Grace & Wyatt At The Temple

 We were able to go with Grace and Wyatt tonight to the temple as they received their endowment. What is an endowment? It ia a ceremony in our faith where one makes covenants -promises- to obey laws of God. In return for keeping these covenants, the Lord blesses you with "power from on high." Your endowment is the gift of power. Not some superpower. Humble, quiet power to fulfill your duties and purposes. 

I was Grace's escort. That means I was able to be by her side and walk her through the ceremony and explain anything she had questions about. As she was preparing for the endowment, I was sitting in an onstruction room, waiting for her. There was a beautiful picture of Jesus praying. It was a picture I was not familiar with. I had never seen it before. It was beautiful and brought many questions and feelings to my mind and heart. For me, it seemed as Jesus was asking me where I havebeen. I have been distant. A lot of distractions lately. I found myself not being able to look at Him. Then peace filled my heart and mind. "This is a new beginning," He seemed to speak to me. It made me think of Grace an Wyatt. They have made changes and worked hard to be there. Then I thought of me. I had made an effort to be there. I made a new commitment, a fresh start. How grateful I am for fresh starts. And, it's all because of Him. It was a great evening we were able to spend with Grace, Wyatt, his parents, Dustin's mom, Lori, Ryaand Grace's friendns, Ally and Levi. 

(this was not the picture, but similar)

Counting My Blessings- Faith

 “Faith is not so much something we believe, Faith is something we live.” - Joseph B Wirthlin 🌱🌿🌳

I’m not quiet about my Faith. It is truly a part of who I am. It always has been. It has been something I have continually worked on all my life. When I was young and lived Missouri, I was the only member of my Faith. My family was the only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the whole school. There were a couple of friends who were members of the RLDS (now known as The Community of Christ). I felt a connection with them because at least our religions stemmed from the same founding. Yet, it still was different. I knew this after having conversations with them. And, even though I was the only member of my Faith, I still had great friends who practiced other religions, or none at all. I remember having sleepovers at friends’ homes on Saturday nights, and then waking up on Sunday and going to church with them. I’m so grateful my parents were so open and willing to let me do that. I learned a lot from those experiences, even as a 10 year old, an 11 year old, and a 12 year old. These weren’t 1 time incidents. They were multiple over years. I learned that we could still be friends even though we didn’t believe the same. I learned to give space for different. I learned that others who didn’t belong to my Faith, were good people who valued the same things I valued. This knowledge would serve me well when as a 12 year old my family moved from a small Missouri city of about 60,000 people to Las Vegas, NV that was much bigger and definitely more diverse in EVERYTHING! Again, I learned to love those who were different. I now live where my Faith is the dominant Faith. And you know what I love most? Conversations with those who believe different. And I’m so thankful for those conversations. May we always be willing to share, celebrate, and allow our differences. ❤️ So when I say, “Today, I’m thankful for my Faith in God,” every person I’ve come to know has helped build that Faith. So thank you!

Counting My Blessings- Vote

 

“Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world.” 🌎

Today I’m thankful for the opportunity to not only vote, but that I have the right to share my voice, and the right to live according to my conscience. Not everybody has those rights. Be grateful if you do. Your voice matters. Your voice can help bring about the change you want to see.

Counting My Blessings- Friends

 “Growing apart doesn’t change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I’m glad for that.” -Ally Condie

Today I’m grateful for all the friends that have blessed my life. I have been blessed greatly for having the right people put into my life when I needed it. Your presence in my life will never be forgotten. I wish I had a picture of everyone I love! Apparently, I need to be better at taking pictures with friends.

Counting My Blessings - Family

 “...live in thanksgiving daily...” Alma 34:38 🍁 I am thankful for my family. My growing family, and the family I grew up in. Hug them all daily. Tell them you love them daily. Those relationships are eternal.

Halloween 2020

 Another Halloween! It was so quiet in our neighborhood, but most homes had porch lights on. It was fun to see how creative others got passing out candy. The most popular was the slide. The homeowner sat on the porch. The kid approached the bottom of the slide and said, "Trick or Treat!" The homeowner would then send the candy down the slide. No physical contact at all and always 6' away from each other. 

Our SWAT member and alien had a great night!

Gardner Village

 We were bored, so we went to find some witches and Nielsen’s Frozen Custard. I love spending time with my kids. I won't have them home for much longer. I want to make sure we create memories they can remember.