Miracles and the Faith of a Child

This is my favorite story about Camille.


Soon after her sixth birthday, my husband left town to attend his aunt's funeral. He took our four year old son, Ryan with him, leaving Camille, myself and my one year old daughter, Kristen home alone over night.


The night he left, a storm swept into Phoenix, leaving the weather hot and muggy, and our home without electricity. After sitting in darkness for close to an hour, Camille suggested we pray and ask Heavenly Father to turn the power back on. We had already reported the power outage to the electric company and I was sure they were working as quickly as they could to restore power, but not wanting to discourage the faith of my young, sweet daughter, I agreed.


So we knelt in prayer and I prayed for the electricity to come back on so we wouldn't have to be so hot and would have light to see.


Nothing happened.


After sitting in darkness for an additional ten minutes or so, Camille said to me, "I guess I am going to have to do this myself." She then went into a corner of our family room, knelt and offered a silent prayer.


Immediately upon standing, our home lit up with lights. Camille, looked at me with a rather disgusted look and said, "Now, that's better!"

Oh, how humbling that moment was!!! Never again would I doubt the faith of a child.

The Parable of the Gum

Late last night I was putting together an Easter basket for a good friend who would not otherwise have one. One of the items I had purchased was Orbit gum. I had two kinds--peppermint and wintergreen.

I was making my children's and husband's Easter baskets at the same time and so in some I put one flavor and in the other baskets, the other. In my friend's basket, I went to put in peppermint, when I suddenly changed my mind and placed wintergreen in her basket instead. I did not know which gum she would prefer but I hoped I had chosen correctly.

This morning I was sitting by my friend in Relief Society and glanced down at her purse. There inside was a package of wintergreen gum. I said to her, "Oh, I see you like wintergreen gum." She answered, "I do! It is my favorite." Later I gave her the Easter basket I had made--complete with the wintergreen gum.

It was such a simple thing, and I know she would have been happy to have received either flavor, but to me it was a sweet sign that Heavenly Father was very much aware of her on this Easter Sunday. It also made me think how often we pass through large, and difficult trials and feel so very alone. Yet, if Heaven can take notice of gum flavor and take the time to prompt me to change it, I am pretty sure we will never be left to walk alone through the times that really matter.

And that thought brings sweet comfort, and . . . joy to my journey.

The Holy Land--a Pictoral View of Where Christ Walked in His Final Days

Just on the other side of this hill, (The Mount of Olives) is Bethany. In Bethany the Savior found friendship, comfort and loving support during the final week of His ministry in the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

Each morning during His final days, He would descend the Mount of Olives, (where this next picture was taken) pass through or near the Garden of Gethsemane, cross the Kidron Valley, also known as the Valley of the Dead, and ascend to the Temple Mount where He would teach the people.


On His final night, His journey would not only take Him through Gethsemane, but He would stop there as well. Here in a grove of olive trees, Christ would take upon Himself the sins, suffering, sickness and imperfections of all mankind.

On Friday morning, following an illegal trial where He was sentenced to death, Christ was taken to Golgotha, where He would offer His life as a sacrifice for each of us.

“Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.
And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.” (Mark 14:14-15)

And they [brought] him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. (Mark 15: 22.25)



Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. (John 19:41)



They took the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. (John 19:40)
And laid His body in the garden tomb.

"Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they (the women) came unto the sepulchre. . . . And they found the stone rolled away. . . .

And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus . . . .

And it came to pass . . . [that] two men stood by them in shining garments . . .and they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

He is not here, but is risen. . . "

(Luke 24:1-6)

And so it was on that first Easter morning that Jesus Christ was resurrected. He suffered that we might overcome, He died that we might live.

It is interesting to note that each day of the last week of His life bore testimony of His divine mission.

Symbolically, mountain tops and temples are representative of Heaven. Christ descending the Mount of Olives each day was symbolic of His descending to earth. Here on earth His journey would take Him through the suffering of Gethsemane to His death on the cross.

And yet, on the third day, He would cross the gulf of death (Valley of the Dead) and ascend back to His Heavenly Father (symbolized by his ascension to the temple mount).

Because He suffered for all our pains---physical, emotional, and spiritual--all our wounds and heartaches can be healed.

Because He lives again, so can we.

And because He has shown us the way to return to our Father in Heaven, so may we return to His presence, if we follow the path He trod.

And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives !
For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only begotten of the Father—
That by him and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

(Doctrine and Covenants 76:22-24)

HAPPY EASTER!

Modge Podge, Tags, and Happy Shoes!

I hope the ladies I visit teach are not reading my blog today because this is what they are getting for an Easter gift this week!

ISN'T IT SO VERY CUTE!!!

I got the idea from Tanielle at the Polka Dot Daisy and loved it! Click on over to her blog for many more great decorating ideas!

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AND . . . . KEEPING IT REAL!!!

THANKS TO JENNY

at Jenny, Jenny Who Can I Turn To for this Tag

Have you ever noticed that I am NEVER in any of my pictures???

There is a reason for that. I don't like taking/posting/looking at pictures of myself. But in the spirit of being a good sport, I took this one. I am just glad I teach seminary so I am up and dressed early in the morning--I just always look really, really tired.

But the good news is now I get to pass the fun on!

Here are the rules

Take a picture of yourself right now.
No primping or preparing.
Just snap a picture.
Load the picture onto your blog.

