Sabbath Happiness

This morning was a beautiful start to my Sabbath day.  My dear friend Jill and I went to the Tabernacle to watch "Music and the Spoken Word" live.  It was an awesome experience!  I loved seeing the behind-the-scenes work that happens before and after the broadcast goes on the air.  And the broadcast itself was beautiful!  The songs were amazing, and it was so much better to watch the broadcast live than to see it on TV.  Watching the orchestra made me miss playing in an orchestra so much!  Someday...  :)

Afterward we had a delightful time walking around Temple Square and looking at the beautiful flowers and enjoying the sunshine.  As we were walking back to our car, a man pulled over and said, "Hey sisters!  Can you help me out?"  He needed help knowing where he could park.  We helped him, and he was very grateful.  But we both laughed that he had mistaken us for sister missionaries!  :)  Neither of us were going to complain about that.  :)

I just love Temple Square!!!

Easter: A Season for Gratitude

Jesus, Savior, Friend

by Arielle Myers (January 22, 2012)

A humble plea, a bitter cup

Unspeakable agony;

Great drops of blood shed for the world

In the garden Gethsemane.

A crown of thorns, a purple robe,

A cross upon a tree;

Nails pierced His hands, a spear pierced His side

On a hill called Calvary.

He suffered all our sins and pains

And fell on bended knee.

He was the only one who could—

This man from Galilee

He died upon the cross because

He, only, had the key

To break the bands of death and hell

And thereby make us free.

I didn’t meet Christ on this earth;

The cross I did not see.

And yet I know that what He did

Was done for you and me.

And though I don’t deserve this gift,

I’m trying prayerfully

To be the worthy servant that

I know I ought to be.

Oh Jesus Christ, my Lord, my God,

I’m grateful unto Thee

For all that Thou has done for us,

For what You’ve done for me.

Please help me do all that I can

To serve Thee faithfully.

Thou art my best and truest Friend;

I’m coming unto Thee.

I wrote that poem two years ago during the passing of the sacrament in an average Sacrament Meeting in the ward I was in at the time.  These words and this message have been on my mind a lot over the past few days as I've been thinking about the approach of one of my favorite holidays: Easter.  On this beautiful spring morning, my thoughts have turned to the Savior and the incredible sacrifice He made for each of us.  How grateful I am that He suffered for our sins and pains, died on the cross, and rose again so that we all have the chance to return and live with our Heavenly Father again.  His love for us is beyond my comprehension, but I know that it is real and available to all of us.  His Atonement is what makes it possible for us to become like Him.  I know that He loves us all and is there for each and every one of us.  I love Him with all of my heart!

None Were With Him - Elder Holland

Couldn't Be Prouder

In two days I will celebrate the two-year anniversary of receiving my endowment in the temple.  In a crazy twist of fate (or divine intervention, something like that), I was able to spend this beautiful spring day in the temple, reliving the experience of my own live endowment session.  This time, I got to see it through the eyes of an escort.  This morning my sister went through the temple to receive her own endowment, and I got to be a second escort and be right there with her.  It was a beautiful and sacred experience.  I'm so thankful for the decisions my sister has made to get her to this point, and I'm grateful for the decisions that I've made that have kept me worthy to be able to support her in this.  I couldn't be prouder of my amazing and beautiful sister!  :)

I love Spring!!!

The past few days I have just been reveling in the joy of spring!  I love this beautiful weather!  There are flowers everywhere, the sky is beautiful, the sun is shining, the air is fresh and clean, and whenever I step outside, I can hardly contain my joy!  It's such a beautiful time to be alive!

Updates

So I guess I still haven't gotten into the habit of being a consistent blogger again.  Most of the time that I have anything happen that's worth posting, I either forget that I have a blog where I could post it, or I'm just too tired to even lift a finger.  :)  So here's what's been going on in my life of late:

- On March 29th I went to the General Women's Meeting with my mom, and it was so wonderful!  I especially loved the parts where they talked about what a wonderful influence a mother has on her children.  I would definitely have to say my mother has had an incredible influence on me.  I love her so much!

- On April 6th, the anniversary of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and also of the organization of His true Church on the earth, I got to attend the Sunday morning session of General Conference with my friend Jill, and it was amazing!  I always love being there in person and feeling the Spirit that is so strong in the conference center.

- I also loved being with my family for the other sessions of General Conference.  I'd spent the last three General Conferences in Texas, the first time in my life that I'd watched the sessions away from home.  I was so happy to be back with my family again.  :)

...and that's about it.  :)  Still working at the daycare, still just doing my thing, still tired.  :)  But loving life!  It's so wonderful!  Hopefully I'll be able to blog about it more often.  :)