Why I Still Said Yes

Tonight I read an interesting blog post written by a young lady who just got engaged where she explains
Why She Still Said Yes.  It reminded me how nervous I was after DH and I became engaged to be married over thirty years ago.  Were we really making the right decision?   But, I had prayed about my decision to answer yes, and I knew it was good and right.  I'm not perfect, and DH is not perfect, but we both knew that getting married to each other was good and the right thing to do.  So we did.  Even though I didn't say yes the first time he asked, and he had to wait, and date other ladies, and look some more, and  then ask me again a couple of years later.  (I had already committed myself to serving an 18 month mission for my church, and wanted to fulfill that committment before I married.)   Wasn't that nice of him to still be there 18 months later and to ask again???  I think so.  :)

So, Happy Valentines Day to my favorite Valentine!  I love you DH!  ♥♥♥

Snow

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So, it snowed again last night.  Not as much as the clip art above suggests, but enough that I wore my boots, shoveled/scraped a path to the car, and had to brush snow off of all the car windows and then scrape them before leaving for work this morning.  Luckily many people were a bit late because of the traffic and the weather, so I had a nice close parking spot and made it to my desk just right on time.   DD2 has been dealing with even more snow than we have been this year, so kudos to her for braving the winter storms and cold.  It actually has been a fairly mild winter so far here in our neck of the woods, enough so that we are being warned that it may be a fairly dry water year coming up.  So I am indeed grateful for the snow, and will try not to complain and will even hope for a nice amount of snow with the storm that is supposed to be coming later in the week.    And, I am praying for the moisture that we and people in many other parts of the nation really need. 

And now, in the spirit of praying for precipitation, you may want to check out this fascinating 1977 talk by President Spencer W Kimball back when our nation was facing a severe drought.  (This was shared on facebook the other day by one of my favorite bloggers,  Middle Aged Mormon Man.  So, go out and enjoy the snow!  or at least, keep the commandments and pray for rain and snow.

Great Leaders

Tonight I've been reading about one of the greatest leaders that ever lived.  He's not really very well known, but this a brief description of some of his qualities:

11 And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;

 12 Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.

 13 Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood. . . .

17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

Moroni 48: 11, 12, 13, 17

The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ

I do know some great leaders, both men and women, right here in my community.  I have some wonderful neighbors and wonderful leaders of our church congregations that I know quite well.   We have some local school administrators who work tirelessly for the good of the education of our children and young people.  I personally know our local  City Council Representative, and I respect and admire him.  I know he does his best to represent our neighborhood and make the best decisions he can for our city and community. 

I don't personally know any other community, state, or national political leaders.   I trust that many, hopefully most of them, truly believe that that are trying to do the best they can for our communities, our state, and our nation.  I'm grateful for the time and effort they put forth in serving the people of our land.   I don't know them, and often feel I have very little input into how our nation is run, but I do try to be aware of what is going on in our community and our country, and I do take the privilege of voting very seriously.  I also pray for the leaders of our community and our country.  I pray that they can all be great leaders, leaders like  Moroni.

Opposition

This past week started out great.  I have been putting together the latest edition of my extended family newsletter, and was all set to have copied off on Monday and then in the mail by Tuesday or Wednesday.  Alas, my schedule on Monday did not permit me to make it to the my favorite copy venue until just before it closed,  so I waited until Tuesday to pick up the copies.  That afternoon I was struck by some sort of nasty, messy and somewhat painful flu bug, so after work I went home and straight to bed for 12 hours, only taking enough time out to throw some chicken breasts in the oven for the rest of the family.   I chose to sip on some warm apple cider instead.  Wednesday I felt a bit better, but not very energetic, so after work I went and visited the local Cub Scout pack meeting, then went back to bed with a book.  I finally got all most of the newsletters into addressed envelopes on Thursday evening and Friday morning while waiting at DD1’s  regularly scheduled Doctor’s appointment, and was set to mail them on my way into work.  Alas, when we returned to the car after the appointment, we encountered a flat tire.  Sigh.  As indicated in yesterday's post, DH was kind enough to come and rescue us with the air compressor to inflate the tire and then rush off to work, but by then I was almost late to work too, so the letters did not get mailed to my loving family until Saturday, nearly a week later than planned.

 So, am I gratefully for opposition?  Stomach aches and flat tires?  Not particularly, but supposedly they have helped to make me a better/stronger person?   More patient and compassionate for others when they are ill?  Protection from some other form of danger, physical or spiritual?  Who knows.  I do know that we were all meant to experience opposition, so that we can learn the good from the evil and the joy from sorrow, and from the pain.   And so we can appreciate health.  I have also been personally promised*  that if I do my best, I  will not be kept from doing much good in this world.   

 

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad.

2 Nephi 2:11


* In my patriarchal blessing. 

Air Compressor

photo source

So, yesterday morning DD1 and I drove down to her regular Doctor's appointment.  It went smoothly with very little wait time, and we were right on schedule to get home in plenty of time for us to both get to work.  We walked out to the car . . . and saw that the Taurus' left front tire was completely flat.  Sigh.  Cars.  Difficult to live without them, and even difficult to live with them.  Thankfully DH had not left for work yet and was able to be our Knight in Shining armour, or at least a somewhat shining Pathfinder.  He had charged up the portable air compressor and brought it out to the parking lot where we were waiting, and within minutes had the tire pumped up, then he was off to work, somewhat late.    We drove slowly home, arranged a ride for DD1 to get to her work, and I walked to work in time for my 12:30 meeting.  

This morning we topped the air off of all of the vehicle tires, and I then drove the Taurus to have the tire repaired and rotated.  I'm grateful for the convenience of a protable air compressor, and a DH who takes the time to rescue his damsels in distress.