Of Mercies And of Miracles

I found it! I found my intention this week. In 2023 my intention was to pay attention to my attention. To ROW my boat on the stream of consciousness rather than let it float. It was an interesting thing to pay attention to. I'm only a couple of weeks late to the game, but my 2024 intention is to look for mercies and kindnesses, and look for opportunities to be kind and merciful in return. I'm calling it "Look both ways". Here are two scriptures that helped me find my intention:

1 Ne. 1:20:

But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender ^cmercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of ^ddeliverance.

Alma 37:46:

O my son, do not let us be ^aslothful because of the ^beasiness of the ^cway; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would ^dlook they might ^elive; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.

I like how it is an easy intention. Just look. Focus your attention on the good and then try to be good to the people around you. Look both ways.

So here are some of my good things this week:

A glorious sunset as we were sitting down to dinner. Hooray! That means the light is staying longer now.

Then a snow day. It wasn't even super cold this day. Just snowy. 

We found out about the snow day Monday evening as we were at flute and clarinet lessons. I was a little concerned about my temple shift happening at the same time, but by bedtime that was canceled too.

Eve made us wristbands as "passes" for snow day. I thought it was adorable and wore mine all day.

The next day at bedtime, a friend of mine asked if I could sub at the temple. Here is what I wrote in an email to Paige about it: 

But then as I was going to bed a friend who happens to be a shift coordinator at the temple on Wednesday mornings texted me and asked if I could sub for someone on her shift. I said yes because it felt like the way had been opened for me to do it because a lunch I had scheduled for my calling had canceled. Win, win, win. I got to do a temple shift, help someone who needed it, AND take the desires of my heart to the Lord in His house.

YOU were what was on my heart, my sister in Italy. I put you on the prayer roll and prayed for you with all of my heart. And John too. I prayed that you would be healed and that you would brought together as a couple through this experience.

Now let me tell you a little more about the tender mercies of MY experience. I was assigned to be at the recommend desk during prayer meeting, which has never ever happened to me before. I got to hear kind of amazing stories about how the Lord has blessed the brother I was working with, and also a guy who isn’t a member and was just interested came in and walked straight up to the desk. I asked what brought him in and he said he just felt the Holy Spirit directing him towards the Book of Mormon. Brother Dyches (who happens to live in Lenexa, where this guy lives, about 35 minutes away from the temple) went to find him one and then we gave him a 5 minute intro to the Book of Mormon. It was amazing! That has never happened to me before either.

THEN I got to serve as E1, which is the sister in the endowment, where I received a bunch of revelation about my calling, and where the film was going that reminds me and Alan of a brunette version of you and John. So it was like you were there with me!

THEN I got a break, where I spoke to Sister Munoz in Spanish. She is from Ecuador but has lived in the US for many years. She told me about learning about a whole branch of her family she discovered who lives in—-Italy!

THEN I got to serve in initiatory, where a sister brought through family names from—Italy! She asked me if I served a mission in Italy because of my pronunciation. I just smiled and said, “No, but I have been practicing Italian.”

So I brought you in my heart to the temple today. And the Lord saw me there. And probably you too. I just thought you would want to know.

Here is another good thing. Wednesday also turned out to be a snow day for the schools, so I let Eve and Griff stay home and just do stuff on their own during my shift--and they did GREAT! They really are growing up. I was so pleased.

The next morning was Carrie Brous's birthday and she wanted to go on a walk with ME! And it was before the polar vortex hit KC. I totally won! She had to show me a letter from a girl she goes to read with every week at an elementary school in KCK. The cat at the top was to show her how she used to draw cats before she learned how to do them like Eve. Carrie has asked Eve to draw her cats or dogs for her to bring to her reading kids.

The next great thing was a Zoom meeting. Really! The weather took a turn towards extreme cold right as I was supposed to have my Communication Council meeting in person, so I switched it to Zoom just hours before it happened. I was a little disappointed because who ever has a Zoom meeting as one of the best parts of their day? I thought this, and then I remembered my Zoom podcast club and the great time and genuine connection I feel with Shawna and Jenny once a month. It helped me feel so much better about my meeting. And it did turn out to be fun! We played an online Communication Bingo game and I got to hear about everyone's very favorite thing they did for their calling in 2023. It was kind of amazing. And I got to talk to them about two upcoming things we are planning for 2024 and I got excellent, wise, inspired input. It really WAS one of the best parts of my day.

My next pictures are of things that died. My fun cordless hair clippers died midway through a haircut for Alan on the THIRD SNOW DAY OF THE WEEK on Friday. And my old friend sewing machine exploded sometime before Christmas. And they have both been replaced with similar, but better items this week. I was happy with these things as they were and didn't feel like I needed new things, but now I have better ones. Total win. This also feels like a life lesson. I also want to be able to let things go that should go so I can be open to new things that work better.

Replacement sewing machine, bought partially with money JoAnn Wimmer sent me for Christmas, at a Viking gallery within a JoAnn's fabric store. I loved that! The original was also a gift from Wayne and JoAnn for our wedding. I think I may name the machine JoAnn. Also note Griffin's Michigan shirt. Michigan won the final college football game of the year and are national champions now. I taught my kids to sing "Hail to the Victors"!

Last really good thing: for the third snow day this week, Eve and Griff were both invited to hang out with friends at their houses. Hooray! It was just what we needed. Then the next snowy frigid day we had friends here--for a little too long. It ended with Eve getting injured and needing to send all the friends home right that minute. So I herded everyone to the car and Alan got home from rounding in time to be the one to take them all home. And Nora Frandsen sent me home from church with vegan pumkin bread as a thank you. And I'm sure Eve's terrible bruise will heal too.

And the Chiefs won the Dolphins at Arrowhead in negative 6 degrees Farenheit! Go Chiefs! And Taylor Swift was there too, just in case you weren't watching. ;)