"Oh remember, remember . . . I urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God's kindness."

President Henry B. Eyring

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

New Year—New Color!

My favorite color has ALWAYS been blue. I love blue. I never saw blue as sad or cold. Blue has always been the color of heaven to me! I’ve been told that blue is a good color for me to wear. I’ve also been told that I have a blue personality. My daughter gave me her color code book and yes, I would say I am a “blue”— almost entirely true blue. So why is my house yellow? Because it was that color when we bought it nearly twenty-two years ago, but with brown trim. I thought it was ghastly and couldn’t wait to change it, and gradually we did.

We knocked down the faux rock pillars, and reused them for the garden wall. Then we added the porch which I wasn’t about to paint brown! So, we painted all the brown trim white. The house was growing on me. Then the next year when we could afford to paint the rest of the house, we thought we chose a pale peach to match the rock, but it turned out to be yellow. Since we had five gallons, we had to paint the house yellow again! But . . . it has grown on us through the years. In fact I think, if I ever get to build my dream house, I might just paint it yellow with a white porch and white trim! Oh my. Yellow has grown on me. Maybe that’s why I painted my kitchen yellow. And now— bless my soul— out of all the blog backgrounds I designed, I like the yellow rose. (It’s a photo I took of a rose from Becky’s huge rose bush.) Yellow is nice. Yellow is bright. Yellow is the color of the sun! The Son of God dwells in the heavens, and gives life and light to all. Indeed all things do testify of Christ! In my scripture markings I use yellow for sharing the gospel, and I use green for faith and for Jesus Christ. I think, for me, yellow has also become the color of hope. I think I like yellow!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Seeing Others Through The Paradigm of Charity

paradigm: A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline.

Has anyone noticed how different a long wait at a busy temple is, than while standing in line at a busy store, with a slow, confused cashier having trouble with a customer just in front of you? It’s all in our way of viewing the situation. When I find myself being impatient (and my family knows that I was not naturally endowed by my creator with the gift of patience) when I find myself frustrated with the driver who cut me off, etc. etc. etc. I’ve noticed what a difference it makes when I remember charity—suddenly my perspective changes to one of compassion. What is happening in their life today? Maybe the rude driver was rushing to the hospital? Maybe the slow clerk is ill or tired or getting old. At those times when I have remembered charity—I have experienced exactly the same temple feelings, even with people behind me swearing and babies crying and loud “world music” twanging, I've had the same temple feelings exactly, and in complete contrast to my “natural man” instincts, all in the instant that I remembered charity! Truly “charity never faileth!”

Monday, January 4, 2010

Do Your Wings Ever Have Trouble Remembering How to Fly?

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly . . ."

I have no idea who wrote this little quote, but I love it! Thank you to all of my dear friends who have lifted me. For many years I did not believe that I would ever make another new "bosom" friend. I had decided the magic and joy of getting to know another “kindred soul” would never come to me again in this life. But, I thank the Lord every day for the amazing technology that allows me to get to know so many wonderful people through blogging, especially my new kindred best friends, Darla and Mona!

Thank you to my beautiful daughter Julie for encouraging me to blog. My daughter is so wonderful in every way and I am so very proud of her! I LOVE technology and tonight I'm a grateful gadget geek!

I hope that I will always be there to lift a friend when they can’t remember how to fly!