I recently read a cute little post about how sunflowers use each other for support on cloudy days. According to the post, when the sun isn’t out the flowers nod to each other for support. Of course, it was supposed to be a lesson about us needing each other. I thought it was cool but two seconds of checking on it led me to believe it is not true. Sunflowers do not tilt toward each other on cloudy days. What they do instead is still a lesson to us, just not the intended lesson the post suggested.
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Levels of obedience
We are all probably familiar with the 10 Commandments. Whether we believe that they are from God, guidelines to a better life, or a nuisance is up to each of us. As I thought about the commandments God has given us I realized none of us are on the same path. There are at least four different levels of obedience. Let’s use the example of taking cookies out of a cookie jar to demonstrate each level.
Continue readingOpposites
If we have personal guardian angels then we can suppose we have personal destroying demons.
Our angels whisper “hold on.”
Our demons chant “let go.”
Continue readingA Conversation with God
“I am tired of holding on,” I say. “I think I will let go now.”
“If you let go, I will continue to hold on,” God replies.
Continue readingSometimes the answer is “Cowboy Up”
I believe God hears and answers prayers. I firmly believe this and can’t be swayed. However, the answer may not come as expected. Sometimes we get those sweet tender mercies. And sometimes we are asked to “cowboy up.” To cowboy up is a phrase we use a lot in Wyoming. It means to “make a determined effort to overcome a formidable obstacle” (Google Dictionary). When the answer comes as the latter, we can still take comfort and learn a couple of things.
Continue readingBroken Table and Broken Dreams
I finally conceded I needed to give the table away. It is a big (by today’s standards) kitchen table probably built in the 1940’s. All wood, it is heavy and cumbersome. Not really designed for today’s compact modern world. But for me giving it away was a difficult decision because it represented a dream unfulfilled. Although I have lived long enough to know the importance of plan B’s in my life, giving up on a long held dream is not an easy thing to do. I took comfort in the fact that the table not only represented a plan B in my life, but it must have also been similar for my grandma nearly 55 years earlier. We are connected with this broken table and broken dreams. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
Hope before faith
Sometimes my faith is weak and I’m not sure of things. During those moments I rely on my hope. I may not know it to be true but I sure hope it is. Photo taken in southwest Wyoming.
As for me, I believe there’s a heaven
You probably remember this as well as I do. At the start of the United State’s lockdown to “flatten the curve” when we all started quarantining in our homes a few celebrities put out a video of them singing John Lennon’s Imagine. While the song has a pretty tune, it did not bring me any comfort. No offense to any Lennon fans out there but imagining “there’s no heaven” is not a comforting thought. Especially at the beginning of my first pandemic. For me, it is actually a depressing thought.
Continue readingGeneral Conference thoughts: A Perfect Brightness of Hope
Hope is a word that gets thrown around a lot but what does it actually mean? For me, I have started using it in my testimony to replace “I know.” I now say, “I hope” because for me that feels more accurate.
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