A Surprise Visit

Today we had a surprise visit from a very special guest...Uncle Josh! Josh was able to get time off from the Navy and fly home today. We thought he was going to be in Seattle for the weekend and arrive here on Sunday or Monday, but he said he just couldn't wait to see those nieces of his so he came to see us right away! The girls were so excited, and it was great timing because Abbie and I had just finished painting A LOT of Welcome Home paintings for him and so she was extra excited to see him and give him her (still wet) artwork. Lauren got to meet her Uncle Josh for the first time and it was so sweet to see them together. I feel so blessed that he was able to come home at all and so excited that it was sooner than we were thinking. All day, Abbie just kept talking about her Uncle Josh and how he had come to see her, what a blessing he is to her and all of us.

A Modern Marvel

I've recently read several books that take place in Old Testament times-following the lives of the patriarch's wives, and it has made me so appreciative for this day-in-age and all of the technologies and modern advances that we so often overlook. Today my girls and I were able to talk face to face to my best friend Jill and my brother Joshua, who both happen to be in Japan, over the miracle of the internet and webcams. What a blessing this is!! People can be worlds away and we can still communicate with them as if they were right beside us. Josh has never met Lauren in real life, but he's been able to see her and she him and become acquainted through the portal of modern technology. Compared to the distant journeys that people used to make and the news traveling by individual messengers, this is such a blessing. Even the fact that I can write this from the comfort of my own home and it can be read by those who wish wherever they may be is a miracle in and of itself. I feel so grateful to live during this time.

A Little Prayer

Today I feel especially thankful for tiny answers to tiny prayers. Sometimes I find myself getting frustrated with something that seems almost too easy or too simple or too frivolous to pray about, and when I humble myself and ask for help, the solutions to my little problems seem to come quickly to my mind. What a blessing that is! I even had to catch myself on this, because it has worked so well for me in my life. Yesterday I found myself taking credit for one of my 'brilliant ideas,' when in fact it was inspiration from a little prayer I said that before led to no ideas of my own. I am thankful that Heavenly Father continues to bless me in little ways when all I need to do is ask in faith.

Our Prophet Dear

Today during Family Home Evening our family remembered the marvel of a man that was Gordon B. Hinckley. While I was preparing for the lesson I felt impressed to turn to the hymn he wrote, My Redeemer Lives. The sweet words seem so appropriate now:

I know that my Redeemer lives, Triumphant Savior, Son of God,
Victorious over pain and death, My King, my Leader, and my Lord..
He lives, my one sure rock of faith, The one bright hope of men on earth,
The beacon to a better way, The light beyond the veil of death.
Oh, give me thy sweet Spirit still, The peace that comes alone from thee,
The faith to walk the lonely road That leads to thine eternity.

I feel so blessed to have heard the words of the Lord taught through President Hinckley over the majority of my life, and I know that his memory will be a blessing I will cherish for the rest of it.

An On-Time Miracle

Today was the first Sunday of the new year that the girls and I have been on time to church and I have been so excited all day that that is definitely the blessing I want to share. Our new church schedule has been a big burden for our little family, so it was great to see all of the different factors come together today for us to be on time. Drew helped me get the girls dressed in their Sunday clothes before he left; I put Lauren down much earlier to try for a nap before church and she took a great nap; Abbie was able to have enough time to eat a good lunch so she wouldn't be hungry at church; I woke Lauren up early enough to nurse her before finally leaving; there were no slow-pokes in front of us on the way there; I pulled in right behind my Dad who was able to help me get the girls out of the car; Abbie went to the bathroom quite quickly when we got there before heading off to the nursery; and I walked into my meeting right on time. Those are a lot of little blessings that add up to one big blessing. And I hope for a repeat next week.