delighting in 13/52

 our family: easter 2013

beautiful spring weather

driving home from work in the light

kleenex

spending a day at genetics clinic

sleep

technology

opportunities

easter

happy healthy babies

a weekend with my siblings

learning new things

trying new things

riding bikes

taking care of a cat

kind understanding po's

going on rides

eating at call's drive in

singing in a choir

reading a good book

anticipation of general conference

easter egg hunts

reflecting on the resurrection of my savior

on this easter sunday

happy easter. i love easter, possibly more this year than ever before. while i always seem to get sick on easter/the week of easter (this year was no exception), it gives me more the opportunity to reflect on all the blessings in my life that i recognize because i know my savior lives.

holidays are an easy time to reflect back on my experience as a missionary. because it was such a precise day i remember exactly where i was, where i went and what experiences i had that day. as i awoke this morning and watched my favorite easter conference address none were with him, i remember watching it with an investigator the in middle of snowy miramichi. because easter had fallen on a sunday that year, my companion and i had been able to attend another denomination's easter service (because of the time delay, conference wasn't on till the afternoon). i remember thinking...but this holiday is about how he lives, not that he died. yes he died, and yes that is important too, but to me the most important thing is that he lives. 

as i have reflected on that fact, that he lives, i think of what that means in my life and how that empowers my life. i have read a few talks and things that have impressed me this week. recently i have been studying the subject of grieving and i guess this easter holiday its kind of all come together. i've studied mourning in the past as well, when the word occurs in the scriptures, the circumstances that surround it, the attitudes of the people, the perspectives reflected in the writing, commonalities, differences, etc. maybe elder holland and elder bowen say it best in their respective conference addresses (none were with him and "because i live, ye shall live also")

first, elder holland:

Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of theHoly Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].” ²⁰

My other plea at Easter time is that these scenes of Christ’s lonely sacrifice, laced with moments of denial and abandonment and, at least once, outright betrayal, must never be reenacted by us. He has walked alone once. Now, may I ask that never again will He have to confront sin without our aid and assistance, that never again will He find only unresponsive onlookers when He sees you and me along His Via Dolorosain our present day. As we approach this holy week—Passover Thursday with its Paschal Lamb, atoning Friday with its cross, Resurrection Sunday with its empty tomb—may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,” ²¹ for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

and elder bowen:

I have learned that the bitter, almost unbearable pain can become sweet as you turn to your Father in Heaven and plead for His comfort that comes through His plan; His Son, Jesus Christ; and His Comforter, who is the Holy Ghost.

What a glorious blessing this is in our lives. Wouldn’t it be tragic if we didn’t feel great sorrow when we lose a child? How grateful I am to my Father in Heaven that He allows us to love deeply and love eternally. How grateful I am for eternal families. How grateful I am that He has revealed once again through His living prophets the glorious plan of redemption.

Remember as you attended the funeral of your loved one the feelings in your heart as you drove away from the cemetery and looked back to see that solitary casket—wondering if your heart would break.

I testify that because of Him, even our Savior, Jesus Christ, those feelings of sorrow, loneliness, and despair will one day be swallowed up in a fulness of joy. I testify that we can depend on Him and when He said:

“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

“Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.”⁵

I testify that, as stated in Preach My Gospel, “as we rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”⁶

I testify that on that bright, glorious morning of the First Resurrection, your loved ones and mine will come forth from the grave as promised by the Lord Himself and we will have a fulness of joy. Because He lives, they and we shall live also.

i have recently been reading a book by sister wendy ulrich called the temple experience, in the part i read yesterday she discussed the difference between being cured and being healed. i had never thought of those words in contrast but i immediately caught where she was headed. being cured refers to being brought back to how you once were; but being healed "involves a spiritual and emotional reweaving of our life story to incorporate, not merely remove, our injuries. it involves growth and personal change, maturation into a new state of deeper trust in god despite, not in the absence of, suffering. it includes acceptance of our lost innocence, while reaching toward greater wisdom (p. 8-9)."

the savior heals. he comes with compassion and he heals us. his atonement is all about making healing possible in our lives, regardless of the wrong we have done or that has been done to us. i know this to be true and that's why i am 100% confident in saying, as preach my gospel says, "all that is unfair about life can be made through the atonement of jesus christ."

let us be confident in our heavenly father's plan for all his children. let us utilize the atonement so we can trust jesus.

---------
none were with him, elder jeffery r holland
"because i live, ye shall live also, elder shayne m bowen
preach my gospel
the temple experience, wendy ulrich

delighting in 12/52

• the need some kids have to touch naturally curly hair
• kind co-workers who help to lighten my load
• a good big hug at the end of a long day
• setting three alarms and being grateful that third one finally woke you up
• institute and learning about abraham
• spending time with friends and eating ice cream
• singing hairspray in the car with christin
• sharing my favorite easter treat with everyone i know
• remembering one of the best documentaries 
• hearing the best panel discussion ever by individuals with asd
• getting happy hugs from happy patients
• watching/sleeping through the family viewing of psych
• going to a baby shower for my best friend
• finding treasured toys at the tj maxx
• having a rock awesome research group, the bad chickens
• hearing christin sing right outside my window
• reading a general conference talk a day...love
• seeing new sights of cache and box elder counties

delighting in 11/52

lb the pot-a-chaun (as she used to call them)

target

march 2013

What an incredible week. Words can't describe the awesomeness among the busy-ness. It has been a week of lessons. And it never ceases to amaze me just how real the Lord's hand can be in our lives.

