This has been a week of contrast, but that lends variety to life, and helps me appreciate the routine weeks more.
Last Sunday in Relief Society, I suddenly realized that my wedding ring was missing its diamond. I slipped out of the room and went back to the Sunday School room, but I didn't find the diamond. I retraced my steps, checking the chapel, hallways, and library. No luck. I thought maybe I'd find it in the car, or at home, but still no luck. I thought I might have lost it for good, but on Monday, we decided to go back to the church building and try one more time to find it.
Youngest daughter asked if I had prayed about it. I told her that I had, but it never hurt to pray again. She asked me to join her in a prayer. She offered a simple prayer of faith that we would find the diamond quickly. About 2 minutes after she prayed, John came into the chapel with a smile on his face. He had found the ring in the Sunday School room! (The seminary class had met in the room that morning before high school, and none of them had noticed it.)
(1) I'm thankful for a lesson in prayer and faith. While not every prayer is answered in the way we hope, prayers are always heard, and always answered.
(2) I'm thankful the diamond was found, and we won't need to spend money to replace it.
(3) I'm thankful that I'll be able to resize the ring when we get it repaired. I was able, with some effort, to get the ring off, but I'm pretty sure that after a week of not wearing it, I shouldn't still have an impression on my finger where it was. Perhaps losing the diamond prevented a future loss (of a finger!)
Monday night, as we were rejoicing in the found diamond, I got a phone call informing me that a friend from church was in the hospital, and it looked like she had had a stroke. Fortunately, she was able to be discharged from the hospital after a few days, and is on the road to recovery.
(4) I'm thankful for the power of prayer.
(5) I'm thankful for the reminder of how precious each individual is, and how important it is to take time for relationships.
This week was the first week back from our long western-states driving extravaganza, so this was the week to "recover" from vacation. The proverbial, "When it rains, it pours," applied, though (except for in the literal sense--I would have welcomed some of that kind of rain!) I found that there were several opportunities to put aside some of my own plans, and to do something better.
(6) I'm thankful for the reminder that happiness comes from helping others.
(7) I'm thankful that taking time daily to read scriptures and pray helps keep balance in my life. It seems that whenever I take time for those two things, the hours in my day stretch to meet the demands on my time.
Today, John and I ran the Disneyland 10 K. Due to a schedule change in our plans, I went down to Anaheim by myself on Thursday, and John and youngest daughter drove down together on Friday.
(8) I'm thankful I had some time by myself to catch up on blogging a bit. I had fallen behind in reading blogs, as well as in writing. I'll never get completely caught up, but it was nice to spend some time reading and writing.
(9) I'm thankful for exercise. I've been thinking more lately about just what a gift bodies are, and how I should do a better job taking care of my physical self. I know that I feel better when I eat healthy foods, and regularly run. I have room to improve in both areas.
(10) I'm thankful for John--the Carl to my Ellie. We had a great time on our Disney run adventure this morning, and I couldn't ask for a better running partner, friend, and husband!
What are you thankful for this week? (Another thing--I didn't list it, but I am thankful for it--is that guide dog puppy Willow is now in phase 5 of formal training! I won't breathe easy until she graduates, but I'm thankful for each step of progress.)
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Last Sunday in Relief Society, I suddenly realized that my wedding ring was missing its diamond. I slipped out of the room and went back to the Sunday School room, but I didn't find the diamond. I retraced my steps, checking the chapel, hallways, and library. No luck. I thought maybe I'd find it in the car, or at home, but still no luck. I thought I might have lost it for good, but on Monday, we decided to go back to the church building and try one more time to find it.
Youngest daughter asked if I had prayed about it. I told her that I had, but it never hurt to pray again. She asked me to join her in a prayer. She offered a simple prayer of faith that we would find the diamond quickly. About 2 minutes after she prayed, John came into the chapel with a smile on his face. He had found the ring in the Sunday School room! (The seminary class had met in the room that morning before high school, and none of them had noticed it.)
(1) I'm thankful for a lesson in prayer and faith. While not every prayer is answered in the way we hope, prayers are always heard, and always answered.
(2) I'm thankful the diamond was found, and we won't need to spend money to replace it.
(3) I'm thankful that I'll be able to resize the ring when we get it repaired. I was able, with some effort, to get the ring off, but I'm pretty sure that after a week of not wearing it, I shouldn't still have an impression on my finger where it was. Perhaps losing the diamond prevented a future loss (of a finger!)
