Fireworks!!!

This is some of my awesome family.  Dan is in the front and then Emma, Charlie and Seth
Jenny is in the blue coat, my Dad seems to not notice when it's cold, and Mom is wrapped in the flowery blanket.  Ray is standing next to Lori and Derek's head is poking out behind Charlie AND
Stephanie is back right.  We are sitting in front of Brian and Stephanie's house.

This picture had me thinking of my cousin Cristy who, if I remember right,
notices when grammar is incorrect.
Brian is standing in the road with Jeff and Owen huddled around the fireworks that haven't
been lit.  We are seeing the backs of Seth, Charlie, and Emma.

Our fireworks were good at emitting sparks, and we enjoyed cheering for them, and for the ones shooting into the sky behind us, lit by the neighbors.  We could also see big ones at a distance -- but not in this picture.  It was a happy 4th!

Independence Day Program / Here We Have Idaho

Chris, my Mom in the white jacket, the back of Caleb's head, Jenny, Me, and Derek

At 7:30 a.m on July 4th Derek and I and a few family members went to an Independence Day program outside of my sister Tina's church.  The chairs were metal and therefore felt like we were sitting on ice blocks, but the program was great.  Someone posted the colors of The United States of America and the national anthem was sung by a girl with a beautiful voice.  She sang 2 verses, including my favorite which says, in part:

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

There was a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence,  and afterwards 13 people representing each colony stepped forward one at a time accepting the Declaration in behalf of their state, and shooting their muskets.  Then there was a very well given speech, and we ended with all of us singing God Bless America. 

There was one other thing.  Before we read the declaration of independence we "sang" the Idaho State Song -- a cappella.  Those of us from Utah didn't know it, and those from Idaho -- mostly didn't know it.  Or at least couldn't follow the complicated melody without accompaniment.  And then, there were the words.  I'm afraid we thought they were amusing though I am sure they were not meant to be, and I do feel a little bad about how much entertainment they provided for the rest of the day.  The chorus is:

And here we have Idaho
Winning her way to fame
Silver and gold in the sunlight blaze
and romance lies in her name

I guess we weren't convinced that there was much romance in the name Idaho.

All in all, it was a great program, and I think there should be more good programs like this one on Independence Day to help remind us what we are celebrating, and how much we have to be thankful for.

Life Isn't Fair

It is easy to see life as unfair.  If we take to comparing, we can easily find ways that life isn't "fair" to us, or to someone we love, or even to strangers.  Some people are healthy, some are not.  Some have lots of money, some are poor.  Some seem to be loaded with visible talents, while others have the quiet talents that may go unnoticed, even by them.  When we are feeling sorry for ourselves it might help to remember that life was the most unfair to Jesus.

Jesus came down, lived perfectly, was treated awfully, and then suffered for all of the sins He never committed.  We came down, and we do not live perfectly.  We sin on a regular basis, creating some of the unfairness for those around us, and yet, we do not have to meet the demands that justice would require. Christ already did that.   He gave us the gift of repentance and resurrection because He loves us so very much.

So, when we get stuck noticing how unfair and uneven things are around us, we can take comfort that Christ understands unfair.  He can be empathetic, comforting and helpful.  He suffered unfairly, and in so doing made it so that if we turn to Him fully we can be assured that the demands of justice have been met, and we will, in the end, have rewards that we do not deserve but that we will be very, very thankful for.

*Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

A Patch of Sunshine

This picture is of a patch of sunshine in our piano room.  There is joy to be found in the little things, and I love when there is a patch of sunshine in this room for me to sit in when I am eating my breakfast and doing my morning study.

Let me encourage you to get up every day and focus on what you do have in life. Be thankful for the blessings of the little things, even when you don't get what you expect.            Victoria Osteen

The Symbol of Our Worship

By Harry Anderson
used by permission from:
churchofjesuschrist.org

I have seen a lot of Christians wearing a cross, and I know that in most Christian churches there are prominent displays of the cross.  It has been considered the symbol of Christianity.  But, even though I am a Christian, I was taught when I was young that we do not wear the cross.  Why?  Not because it is wrong.  I admire those who wear the cross to declare their Christianity, or to remind themselves of grace, and of how a Christian should behave.  I have thought before, what can I wear that would show that I am a Christian and give me a reminder of grace and gratitude, and that I should be acting as a follower of Christ?

