I often dodged having my photo taken in high school because I didn’t like how I looked. My grandfather took this photo in 1989.
Hair volume aside, when I see this snapshot, I realize that my negative thoughts about my looks were big fat liars.
I have a temporary workspace set up in Paige’s empty bedroom where I am sorting through family history documents and photos. I have two main goals: identify individuals in the photos so we can attach them on the FamilySearch website, and assemble a family tree of Great-grandmother Cerie’s Swedish relatives.
I have found a lot of incidental treasures in the process:
It is a big puzzle, and I have spent many hours studying, reading, and cataloguing these things. It is incredibly slow work. I have learned that in 100 years, when your great-grandchild is sorting through your photos, she will not know the identities of your close loved ones. Please, label your photos with care, including first and last names and locations.
It is a stunning gift to enter into the covenant of marriage within the temple. This covenant is not just between husband and wife, but also with God. This has breathtaking implications, not only in the eternities, but now.
Today I share a quote from a mind-shifting article that President Nelson wrote. He is teaching about all the covenants we make, and as I study these words in relation to the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, I see the years of our marriage with more informed eyes. The Lord’s imprint is everywhere.
Just as marriages and families share a unique lateral bond that creates a special love, so does the new relationship formed when we bind ourselves by covenant vertically to our God! This may be what Nephi meant when he said that God “loveth those who will have him to be their God” (1 Nephi 17:40).
This is exactly why, as part of the covenant, a special mercy and love—or hesed—is available to all who enter this binding and intimate relationship with God, even “to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9).
Making a covenant with God changes our relationship with Him forever. It blesses us with an extra measure of love and mercy. It affects who we are and how God will help us become what we can become. We are promised that we, also, can be a “peculiar treasure” unto Him (Psalm 135:4).
Russell M Nelson, “The Everlasting Covenant,” Liahona, October 2022.
Richard awoke at 3:30 am on Saturday and had an impression that he should check the furnace room. He found the beginnings of a flood in this basement area, and bleary-eyed, we cleared out the wet boxes and vacuumed up excess water on the floor through the early hours of the morning. We were able to discover the leak was from the water heater. There was minimal damage, and the carpets are fine.
We were disappointed, as we had plans to go to Susanna’s wedding reception on Saturday, which we had to miss. We were also without hot water for a couple of days.
The thing that we will remember is that we were so completely cared for by the Lord.
He inspired Richard to wake up so he could protect our home. The flood began before we were scheduled to be away from the house. Mark was home on Saturday and could help Richard move out the old water heater and bring inside the new one. Richard had tools, knowledge, skill, and some helpful insights from others so he could install the water heater himself, long before any plumber could come.
I don’t know why we were spared the trial of a fully flooded basement, but I know who spared us.
I’m not producing these projects as often, but I try to keep one on the embroidery hoop to work on when I feel like sewing. I have many more patterns waiting, and perhaps DaVinci or Michaelangelo will be next. Each time I make Van Gogh’s Sunflowers for myself, I end up giving it away. I think I’ll make the Sunflowers again…and keep it this time.
Last week, my presidency completed our round of ward conferences for 2023, where we ministered to the needs of Primary leaders and children. I was also given the assignment to speak in three sacrament meetings for these conferences.
My presidency and I were able to teach hundreds of children during their Primary meetings. We also visited each Primary president to listen, encourage, and provide guidance.
It is a blessing in my life to be on Team Primary.
And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
Isaiah 54:13
Let’s talk about you. Life is full, yet you took some time to check in with me, even though sometimes I just write sermons here. (I am working on fixing that.) That is so kind of you, and I send my love.
If we haven’t talked in ages, I hope these words help you to know that I think that you are wonderful.
If you are facing a challenge, I send my encouragement.
If you are excited for an achievement, I send my congratulations.
If you are weary, I send my best wishes for a settled and childlike rest for you this weekend.
Thank you for being my friend.
Susanna is getting married, and this was her bridal shower. I should have taken photos of the rest of the room, but the food was lovely, and the gifts were generous, and there were 3 more tables of guests. I was glad to be included.
I discovered a list of journals that Joseph Smith kept for different purposes. Knowing this about him makes me feel some companionship in my quirky habit of keeping several journals at once.
He kept a journal of observations. He kept a personal history and kept track of his letters. He made sure that the things discussed in Church councils were recorded. He kept a record of the names of the faithful and wrote tributes about many people.
This is my current stack of journals, and each has its own topic. I think that they’re important in my process of becoming, whether or not anyone else benefits from them.