They did it, with so much help from so many people, they did it. There will be only one more post about Boy Scouts of America on this blog, and that will be when we hold their court of honor. But an Eagle rank will always stand for something great, and we are proud of our boys for persevering.
Good job if you made it to the end of this post. Most pictures are by our niece Rachel (Rachel Angela Photography). Most of my memories, thoughts, and feelings are recorded in my journal, where they will stay. If you were there, I hope you found your face in a photo or two. We are very grateful to all who came and all who showed their support in any way. It really was the very best day.
I didn’t realize this is how grown up our family looks. I’ve had lots of moments to reflect on life and our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness in the past few weeks. This picture (even the absence of our adored missionary) represents all that the Savior has given us: absolutely everything that brings us joy. Here are just a few things this photo represents to me, made possible by our Savior:
repentance and forgiveness
the Gospel of Jesus Christ
covenants and ordinances
marriage
sacrifice
missionary work
miracles of healing and understanding
children
hope
testimony
faith in Christ
obedience to commandments
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
patience
love
And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.
1 Nephi 13:37
One day on Instagram, I decided to “follow” each living Apostle. What a satisfying exercise! President Russell M Nelson: Follow; President Dallin H. Oaks: Follow….Elder Jeffrey R Holland: Follow…
In a world full of people publishing things, I have learned that reading blogs, social media, commentaries, and listening to podcasts are of much less value than studying the gospel of peace from the scriptures and living prophets. The words of the prophets have sometimes been hard for me to take, but as I follow their direction, I have found joy where I didn’t expect it. I have learned that I can’t always trust my feelings or first thoughts about what they teach, but I have come to know that I can trust that God works through them.
“And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.”
Alma 36:17-21
One of my favorite lines in the new Young Women theme is, “I cherish the gift of repentance and seek to improve each day.” YES! To repent is to be reintroduced to Jesus Christ. How joyful is that?
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King…Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together.”
Psalms 98:4-6, 8
I’m pretty sure as we sing in church as this little boy is singing, with eyebrows raised and the words coming from deeper than just our throats, we grow in joy. As I play my violin this season, I give thanks that the Lord has given me a means to express how I really feel, and allow others to experience deep emotion together.
This week, the kitchen table in its 104-inch majesty was our repository for stacks of paper for two Eagle projects, merit badge work, hundreds of wedding invitations, and handouts for 40 women for Stake organization training. I really like what all these stacks of paper represent, and neat stacks of paper, some of them so beautiful, were satisfying to see.
Today, though, I am tired. And I hope I didn’t stuff merit badge cards or baptism guidelines in the wedding envelopes by mistake.
That is all I have today. It’s just a full time. (You may know I hate the word busy…)
Tin Tin has been a favorite at our house for a long time. In fact, I wonder why we haven’t thought to do it before now. It’s delightful when a thirteen year old smiles because of a costume.
This week was the last Court of Honor with Richard as Scoutmaster. He prepared a slideshow of the places the boys have been in 2019 and it was impressive. They’ve camped in snow, rain, desert, mountains, and sand.
This was the last song in the slideshow. (The video is not anything. It’s just the only one I could find with the right version of the song.) It was a sweet goodbye to his Scouts who will move on next January to new leaders.
The great cherry tree in my neighbor’s backyard, the focal point of my view out my kitchen window, suffers. One half of its leaves and branches wither, just as its owner did before his passing a few weeks ago. One half is still healthy enough to show green leaves. I have found inspiration in this tree over the years to keep going, enjoy the blossoms and red cherries, and endure long winters. Now, it reminds me of loss, and of the burden of living with half.
As eternal beings who are the offspring of God, something within us cannot be comfortable with halves. The Lord knows this about this, and has a plan to make us whole as we step forward with our fractured halves… of understanding, a partnership, ability, vision, purpose, joy, testimony, or strength.
One way he makes us whole is through the sacrament. Last Sunday, I heard the word “souls” in the sacrament prayer. We come to the sacrament table as souls, two halves of a whole: spirit and body. I learned that the emblems, blessed and sanctified, were for for the benefit of both my body and spirit. I learned that God is involved in the tangibles of toothache just as much as the imperceptible needs of the spirit, homesick for heaven, but not ready to be there.
“We are perplexed to see misfortune falling on decent, inoffensive, worthy people….Let me implore the reader to try to believe, if only for the moment, that God, who made these deserving people, may really be right when He thinks their modest prosperity and the happiness of their children are not enough to make them blessed: that all this must fall from them in the end, and if they have not learned to know Him they will be wretched. And therefore he troubles them…” -C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
In a stake meeting last night, we sat in a circle with the leaders of a ward that had been through a lot in the past few years, including recently, the unexpected passing of a member of their bishopric. Our Stake President asked, “What have you learned?” The answers were poignant and it was clear that each person had wrestled with difficult questions and had learned something unique.
One thing our Stake President taught was that we need to show gratitude for trials and the lessons they teach.
Earlier in the week, I wrote in my gratitude journal that I was struggling to find anything to write. Here is a list of things I could have been thankful for this week:
I am thankful to be able to visit my friends with bruises, bandages, arthritic hands, blindness, and pain to learn from them how to endure. I am thankful for their gracious welcome and when they laugh at my jokes. While their suffering makes me sad, I have learned through my visits that connection is the best source of joy in my life.
I am thankful for the 4! barking dogs behind my house because they keep strangers from lurking in our yards. They remind me how to keep friendship separate from annoyances.
I am thankful for the increase of love I feel for someone when they are suffering.
I am thankful for my own physical pain, because it helps me to slow down. It also helps me to appreciate the joy of pain-free days.
I am thankful for the struggles my children are facing because it is evidence that they are growing. I am thankful for specific understanding about a child’s struggles that came while I read the Book of Mormon this week.
I am thankful for a gracious God.
For all the blessings life has brought,
verse 3 of Thou Gracious God, Whose Mercy Lends, words by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., 1869
For all the sorrowing hours have taught,
For all we mourn, for all we keep,
The hands we clasp, the loved that sleep…
I have posted this piece before, but I love the words.