT = I am thankful

February is probably my favorite month of the year behind Christmas. Because except for a few years when we had it at a different time, we've always had a personal development training in conjunction with The Bish' employment. The Bish has been a seminary teacher for the last 23 years, and the last few has been an Institute teacher. That just means he has taught religion to high school and college aged children. Teaching religion is not really accurate. The objective is: "Our purpose is to help youth and young adults understand and rely on the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, qualify for the blessings of the temple, and prepare themselves, their families, and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven." It's a tall order and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints makes every effort to have  well trained, prepared, and worthy teachers to instruct and lead the youth of the church through years of scripture discovery and understanding.

My husband attends multiple inservice and leadership trainings. And one time a year, the teachers get to bring their spouses along and we get some of the enrichment they enjoy on a regular basis. There is always a theme. This year it was What E'er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part. And I want to focus my next few posts on some of the information we were able to enjoy. But I am going to begin with the end of our meeting.

Our very wonderful and capable area director is Wes Wright. Awesome man, awesome wife Laura, and an awesome family. He usually addresses at the beginning or end or both. This time it was at the end and his thoughts gave me so much to think about. He began by sharing a short personal story and pointing out that we aren't bullet proof. We aren't so good that we cannot fall. We need to be on our guard to be able to protect and preserve ourselves and our families. And then he shared a story about George Washington. I had heard part of it but not all of it. You can read the story here:

Bullet Proof George

George Washington. "A favorite of heaven." What an amazing description. I can think of few men of that kind of character that could even qualify for that description and be President. But that is not the direction I am going. Can you be bullet proof? I think the answer is a reserved yes. The first challenge is to believe it is possible without truly trusting that you are. The humility factor. As soon as you think you *ARE* bullet proof, you are now vulnerable to every sniper who wants to take a shot. But if you believe it is possible always knowing a stray bullet can take you out, then you are still on your guard.

Some of the suggested bullets that could harm us were greed, pride, lust. I think Satan tailor makes poisoned bullets; just the kind he knows will be deadliest for us. Fortunately for us, if we have an "eye single to the glory of God," He can help us deflect those bullets or "fiery darts."

The only way to really be bullet proof or dart proof, is to do as directed in Ephesians, "put on the whole armor of God." Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the word. All of these with prayer and perseverance. Looking back at George Washington, you can see that he had many of these things on his side. And perhaps he was wearing the armor of God that day. I know I can do better at dressing in my armor each day. How about you? Are you bullet proof?