She's been working her tail off to get her goals met. My little girl, who has always been solid, is going to be graduating soon. She can't wait to be on her own. Our little Gracie girl is grown up!
Since Dustin has so much time at home, he decided to take on a project.
We've wanted to create a gathering space in our backyard for a while. A covered space. We found the perfect spot in the hill in our backyard. It's wasted space because of the hill. And since we will need to dig down, it will give us the privacy our backyard lacked. We are so high because of the water table.
Dusitn started digging today! Our great friends and neighbors, the Holsetes, lent us the equipment. It's nice when your neighbor is a builder!!! We filled up a whole dump truck!!
This year to graduate has been a reall bummer. Many schools are doing a virtual graduation instead of in person. My Grace has been pretty bummed. Prom and Last Chance dances have already been cancelled. Deep down we know it's the best choice, but these kids never get these moments back. I guess they will have something dofferent to tell their posterity.
An amazing thing to witness has been all the work people have done to make it as memorable as they can. I've adopted 3 other seniors in high school and sent them some of their favorite things. Kids All over the state of Utah! And a neighbor lovingly adopted my Grace. All over social media people have posted teir own senior pictures in supposrt. I know it does nothing, but it's been fun to see creative ways to show these kids they are loved and how bad we feel for them. We love the calss of 2020!!
Women who were faithful to Jesus came in the early morning to care for his body. They were worried who would move the large stone. When they arrived, to their surprise the stone was moved. They saw 2 angels. “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.” They ran to tell the apostles. The scripture says Peter and John came running to the tomb. It was empty. The only thing in the tomb was Jesus’ burial clothes. Jesus conquered death! Because He lives, I know I will too. Today is my father’s 83rd birthday. Do you know how much peace the message of Easter brings me? I know death is not the end. I know I will see my dad again. I know my children will get to know the grandpa they never had the opportunity to know in this life. All this because of the great Plan of a loving God. A Plan of Happiness. A Plan of Mercy. And I can’t wait until the day I see my dad again! I will hug him. I will cry. And I will thank Jesus. I love Jesus! And He loves me!
His body was taken from the cross. Joseph of Arimethaea begged Pilate for the body of Jesus. He and Nicodemus wrapped Jesus’ body, and laid him in a tomb. These two men were in leadership. To come forth as sympathizers of Jesus was a big move. After his body is washed and dressed, they rolled a stone in front of the entry to the tomb. Guards were set to watch so no one could steal the body and claim that He had risen. It is my belief when you die, your spirit and body are separated. The body remains buried, while the spirit is received in a place called the spirit world. Here your spirit waits until it will be time to be reunited with your body, just as Jesus’ was. In my Faith, we believe that while His body was laid to rest, Jesus went to the Spirit World, the prison spoken of in 1 Peter 3:19. Only a “prison” in the sense that your progression has been interrupted. We believe Jesus came to the Spirit world to establish a teaching pattern for His Gospel just like He did for those on Earth. Baptism and the gift of The Holy Ghost ( born water and fire) are required to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:1-2,5). If required, then what happens to those who had never even heard of Jesus Christ? Think how many millions of people had died before hearing His Gospel. How could a loving God be so unfair? The best news is that He’s not unfair! He had a plan! And part of that plan was redeeming the dead as well! He sent His Son to the Spirit World to establish His Gospel. The righteous (think Adam and Eve, Noah and Naamah, Moses and Zipporah, and for those of my faith Lehi and Sariah, Nephi and his wife, and many others) would have been instructed and taught what to do to teach those who struggled to be obedient during their time on earth, or never heard the gospel. They would be taught and given a chance to accept Jesus as their Savior and the Son of God. This is why we have temples in my Faith. There, we do work by proxy for our dead ancestors. I understand it can seem like a strange practice. But for me, I think it one of the most beautiful and unique truths of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Day Saints!
I read the accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I marvel at the similarities, and also the differences. Each giving an account of what they witnessed and felt impressed to share with the world. Though the accounts differ in some details, the core of the story is the same. I will admit that I like John 18 and what he records of the conversation between Pilate and Jesus. I have always been under the impression Jesus stood and said nothing in the trials, but that’s not so. It makes sense now. Of course he would speak with Jesus in order to find no fault in him. He wanted to let him go. His wife warned him to let him go. But can we say peer pressure pushed him in the opposite direction? Wanting to appease a rioting crowd, he washed his hands, and turned Jesus over to the soldiers. They scourged Him. They mocked Him. They spit on Him and slapped Him. He was made to wear a crown of thorns and carry the cross he would die on. Once hung on the cross, His first words were,” Father, forgive them...” He would hang there for six hours. His last thoughts turned to His mother. Once knowing she is cared for, he says, “It is finished.”
