Gratitude

I feel a great deal of gratitude in general lately. The biggest piece of news is that Harold got a great job offer. The job is closer to home than his previous job and we are pleased with the salary.

One thing I'm looking forward to is having him home at a decent hour every night. We have not had a standard 8-5 schedule since our first year of marriage. All his other jobs were at an airline, in retail, out of town, or crazy weird hours. Yay for 8-5!!!

I have a post in the making about the Cultural Celebration for the Payson Utah Temple.....what a great experience. More later...

I found myself this past Sunday feeling completely full to the brim with gratitude for the blessings Heavenly Father has given me and my family.

My lesson this past week was on avoiding being a hypocrite. There is no difference between me and the Pharisees because they 1. Attended their meetings, 2. Paid tithes, 3. Helped the poor, and 4. Attended the temple.

The difference is.....my heart. I hope my heart continually seeks to be in the right place. I have had times when I do the right thing and hope others see me. Then there are times when I do the right thing because I want to serve the Lord. I just hope as I get older and time goes by that I worry less and less about the world and more and more about what Heavenly Father thinks of me.

Blessings Large and Small

Sometimes I wonder how I got so blessed. I mean that sincerely so when I type up the next sentence, please do not think I am being sarcastic.

Harold lost his job.

I mean....he didn't misplace his job, but rather after 12 years he was let go. As in, they used to hold him like a balloon string and suddenly like an absent-minded toddler.....they let the string slide away from them and Harold is now floating, untethered.

He has been earnestly seeking employment and has technically only been out of work for three days, today is day four.

He has had one interview and has another scheduled. He has attended the LDS Employment Center's Career Workshop (today is day two of two at the workshop). He has applied at numerous places for numerous jobs.

He has had experts look at his resume and suggest a MAJOR overhaul, which he is working on.

Sometimes there is underlying unease in the pit of my stomach, but on top of that is a very real sense of calm and peace....and of blessings I am unable to count.

Financially we have a bit of time, not a lot, but some time.

I feel like I am unable to adequately express how blessed I feel right now.

We have a temple opening soon. My family will be volunteering for a day at the open house. My son will be able to participate in the cultural celebration.

Here are four of my greatest blessings:

1. Harold, 2. Savannah, 3. Mackson, 4. The temple.

I have no doubt that Harold will find the right job at the right time. He is probably the hardest worker I know. He is relentless, dogged, earnest, kind. Any company would be lucky to have him.

Funny how blessings come in ways we never expected and never asked for. Heavenly Father knows me, He knows us. He knows what we need. I have faith in his plan for me and all his children.

There is a reason the gospel is called the great plan of happiness. I feel joyful and happy when I follow the plan. The fear comes when I lose sight of the plan.

At this moment, I feel peace, hope, joy, gratitude, love, calm.

Gospel Doctrine

Have you ever sat in Gospel Doctrine class on Sunday and thought, "I am so glad I don't have to teach this class. What a nightmare!" 

Well, I've thought that. Numerous times. In fact, I've often thought if I ever got that calling that I would probably die and that would be the end of me. 

As it turns out, I got the calling. And I did not die. 

Interesting note: Not only did I NOT die, I realized pretty immediately that the calling was a direct answer to my prayers and would be a major blessing in my life. 

I've only taught one lesson so far. That lesson was pretty funny. The first half was me just blazing through material. This wasn't happening because I needed to get through the lesson, it was happening because I was so incredibly nervous. Once I calmed down a bit I was able to enjoy the lesson more and listen to comments and incorporate the comments into the lesson better. 

I teach my second lesson in two days and I'm super excited. The lesson is about Matthew 5; The Sermon on the Mount. What a goldmine! I mean, the Savior really dropped a massive gift with this chapter. And, the importance of it was emphasized when he repeated the same things to the Nephites in 3 Nephi. 

Even though I am quite nervous to teach again, I cannot being to explain how grateful I am and how excited I am. 

Heavenly Father knows each of us. He knows our struggles. And he wants us to be successful in this life. He aids us by giving us scriptures, prophets, apostles, the priesthood, church programs, the Holy Ghost. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God on the earth. I know because when I study the gospel and truly apply the principles in my life, I am happier. I feel more at peace. I have more joy. And I know that the gospel gives me the tools needed to protect my children. They have the ability to make their own decisions and may walk away from all I've taught, but I will know that I did all I could by teaching them what I know to be true. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ and enhances and illuminates the Bible. 

I am loving my calling. I'll probably need reminding of this every time I get crazy nervous to teach.