And then I happened to see a quote by President Hinckley.  He had been asked why we don't have crosses in our buildings, and he said it is because we worship the living Christ.  He was then asked what the symbol of our faith is and he said,

"...the lives of our people must become the most meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship."

He didn't say that as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we had already arrived at having our lives be an expression of our faith, but that our lives must become the most meaningful expression of our faith and a symbol of our worship.

So what do I have to remind me to be a Christian?  Well, I do have a couple of tee shirts, but most importantly I have the chance to write His law upon my heart by studying and consciously choosing to follow His law and to seek His will.  As I do this, I hope that my life will become the symbol of my worship of Jesus Christ.

*Quote from The Symbol of Our Faith by President Gordon B. Hinckley

Failed Communication

A bucket of roses

It was a bit of a rough morning for one of my boys yesterday.  He was tired, and had chores he did not want, one of which was dead-heading the roses.  He has done this before, and I explained again that you cut off the dead roses so that more will grow.  What did he hear?  "Cut off all of the roses, or no more roses will grow."  Then, because wasps or bees hovered too close to the row of roses I expected him to work on, he started on the climbing roses.

Imagine my shock a few minutes later when I went out and found beautiful red roses strewn all over the ground.  I asked why he had cut them off, and he explained and was so upset that he had done it wrong.  I assured him I wasn't mad.  I was disappointed because I love those roses (though I didn't mention that), but I wasn't mad.  It was a hard morning for him already, and he wasn't doing it wrong on purpose.

I went and got a bowl of water and put a few of the pretty flowers in it so we have enjoyed them inside for a day.  The roses will eventually grow back.  There won't be as many until next Spring, but they will come back.  It is so easy to have miscommunications!  I am always glad when I feel like I haven't mishandled the miscommunication!

It is still green, and there are still pretty
roses tucked in there in places.
No real damage was done by a good boy who was trying to help
a good bush!

Covenants and Grace

I was listening to the Christian radio station today, and thought I'd better be very clear about something.  God wants us to make covenants, but that does mean that we are earning our way to heaven!   We are saved by grace, and we should also be changed by grace.  Covenants help us on the road to being changed by grace -- they mark the path back to heaven, but no matter how hard we try, if we insist on working our way to heaven, we are going to fail.

Working on becoming more like Christ is not the same as earning heaven.  Following Him by making covenants with Him is following His example and is for our benefit.  I think we will be a lot more comfortable in heaven if we aren't just saved by grace, but changed by it.

Covenants

The Jordan River Temple
where Derek and I made covenants
over 31 years ago!

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we believe in making covenants.  We promise to do certain things (like keep His commandments, and be willing to take Christ's name), and God gives us promises in return (that we will have His Spirit with us).  Recently, I have taken the time to think -- can I remember all of the covenants I have made?  Can I name them and explain them?  Can I recognize and explain what blessings I get from keeping them?  In asking myself these questions I decided that I do not remember enough, and so I have been working to remedy that.

A covenant is a promise -- and how can I keep a promise I can't remember?  And if I basically remember what I promised, but haven't taken the time to contemplate what it means, and how I could keep my part of the covenant better, then there is certainly room for improvement! 

I have enjoyed reading about the covenants I made at baptism, and going to the temple to listen carefully to the covenants I made there.  Heavenly Father loves me.  He loves you.  He gives us covenants for our benefit, and I am thankful for the opportunity to learn about and keep my covenants knowing God will keep His part, and He will give me the opportunity to repent when I fall short.

I Am Trying to Remember ....

...to try things -- but if they don't work -- to try something else.

That is a brilliant quote from my journal.  It is so easy to get into bad patterns without realizing it. 

Maybe I'm trying to keep my house plants alive by watering them when they start to look desperate, and I think to myself, "I keep trying so hard, and they just keep dying!" without ever stopping to think that I should work out a better watering schedule for those tortured plants.

Or, when I get sad, I often isolate myself from people hoping I can just work my way out of sadness myself.   I try this same thing over and over, and if it didn't work the first 3,000 times, there is a good chance it isn't going to work today either!  Generally when I am sad, the solution is to be with people -- not to avoid them.  By isolating myself I do avoid being embarrassed by crying "at" someone, but I don't get feeling happy faster!

So, I just need to remember, to try things (solutions), but if they don't work, to try something else.  Eventually, something will work.

*Photo by Pedro Kümmel on Unsplash

Live Each Day Like It's Your Last

I heard on television tonight that we should live every day like it is our last.  My thought.  Ice cream!  If this were my last day I would eat soft ice cream.  Vanilla.  In a cone.  I would NOT go jogging.  I would NOT mow the lawn.  There are quite a few things I would NOT do.

