In an attempt to reclaim some balance in my life, a made a very bold move. I approached my boss last week and asked for Friday’s off… all of them! With some salary negotiation, it became official... I now work Monday through Thursday. More time to serve, clean and play... effective immediately.
This Friday I got tickets to the sacred gifts exhibit at BYU for Tay and I. They are displaying religious art from Carl Bloch, Heinrich Hofmann and Frans Schwartz. I came down with a cold but braved it anyway. It was so worth it. Many of the original artwork displayed will be very familiar to any primary attender.
Plans for lunch afterward… we just cannot go all the way to Provo without a stop at Cubbys. We are excited for the Lehi location currently under construction. Taylor managed to contact her friend Raven. She was on campus and we picked her up after inviting her to join us for lunch. They were able to catch up as much as they could in the short time they had.
Before and after lunch, we stopped in the see Grandpa Rowley… First at the H B Lee Library and then at the cemetery on the way back home. A tradition we try to follow every time we are in his neighborhoods!
As I reflect on this day, I am overwhelmed with all that it has represented.
1. I am a valued employee. Enough so, that I am able to make a request and have it honored and validated. I am blessed with a job that I love and work with people I love even more.
2. There are so many churches and faiths dotting the world, and while the LDS church has received the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness, through the restoration at the hands of Joseph Smith, there are still many truths out there. We have more in common with other faiths then we are given credit for, or perhaps, even fail to acknowledge ourselves. This exhibit reminded me of this. These wonderful paintings, depicting our Savior, Jesus Christ in a way that is full of truth and so familiar to many faiths.
3. Lasting friendships are wonderful. Being able to see someone for the first time in a long time, and pickup up as if it was just yesterday. I witnessed it today with Taylor and Raven, and cherish it in my own life with Amy.
4.Our family is forever. I look at the dates on Grandpa Rowley’s plaque and headstone and am blown away by the idea that it has been almost 20 years. While we miss him terribly, we still remember him fondly. He feels so close still at times.I know he is near. The great plan of happiness is a gospel truth that will do just that… provide happiness to those who come to know and accept it.
I am blessed indeed.
I hope and you are receiving the blessings that you stand in need of. We pray for them daily. We are so proud of you and your accomplishments, and especially your growth.
Don’t ever forget that as long as you are sharing your love for the gospel, you will be a successful missionary!
Love.