Monday night, as we were rejoicing in the found diamond, I got a phone call informing me that a friend from church was in the hospital, and it looked like she had had a stroke. Fortunately, she was able to be discharged from the hospital after a few days, and is on the road to recovery.
(4) I'm thankful for the power of prayer.
(5) I'm thankful for the reminder of how precious each individual is, and how important it is to take time for relationships.
This week was the first week back from our long western-states driving extravaganza, so this was the week to "recover" from vacation. The proverbial, "When it rains, it pours," applied, though (except for in the literal sense--I would have welcomed some of that kind of rain!) I found that there were several opportunities to put aside some of my own plans, and to do something better.
(6) I'm thankful for the reminder that happiness comes from helping others.
(7) I'm thankful that taking time daily to read scriptures and pray helps keep balance in my life. It seems that whenever I take time for those two things, the hours in my day stretch to meet the demands on my time.
Today, John and I ran the Disneyland 10 K. Due to a schedule change in our plans, I went down to Anaheim by myself on Thursday, and John and youngest daughter drove down together on Friday.
(8) I'm thankful I had some time by myself to catch up on blogging a bit. I had fallen behind in reading blogs, as well as in writing. I'll never get completely caught up, but it was nice to spend some time reading and writing.
(9) I'm thankful for exercise. I've been thinking more lately about just what a gift bodies are, and how I should do a better job taking care of my physical self. I know that I feel better when I eat healthy foods, and regularly run. I have room to improve in both areas.
(10) I'm thankful for John--the Carl to my Ellie. We had a great time on our Disney run adventure this morning, and I couldn't ask for a better running partner, friend, and husband!
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| Photo: John and I, dressed as Carl and Ellie from the movie, UP, after completing a 10 K race at Disneyland |
What are you thankful for this week? (Another thing--I didn't list it, but I am thankful for it--is that guide dog puppy Willow is now in phase 5 of formal training! I won't breathe easy until she graduates, but I'm thankful for each step of progress.)
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You two are a perfect Carl and Ellie! Thanks for reminding me to stay on track...although you dont realize you do! ...but you do!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear I help, even unknowingly! :-)
DeleteI'm so happy for you that the diamond from your ring was found! Even the largest diamond is still quite small and could have been so easily lost forever.
ReplyDeleteYour comment on the mark left by your ring reminds me of the time after my divorce. The only ring I have ever really worn was my wedding ring, and it left a noticeable mark for a very long time after I removed it. Even after so many years as a single-divorced woman, I still believe in marriage and that marriage is a serious business, so I think it's very fitting that removing a symbol of marriage isn't as simple as taking a ring off.
I love that line: ". . . removing a symbol of marriage isn't as simple as taking a ring off." I agree that marriage is serious business.
DeleteLove those outfits! I might just start referring to you as Ellie. Not really, but you sure look cute in that attire. What a week. I'm sorry about your friend, but glad she was able to return home. Maybe this coming week will be calmer.:-)
ReplyDeleteI don't know about calmer, but I'll take one without medical emergencies. :-)
DeleteGlad you found your diamond!! I thought that I had lost my engagement ring a few years back...I found in a shoe a few days later. Awesome on the 10K!! Cute outfits!! Who are Carl and Ellie? A band? LOL.
ReplyDeleteCarl and Ellie are from the Pixar animated film, UP. It's a great movie--just have the kleenex handy at the beginning!
Deletecongrats on the 10k Race! what, that's like… (divide the 4…subtract the), 6.21371 miles! yow! very cool (and and!!! with costumes on)
ReplyDeletegood that what was lost was found. (I like what you said about prayers being answered. Though within a different context, I believe that the beginnings and the building of faith very much involves a conscious effort to practice it. Those who say, 'looking back, that would have happened anyway' (or worse), 'well, that was just a coincidence' are missing a great deal (imo)
The costumes were comfortable to run in; the hats were made of craft foam and so were very light.
DeleteI agree with your thoughts on faith. The Book of Mormon has a chapter that compares faith to a seed. I won't quote the entire chapter here, but one verse says: "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."
Just as an exercise of thankfulness begets more thankfulness, an exercise of faith begets more faith.
Congrats on your race and experience at Disneyland. It must be so nice to live so close by. As far as catching up on blogging and reading and commenting - is it possible to ever? I remember that feeling of looking down at my finger and the diamond was missing. I felt sick. I had taken my class to the lavatory and searched the floor in there, the hallway back to the classroom. I found it on the floor of the classroom. Whew!!! What gratitude prayer, I said. I'm glad you found yours!