My conclusion?  If I were to live every day like it was my last day I would weigh about 400 pounds and live in a jungle of weeds and super tall grass.  Of course, I'm sure they meant to live every day according to your priorities, and really be in each moment, enjoying the people who (I think) are generally the priorities. 

So, I won't live every day exactly like it is my last -- but I do hope to remember what is really important, and to not stress out over stuff that doesn't matter.  Of course -- I'll fail at this quite a bit, but I'll succeed sometimes!  And on my "last" day, hopefully I wouldn't spend a lot of time dwelling on the fact that I'm imperfect and just enjoy the fact that I try hard  -- bless my heart!

Warrior of Light

Aren't I a scary warrior?  Ha ha ha ha!
I decided not to try to look fierce.  I'm bad at it.

Scary Sherie (not!)

I was trying to imagine myself as a warrior in the usual sense the other day.  I mean -- I own a sword!  But it is a very light wooden sword used to practice Tai Chi.  I don't really have enough muscles to do any fighting.  I'd probably lose an arm wrestle with almost anyone, and I hate conflict anyway so I might be inclined to duck my head, close my eyes tight, cover my ears and hope any conflict stops soon!

Why was I trying to imagine myself a warrior?  Because I have a book about being a Prayer Warrior.  Someone who takes the time to talk to God, to acknowledge his power, to be grateful for His gifts, to repent of sins, and to ask for help for others as well as self -- expecting that miracles will happen if the requests align with His will.  A prayer warrior takes time to study out what His will would be too, so that the prayers are more effective.
I can be a prayer warrior.  And so can you.  And if that's all we can do for good, we will have accomplished a great deal.  But is there something else we can do?

I believe that we can be Warriors of Light.  The Lord is my light, and as I do and say things that He would do and say, and stand up for Him and His teachings, then I am being a Warrior for Christ -- which is a Warrior of Light.  I like the idea of practicing being this kind of warrior.  The more I practice, the more His light can shine through me, and where light is, darkness cannot stay!

*The book on being a prayer warrior is called The Battle Plan for Prayer by Stephen and Alex Kendrick

The People We See

Derek, and Lance, and Me

I was talking to a friend this morning about the people we see.  There are people we usually see -- at church, in the neighborhood, or events we have in common.  And there are people we see on purpose, whose businesses we choose to go to when we need something, or family and friends that we take the time to track down and communicate with.  And then there are the people that we happen to run into when we are out and about.  My family likes to guess how many people we will see that we know at Walmart when we shop, and Derek and I ran into someone from Payson once when we were visiting a different country!

Two or three weeks ago Derek and I were on a date at KFC.  While we were there I came really close to colliding with a tall man.  I mostly saw a shirt -- but somehow he saw me.  He saw who I was and took the time to stop Derek and me as we headed out the door.  It was Lance who we hadn't seen in years.  It was so fun to see a friend and to get to catch up on each others lives for just a few minutes before we each headed our different directions.

I have often felt blessed by the people I have seen when I was out and about, and I don't think we should ever underestimate the power of a friendly smile, a kind greeting, or real interest in how someone is doing.

Receiving Is A Kind of Giving

I was listening to a session from a relationship class this morning and I hurried to write down this quote:  "Receiving is a kind of giving and it takes strength".   This quote brought to mind a way that I am regularly not receiving a gift that is often given to me.

I may have mentioned before that Derek is super great.  He occasionally tells me that I am awesome.  My reaction?  Usually a sinking feeling inside because I don't think of myself that way -- and I struggle with trying to say thanks.  When I heard this quote my thoughts went to all of the times Derek has said something nice like that, and I haven't really received it.  I haven't stopped to be thankful that he really believes what he is saying, and that, in all of the ways he is thinking of, I am awesome!  He would not have said it otherwise.

As I have contemplated this thought a little bit today, I have determined that when he says something like that, I need to work on being truly grateful and keep my mind from listing any and all ways I think I am falling short of awesome!  I know that when I have taken the time to tell someone the good things I appreciate about them, and they have received those words with joy, it has felt like they were giving me the gift!  It is time to make sure that I use the strength necessary to receive the gifts that come my way.  I believe in this way both I, and the gift giver, will be happier.

*Quote by Jennifer Finlayson Fife
*Photo by Tuân Nguyễn Minh on Unsplash