I.Love.Sundays.
Lily and I both had a week that was exhausting on all levels, so today provided much needed respite for both of us. We both rolled out of bed around 8:00 after sleeping 10 hours (Lily did get up once for Clarissa) and somehow we managed to almost get to church on time at 9:00.
Clarissa woke up in an over-the-top good mood today. She was so cheerful, and when I got her from her crib and changed her diaper, she blurted out one of her new favorite sayings, “it’s a poo!”. Even later in the day, she woke up from her nap so happy, and just giggled and squealed to herself in her crib, without any toys or anything to entertain her. She was a complete delight today.
I left sacrament meeting early with Clarissa to write down a bunch of thoughts I was was having about baptism and how to teach Lydia for her upcoming baptism. I did that in the clerk’s office while Clarissa busily got into things . During class, I stayed in the clerk’s office with Clarissa to stuff envelopes for year-end donation summaries that I was passing out to members for tax purposes. After church, I cut some expense checks and keyed in the weekly donations, so yeah, I spent a lot of time in the clerk’s office today.
At home I had a pizza and spinach salad lunch (Papa John’s is so good with the butter dipping sauce!) I also had a delicious smoothie that Lily made and had leftover. Then I read scriptures, napped and chatted with Lily about the scriptures. It was a seriously low-key day.
Around 4PM Lily and I got dinner ready. We had salmon, but wanted to mix things up a bit, and chose a recipe from the New York Times grilling cook book Lily gave me as a gift. It was a salmon recipe that included a delicious red-wine sauce with clam, garlic, thyme and more in it. It was delicious!
Then we all went to Lydia’s “Great to be 8” baptism preparation class. Lydia and the other kids turning 8 this year sang a beautiful opening song. Sister Pribyl and the Bishop both spoke and the there was beautiful music and everyone got to see the font and there were treats at the end.
Afterword, Lily drove me around for an hour to drop off the end-of-year donation summaries to ward members.
At home, my dad and Suzanne called Lydia to talk to her about her baptism meeting. It was so sweet to have their support and involvement in her baptism preparations. Then Lily and I relaxed and now I’m blogging.
I guess that’s the blow by blow. Nothing earth-shattering today, just a really really nice Sunday!
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My Testimony:
At the risk of being too personal for general audiences, I have decided to share a piece of my testimony each week in the Sunday blog. I especially want for my children to come into contact with the truths I know and care so deeply about as they review these blogs.
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Entry 1. There is a God.
A year and a half ago, I made the decision to examine both my faith in God and my faith in my church. It was a dark time for me, because among other things, I felt that to do it authentically, I had to be completely open to the possibility that maybe God didn’t exist, that maybe I was just believing in him because I was conditioned to believe in Him. I wanted to stop living based on the assumption that God was real and really consciously think through if I believed it and if so, why. During my pondering, I remembered many experiences from my mission that clearly manifested the reality of God. One experience was particularly powerful, and to this day, I draw from it to remind me of the reality of God. I quote from a journal entry from 2006 on my mission:
“I had a very spiritual experience last week. I was ill and very weak. So weak that I had not the strength to stand up and take a shower and so (because we had no water plug for the bath) I laid down in my feeble, miserable state and just let the water beat upon me. Then, like in the sky, when all is black cloud yet there is one opening where the sun comes beaming through in a glistening ray, so came the thought into my being, “If you rely on me, I will guide you to the end.”
I say the thought came into my being because it was not just received by my mind, but my heart, my lungs, my ears, my arms, my feet, at this moment all harmonized with this inspired tone, and for one moment in time I was in perfect synchronization with the Lord.
Then it left. I continued life as normal. Yet, not the same, for I have that celestial nugget now in my spiritual treasure pile. It’s a treasure that expands every time I look at it, or think about it, or reflect on what it means. Eternal.
When He says, “rely”, does that mean, all the time, in everything? I’ve found the answer to be “yes.” When He says, “to the end” does He mean to the end of this transfer? Does He mean to the end of my mission? Or is it possible that the Lord just blessed me with a piece of knowledge to bless and guide me for the rest of my life?”
(end of journal quote)
I do not fully understand yet how to interpret or apply the wisdom God spoke to me in that occasion. But what I did learn with complete certainty was that God lives, because the way those words came into me was an experience like none I have ever had before or since. I knew God was speaking to me, directly. I felt His voice. My re-examination of my belief in God a year and half ago came to a quick “case closed” as soon as I remembered that experience as well as other experiences from my mission.
I testify that God lives. I testify that He loves us. I testify that He wants to be involved in our lives and to help us through this mortal journey. I also testify that I looked more to Him for help and guidance after the invitation He gave me, and I have always, always, always found it from Him. God is so so so so good. May my children always know that I know with certainty that there is a God and that He does communicate with His children.