ReplyDeleteProximity to Disneyland is definitely an advantage of living here.
DeleteNo, I don't think it's possible to completely catch up on blogging and reading and commenting!
Oh, I'm so glad you found your diamond! It's such an awful feeling to discover it missing, and such a happy feeling to find it again.
Prayers, big and small, are powerful. Ii'm thankful we have a loving and merciful God that hears them all.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the 10K and for finding the diamond.
I agree with you. There is a real power that comes with prayer.
DeleteLove the picture. So glad you found your ring. Will be praying for your friend. Have a great week ahead.
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you! I know she will appreciate prayers.
DeleteCute costumes:) You must have been so excited, relieved and thankful to find your diamond!! YAY
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yes, what a sense of joy, relief, and gratitude when the diamond was found!
DeleteThose aviator hats make me giggle every time I see them! So happy you found the diamond! And also thrilled that Willow is progressing so well.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should look for the pattern on pinterest and you could make your own! Or better yet, you could do an airplane unit at preschool and provide hats for all of the kids! ;-)
DeleteWhat a relief that you found your precious diamond.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a relief! Now the ring is in the shop getting fixed.
DeleteReading this made me feel prayers do get answered sooner or later. Glad u found ur diamond and happy to know U had a good week :)
ReplyDeleteThey definitely do get answered, but not always as we hope.
DeleteAnother blog, another failed comment attempt today...what is WITH the Internet hating me???
ReplyDeleteYou and John are too cute - love the pic (always).
Prayers truly do get answered - even if not in the manner or time frame that we might like.
Glad you found your diamond. Easy to say things don't matter, but truth is that some things do, for various reasons. I'd certainly be glad to find a missing diamond from my wedding rings.
Looking forward to more good Gravity Challenge posts!
I've had days like that, when my comments disappear (or appear in duplicate or more!)
DeleteThe ring is in the shop now, and I'm looking forward to having it repaired.
The two of you look way too...upright after running a 10K. If it were me, especially with a "helmet" on my head, I would be sopping wet with sweat, my face would be splotchy, and I'd be bent in half trying to breathe. Ya'll look great!
ReplyDeleteI am sosososososo glad you found your diamond. I was just sick for you!
Hahaha. I read, "uptight" instead of "upright." :-) You have to remember our running pace is not the fastest. We were sopping wet! However, thanks for the compliment!
DeleteI was happy to find the diamond, too! It's in the repair shop now. I can't wait to get it back; my hand has felt naked the past couple of weeks!
I once threw out my retainer on a mission trip, and our leader suggested we pray before we started hunting through the trash. It was in the first dirty napkin I picked up! Not the same as a diamond, of course, but...
ReplyDeleteBut still! What a wonderful prayer to have answered in that manner! I bet the leader was happy to not have to wade through garbage. :-)
DeleteI am behind, too but I thought of you lining up at Disneyland the other day!
ReplyDeleteThanks--we were there!
DeleteI always enjoy reading TT of T posts, even though I may not always respond. Prayer has always been a major part of my life, but even more so over the last couple of years. As we face some of life's challenges of getting older, so have many of our friends and family members. Some prayers have been answered with the prayed for results, while others, God has chosen a different route than we wanted. Still, I pray.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you found your diamond, and can now get your ring resized to fit better.
My hubby and I started a "getting healthy routine" about a year and a half ago, which included going to the gym several times a week and trying to eat healthier.....guess you can teach old dogs new tricks! As our summer heat kicked in, we had started going 5 days a week (we were walking our neighborhood 2 days each week until it got too hot), and we were making a concerted effort to be as healthy as possible. I'm so thankful that I've entered this "cancer-challenge" & the chemo infusions with a healthy body. Even though I can no longer go to the gym more than a couple of times a week, I still have that strong desire to be as active as my body will allow. So I say, good for you and your husband for doing healthy things for your bodies, and enjoying doing those things together. Super-cute photo BTW, and definitely one for the scrapbook!
I think that there is power in prayer, even when prayers are not answered in the way we desire. Prayer brings a calming influence, a peace that "surpasses understanding."
DeleteThe ring is in the shop now, and should be ready in the next day or two. :-)
I'm sure that being healthy before starting chemo was/is a great blessing! Hope that you feel strong and healthy as you fight the cancer.