(And no editing the picture!)
Tag some people to play.

So you lucky ladies-I hope you have your cameras ready because . .

You are being tagged!

Momza's House

Pulsipher Page

Fruit of the Carolyn

And while you are visiting Carolyn's blog, you can also learn what a "Turducken" is.

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And to Nature Girl

Here is a picture of my

HAPPY SHOES!

They aren't new, I just found them in the back of my closet while looking for summer shoes. I love the bows on them though, and every time I look at them, they make me smile!

May you all have a great day, and may you always find . . . .joy in the journey!

Summer Salads---It is all in the presentation :-)

I love salads! But what I don't like is eating salads at parties. Most people put their salad in a bowl--like the one below. The problem with that is to make it look pretty, most of the good stuff is on top and the first five people who go through the line take the majority of it--leaving a less inviting salad for the fifteen people who follow.

So here is an idea I got from my SIL, Judy S. Instead of using a bowl, use a platter!

This way all the good stuff can be evenly distributed and no matter how many people eat the salad, the rest of it still looks beautiful. This salad is one of my most favorites. It is made from romaine lettuce and spinach and topped with Monterrey Jack cheese, mandarin oranges, diced apples, craisins, avocado and glazed pecans. Very yummy!

And for a salad dressing, here are two ideas. The first one is from another SIL, Jackie M. Take 3 parts Poppy seed dressing and mix with 1 part pesto. I know it doesn't sound that great, but it is easy, original and really does taste delicious!

For another recipe here is one called "Pink Salad Dressing" (creative, I know) from a friend in my ward, Karen H that serves 7-8.

1/4 medium red onion, chopped

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp dry mustard

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil.

Mix all ingredients--except oil--together in a blender. When the onion is liquefied, slowly add the oil.

This one is very yummy as well, and is also very pretty.

So . . . ENJOY your salad, and enjoy . . . the journey.

Living Water

Early in the Savior's ministry, He visited with the Samaritan woman at the well where He offered her the "living water" that if she would drink she would never thirst. This living water we know is Christ's teachings, His example and His atonement, that if partaken, will nourish us, heal us and allow us to live again with Him someday.

Ezekial (Chapter 47) prophesied that in a latter day a temple would be built in Jerusalem, and from under it would flow water that would run through the Kidron Valley (Valley of the Dead) to the Dead Sea and heal the land.

Kidron Valley, Israel

The barren, waste land that exists today will be gone, and in its place will be rich, abundant life, just as the Jordan River gives life to the land near Galilee.

Jordan River, Israel

The water that will flow from under the temple to heal the land will symbolize the knowledge and power that flows from the temple to heal our hearts and souls, our families and our nation.

This weekend thousands will gather together in the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City to hear the words of modern-day prophets testify of Christ and teach His words.

On the top of the conference center there is a fountain that pours water over the side of the building. It flows every night and every day, all year long. This fountain is also symbolic of the "living water" the Savior offers to the world as taught by his prophets in the latter-days. It is the water that heals broken hearts and mends wounded souls.

What a wonderful opportunity we have this weekend to partake of the "living water" that will flow from the conference center. What a blessing to live in a day where once again we have prophets who speak in the name of the Lord.

Isaiah 2:3
And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths . . .

Carly's Very Fun Trip to the Outrageously Priced Zoo

This past week our grandbaby came from Colorado for a visit. Her mother, (our daughter Camille) came too, but let's be honest, the real excitement was getting to spend time with Carly, and for her aunts to see her for the very first time.

Although she is only three months old, since our time with her is so rare, we wanted it to be memorable. So, Grandpa donned his real life Crocodile Dundee hat--complete with real crocodile teeth--and headed to the outback for a dangerous animal adventure!

Okay, so it was only the Wildlife Zoo in Surprise, AZ, but at $26.00 a person (when did zoo prices become so exorbitant?!!) it would definitely be memorable!

Carly looked intently at the miniature deer.

She admired the rare (and rather lazy) white tiger.

She peered at the tired tortoise.

And got rather up close and personal with a curious giraffe.

Going to the zoo with Grandpa was sooo much fun!

And so exhausting! After about an hour she was done. So we got her out of the stoller and gave her a hug (how could you NOT want to hug this very sweet thing!) and took her home to bed.

I know she won't remember a thing about her big day in the wild, but that is what online books are for! :-) I am going to compile a book with all the pictures of the animals along with these pictures of Carly, and for years to come she can read about her first trip to the zoo!

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And for those of you who read my last post . . . No sooner had I published it when I received an email from the ward music chairman (my good friend) asking me to sing in a ladies double quartet on Easter Sunday. And my response??? Was I brave and willing to do something new? Did I follow my own challenge and say, "Yes, although I can't sing at all, I am refusing to limit myself by my fears, and I will be there to do it?" NO! I wrote back and said, "Ha Ha. You know I can't sing, [therefore] I won't be doing it. " So I have thought about this. Am I just being a coward? Perhaps. Am I being hypocritical? Maybe. BUT I REALLY, REALLY CAN'T SING! I would sound like the croaking frog in the pond of melodic voices.

So apparently change comes slowly. I will try to do better, I just don't think I am ready to have my first time to venture out of my comfort zone and overcome self-imposed curses, be a public event. :-)