Healing

Today, on the anniversary of 9-11, Taylor and I continued our tradition of visiting Healing Field in Sandy, Utah.
I will never forget where I was the day this event happened.
I will never forget calling my parents in Canada while they were serving their mission.
I will never forget gasping out loud as the first tower fell
…and again with the second collapse.
I will never forget the power of a Nation, that raised above this tragedy
and came together in such a remarkable way. With pride. With faith. With God.

It is a shame, that while we will never forget what happened our our land
we easily and often forget our God.
May we turn our thoughts to Him daily and enable Him and our Savior
to heal us and make us stronger.
Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually.

It is constancy that God would have from us. Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought, or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness. Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were. We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior. We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow. We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm.   ~Thomas S. Monson

Greed

Tonight, my daughter and I left to grab a bite for dinner.
My dog, Chester, wasted no time and ran downstairs into the room where
my daughter is [temporarily] storing her boxes after moving back home.

He managed to locate a bag full of chocolaty cookies.
He carefully pulled the package out of this bag and pulled it into the hallway.
He then went back into the room to find more yummy treasures.
As he did, somehow, the door to the room shut.
Trapping him inside, and worse, separating him from his cookies.
My husband came home shortly after and discovered the dog in his predicament.
Chester was freed from his prison, and never got to eat his treasure.

We make poor and irrational decisions if our decision is motivated by greediness: greed for monetary gain; greed that results in a conflict of interest; desire for power, titles, and recognition of men.

“He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.” (Prov. 15:27.)

Robert D Hales

I’M BACK!

My posts here have been few and far between here lately.
My time has been [well] spent elsewhere…
as I have focused on serving in my Church,
keeping up my missionary’s blog,
and playing with my youngest daughter
[after she moved back home to finish her studies at the U].

Yesterday in church, our Young Single Adult Stake
launched it’s digital mission / blog and I resolved to
reconnect with my own blog more frequently.
I have very few followers, but that is OK.
I can share my life, my beliefs, and my testimony
here for them, and for my posterity.

Today is Labor Day.
It has been tradition for me to host a gathering here at our home.
In fact, I have hosted many holidays here it the past.
My absence has extended itself into that arena as well.
Our backyard is a neglected mess, my children have been gone,
and I lost my desire and will. With the summer ending,
I find myself missing these events.
I made a promise to myself… it won’t happen again.