Category: Inspiration

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Little Man In the Mirror

August 7 036

I don’t really have a simple caption for this one—other than sweet baby Beckham looking in a mirror. But I love the intensity of his dear little face as he stares into his own eyes.

Kinda makes me want to grab a mirror and look at myself just a bit more closely. Not so that I can find more wrinkles to cover–THAT could go on forever! But more so, to have an honest look at myself to decide if I am who I really want to be in this life. If not–why not? If not now–when?

I personally don’t mind a nudge forward from such a beloved source. Makes reflection much easier.

Aren’t babies and their innocence just so good for the soul?

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Shielded

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With Autumn coming on hard and fast in these parts—I thought I’d be clever and make an attempt to clean up the weedy garden so that the last of the zucchini and cucumbers and tomatoes could be picked and piled and brought inside one final time. The ground had been soaked the night before so the grass and weeds and spent plants pulled up very easily. I was making great progress and feeling quite pleased with myself. Just as I was about to move to the tomato row and continue on–while the garden was still in shade–a strange thought went through my head.  As clear and distinct as a bell the thought was, “Get some gloves on.”  Well, that wouldn’t be any real big deal except that I didn’t actually have any gloves. So I sat there, not really sure what to do.

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Now understand that I’m a big believer in following impressions, the Spirit, my heart–however you are comfortable putting it. I’ve learned that things always, always turn out better if you listen when you are prompted. But the ground was soft, the shade was perfect and the weeds were willing to come out. I didn’t want to stop. Maybe I could just clear out this first tomato plant. Maybe I could just…I knew better.

Exasperated, I gathered up my tools and trudged into the house. After cleaning up I headed to the store to look for some gloves, but the season was over and there wasn’t even a garden section anymore.  I had to make do with some lame cloth work gloves–but it would be too late in the day to begin again anyway. The weeds would have to wait till tomorrow. Luckily, the ground was still relatively soft the next morning. With my silly work gloves on I was determined to finish the entire section and again, made great time. Clearing every blade of grass and weed away from the tomatoes I moved on to the zucchini, watermelon and pumpkins. Ok, I didn’t quite get to the cucumbers, but dang the garden looked good.

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So good in fact, that when my son-in-law came home from work that evening, I begged him to go clear out to the garden to see my work. Standing on the deck we waited while he walked around admiring the plants he could actually see now. As he leaned down close to the tomatoes, he reached down to pick one, but instead, he hollered, “Bring me a bucket!”

We did.

And this is what he found…

DSC06139A very, very Black Widow

At the base of the first tomato plant that I was trying to weed the day before, without gloves—and the same one that I had meticulously cleared that very day with gloves, sat a big, fat, creeptacular Black Widow. Yeah, I’m pretty sure that 51 year-old ladies really don’t want to get bit by Black Widows. It’s a policy we have. Luckily, the brave knight slew the dreadful Charlotte and all was well again in Zion. But I’ll tell you something–next time, when I hear a whisper,  I won’t argue for a second. I’ll just move.

And so you see, dear reader—that the moral of this story is:

All those good ideas, and epiphanies and warnings and nudges and nagging feelings that we have—all the time…

They are given to us for our own good—but can only help if we listen.

True story.

The End

 

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Looking Forward

My daughter, Jillian, wrote this post on her blog but I just had to share it. It’s lovely.

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*****

While working on a genealogy project at the LDS Church History Library back in August, I had an interesting experience…

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I woke up early in order to catch the bus up to Salt Lake as usual. Typically I wore business casual up to the library because I was just researching there, but that morning I felt I needed to wear my church clothes. So I did.

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Once I got to the reading room, I approached my “regular” spot. It was over by the microfilm readers that face the wall in a somewhat hidden section of the room. As I passed the computers just in from of them, a thought came to mind that I should request the CD to view the documents I needed that day rather than microfilm. So I did.

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When I went to sit at a computer facing the wall, something nudged me to sit at the station across from that–one that face the center of the reading room. So I did.

After several hours of transcribing 19th century documents, I wanted to stop a few minutes early. Looking at the spot in the ledger book made me reconsider this idea. It felt like I should leave at time I had planned, and simply transcribe just a few more pages to get to a better stopping point in the meantime. So I did.

Then it happened.

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The second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Dieter F. Utchdorf, stepped into the room. He and a few others seemed to be touring the fairly new facility. Perhaps because it was the reading room–a rather quiet place–neither him nor anyone in his party made a sound. They walked from one door, passed the seat right in front of me, then continued silently out into the foyer.

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If that wasn’t surprising enough, I glanced at the service missionaries who manned the reading room front desk. The two of them smiled at me. As I looked around at the people in the room though, I realized something: we were the only three people that noticed that President Utchdorf had been there. All the others had been facing their microfilm readers or the computers–all of which faced the walls. Their backs had been to the center of the room. Even several of the other employees of the Church History Library had not seen him enter because of their seats as well.

Contemplating this, I realized all the tiny promptings I had followed that morning leading up to that moment. Because of each of them I had been in the right place, dressed appropriately, within minutes of the right time. Most importantly though, I had been facing the right direction so I could see an apostle of God with my own eyes just a few steps away from me.

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This weekend is General Conference. I am still looking forward to seeing the apostles and the living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, speak to us over this weekend [Sat. and Sun. at 10AM and 2PM MST.] If any of you may find yourself facing a wall at this time, simply turn around so you don’t miss anything like those in the reading room did that day. Listen as they testify of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. As you do, no doubt that you will realize the promptings you have followed to get to be exactly where our Father in Heaven needs you to be at this time.

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As I look forward, I realize just where I need to be headed in the future as well. Forward. Not just in my gaze, but moving toward He who marked the path, even Jesus Christ.

Jillian

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He Is Listening

July 16 305

“Don’t worry about your clumsily expressed feelings. Just talk to your compassionate, understanding Father. You are His precious child whom He loves perfectly and wants to help. As you pray, recognize that Father in Heaven is near and He is listening.”

Richard G. Scott