I have read the stories of Easter many times. I just have never read them, or studied them, in sequential order. I have never heard of the term “maundy.” And I couldn’t have told you all that took place on the night before Jesus’ arrest. However, Him washing the feet of his disciples is one of my favorite stories. I can’t think of a more loving service to the ones he loved and cared for. These men walked in sandals on dirt roads every.single.day. I’m certain their feet were sweaty and had cuts. I’m sure they were calloused. I would not want to touch them!! And he washed all 12! Even the feet of the man who would betray him.
After washing their feet, He gives them the bread and wine, symbolic of his body and blood. He also gives a new commandment to “ love one another as I have loved you.” Wash each other’s feet, take care of one another is what I imagine he was telling them. He teaches them of the gift of The Holy Ghost. He then goes to The Garden. There he pleads to His Father for another way, but says “not my will, but thine be done.” He does what’s asked of Him. He bleeds from every pore because of what he has taken upon himself. An angel is sent to comfort and strengthen him. And when all this is done, when he finished taking all the sin, pain, and sorrow that will ever be known to us, he returns to his sleeping disciples, and comes face to face with the man who betrayed him and the multitude that has come to arrest him. When Peter cuts the ear off of one of the men, He takes the ear and heals it. They still bind Him. They still take Him.
There’s no record in the 4 gospels of what happened on this day. Some say he most likely taught in the temple (Luke 21 ends saying in the morning people came to hear him in the temple. But I’m not sure if it’s a new day, or referencing the current day). Others believe he stayed in Bethany among friends. A little rest from all the crazy. I can relate to that. He knew what lay ahead. I would want a moment with loved ones. I would want a moment to myself to reflect. I would need a break from all of it!! Part of me has difficulty seeing Jesus take a pause. Mostly from his response to his mother at the age of 12 when he was found in the temple: “How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” But maybe it wasn’t for him. Maybe he knew those who loved him would need it.
Today we talked of foundations and holy places. There is so much that went on this day. Some in the temple laid snares in order to arrest Jesus. Reading his responses, and tongue lashing,...Wow! Able to escape, he met his disciples on the Mount of Olives. Here, he gave some very famous parables. What made me reflect most was how firm Jesus was while his enemies tried so hard. *Note, it is this day that Judas also negotiated with the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus.* It is important to be anchored in your foundation, whatever it may be. And your holy places will be found on that foundation. And just as he counseled his disciples, when we “shall see the abomination of desolation,...stand in the holy place.” What’s your foundation? Where are your holy places?
We used this graphic and listed the things that build our foundation:
Family
Scriptures
Prayer
Obedience
The Spirit
Covenants
We’ve been stuck in our home for so long. I felt we were in need of a field trip. Knowing Jesus cleared the temple on this day, I felt we should venture to our own Temple. They are doing work in the Salt Lake Temple. It will be closed for 4 years. It will be restored and even more beautiful than before. We had the temple grounds all to ourselves! In John 2 as Christ cleansed the temple of money changers, he likened His body to a temple. I challenged my family to think of what “cleansing” they might need to do in their own life. I reminded them that He didn’t come in softly and politely. He flipped tables, wielding a scourge He made himself. Change is hard. It can turn things upside down. And that’s ok. We usually come out better for it.
On this Palm Sunday we read of Jesus’ entry on a colt into Jerusalem, fulfilling prophecy. The crowd laid palm leaves before him, preparing the way for Him. They cried Hosannas, praising Him. Today, we talked about how we could help “prepare the way” for Jesus to come again. And we were able to cry Hosannas in our General Conference. A global Hosanna Shout! In our Faith, we wave white handkerchiefs as we do this, but the Merritts didn’t have any. So, I cut up a clean, white flat sheet. We don’t use flat sheets in our home, so it was the perfect solution! They were not beautiful. In fact, the lines were crooked and splintered. It reminded me of most of my offerings to The Lord. I’m not perfect, but His grace is sufficient to make my crooked lines straight, and splinting edges clean. I’m so grateful for Him! “Hosanna! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord!”