• choosing to be where i know i am supposed to be
• learning the lessons of abraham: you can change
• there is hope...always (lessons from a tbi and the example of an awesome family)
• don't cast off the assurances
• the lord helps us qualify for blessings in times of trial
• the process of perfection is not always linear
• do missionary work always (see mormon.org)
• just as faith and fear cannot coexist, peace and pride can also not coexist
• the real meaning of faith, found in the smallest of places

It truly has been incredible. I am working to journal more in depth about each of these lessons because they are all "a big deal" in my life. They have meant the world to me.  As I think about all the blessings in my life I realize more and more every single day that its all because of the gospel, it's because I know that Jesus is the Christ and His church is restored in its entirety to the earth today. That knowledge blesses my life every day by helping me to focus on what is most important, giving me the perspective I need in times of trial and knowing that everything that is unfair about life really can be made right through His Atonement. 

delighting in 10/52

What a week it has been. I think I'm going to be exhausted by it for a while. Recuperation is not in sight with the running to do list I've got going but so is the life.  Better busy than bored, I always say. I'm starting to wonder if that mantra is just asking me to lead a more unbalanced life.  Enter: me needing a new mantra.

If you're wondering what is with the picture, well let me tell you. One day this week I was up at 4:30, in Salt Lake at 6:30 and I didn't get home until...well 9-ish. Needless to say, it had been one long day. I was so tired and honestly quite emotional from it all. I went downstairs to find this...my bed, nicely made by my sweet sissy. It meant the world to me. She just knows how to serve in the most sincere and charitable ways. It was definitely a delight this week.

Other delights:

• dancing with my friends at PALS, teaching one what the word behind means
• getting my taxes back and being pretty pleased about it
• going to litza's and disney on ice with my mom and christin
• my disney on ice cup
• hugs from happy patients in moments of high delight!
• running errands with LB, finding adorable red martha stewart binders for 50 cents each! steal!
• going on a walk
• wandering around the engineering building at 6:30 in the morning
• being excited about research
• closing the survey down for lend
• loving my research group
• having dinner with a grad school friend
• having a chill out night with a life long friend
• reading alma 36-37-38
• calendaring: monthly and weekly planning
• easter candy
• the time change...more daylight!
• having best friends
• doing family history work, finding names...finally!
• classic christin quotes
• bonding with the brother over 5:00 am fire alarms
• listening to i love lucy playing in the other room
• sleep
• crossing things off the long long long to do list
• listening to my favorite playlist: comfort and joy

I delight in disney magic!

By the looks of the pictures, you might think this is a Disney ad. But if you know Christin, then you know it's just part of living with Christin. She love love loves the princesses. So when I heard they were all coming to town for Disney on Ice, I knew we had to go. As usual, it did not disappoint.

We had a blast and it was so fantastic! The cute family that sat in front of us made it all the more entertaining. Their little girl loved the show and stood up the whole time because she was so exciting. Although, Mom and I aren't sure which was more entertaining. Watching her watch the show or watching her grandmother watch her watch the show.

As my Mom said, "Aren't we grateful we have Christin so we can do these things?" A resounding YES! Life with Christin is an enjoyable life. Everything is so exciting and fun. Craig was just as excited; even though he didn't go (oh the children); boy was he excited when I called him to tell him what stuffed animals they had so he could choose what we would bring home to him. That's the blessing. Their attitude is the attitude I need to emulate.

Favorite quotes from Christin:
"Whoa sis, these guys have skills"
"Sis, I want to be ice skate princess, like these"
"My rapunzle doll, needs more necklace with her name on it"
"My hair is a long like her!"

The part with fairy godmother was one of our favorites!

The tangled segment of the show was mine and Christin's favorite. There was flying and floating lanterns...what's not to love about that? 

These last two pictures are my favorite. A kind usher noted Christin had some difficulty getting down all the stairs to our seats and offered the elevator to take us up to the main floor after the show. On our way out Christin kept saying "thanks guys" and "its so fun" and "i love princess!" *And if you didn't notice by now, please look closely at the faces of cinderella and the fairy godmother on Christin's shirt.

"I am very happy"

delighting in 9/52

This weekend, I flew solo at home for a few days. It was such a different change of pace then I'm use to. It gave me a lot of quiet time which I need every once in a while.

I delighted in a lot of things this week--a new month, a trip to a favorite store, running into a neighbor i never usually see, a two hour long phone call with a friend, a new ensign to read and love, new books to read, learn and ponder, institute, saying "whatever" in a whole new way, alma 37, watching sound and fury,  catching the bigger vision of lend and feeling inspired by it, early morning temple trip, going to a favorite store of mine, running into an old friend, accidentally walking into a funeral with a bright shiny wedding gift, catching up with a great old roommate and dear friend, making my favorite frozen lunch meal, having dinner with friends, sleep, the opportunity to serve and lift where I stand.

It was a long week, a short weekend but just what I needed.