{ Life Tips }

“You can be excellent in every way. You can be first class. There is no need for you to be a scrub. Respect yourself. Do not feel sorry for yourself. Do not dwell on unkind things others may say about you. Polish and refine whatever talents the Lord has given you. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life and look for its opportunities.”

~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Counting Our Blessings

This is what we could see right outside our window on Tuesday. There have been seven fires in different areas around the state in the last week. In fact, my own brother’s family and two of my nieces were evacuated from their homes when the flames came too close to their neighborhood across the lake.

But this new one–sheesh. How eerie is it to be able to see the red glow from the flames, in the smoke.

The next day, we could see this brave guy flying back and forth, back and forth–from the lake…

into the smoke. Our church leaders asked us all to please pray for the firefighters to be safe and to please, please, pray for rain.

Believe me–we prayed. In the middle of one of Miss Chompy’s prayer she said, “And bless the firefighters to be safe. Mom what’s a firefighter?” Pretty cute.

Then, this morning we woke up to a huge rushing sound in the yard. I sat up in bed at first, thinking it was the wind tearing through the rose bushes and rattling my windows.

I thought, Oh no, please–not wind.  But looking out the window, I saw–it wasn’t the wind…

it was RAIN! Funny, even after all the prayers, it still surprised me to see it. In fact, I had to wonder for a minute if it really, truly was rain clouds…

or just more smoke.

Our fiery mountain was all clouds and steam by afternoon. I can only guess about the other, farther away fires…but we’re hoping they’re out too.

Isn’t Heavenly Father clever?

Just when we’re so-so tired of all that heat and ash and think we can’t stand it any longer…

He sends us the rain!

“So the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one…”

Blessed Rain

After praying all week for rain–today, it’s RAINING!

Hope it snuffs out all those terrible fires.

I hollered to Miss Chompy that Heavenly Father answered our prayers and made it rain and she said, “We DID it!!”

What she meant was–HE did it. :}