Abundant Life

Our ward is going to be participating in the Pursuit of Excellence program for 2010. It was created by the Church back in 1975, and it can be purchased here for 50 cents. This is the best 50 cents' worth I've seen!

Basically, you set a series of goals in the categories of spiritual, physical, intellectual, service, and character. Then you work towards achieving those goals (by following a carefully-developed plan and/or having conversations with Priesthood leaders or Visiting Teachers). The ultimate goal is to help participants develop a Christ-like life of love and service. I'm so excited to set my goals this week.

The first two pages of the booklet give an introduction of the program. Here are some snippets:

"Nothing is more invigorating than working hard to fulfill a noble and worthwhile purpose...to gain and strengthen a personal conviction of the reality of God the Father, his Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost; to live with compassion and integrity with our fellowmen; to be honest in every relationship; to learn new skills; to stretch our minds; to read the inspired words of men touched with the Spirit of God; to search for good and uplifting thoughts and deeds of mankind; and to realize the importance of a physical body and the necessity of giving it proper care."

"To the person who becomes absorbed in achieving eternal goals, life becomes more abundant."

"Every noble impulse, every unselfish expression of love, every brave suffering for the right; every surrender of self to something higher than self; every loyalty to an ideal; every unselfish devotion to principle...every act of self-control...that is spirituality."

"Spirituality, our true aim, is the consciousness of victory over self, and of communion with the Infinite." (These last two quotations are from David O. McKay)

Several key scriptures are also featured in this introduction:

D&C 130:18-19--the level of intelligence we attain in this life will rise with us in the resurrection.

D&C 88:67--eye single to the glory of God

Mosiah 4:27--do not run faster than you have strength

D&C 128:21--line upon line, precept upon precept

I also studied the Topical Guide scripture list for "Abundant Life," and I felt so much love from the Lord as I did so.

In John 10:10, it reads, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and destroy: I a come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

The Lord wants us to have full, happy lives. He wants us to be smart, to be well-compensated for our work, to have everything we need, and to use those blessings in service. As we believe in Him, keep the commandments, and continually strive to improve through the power of His grace, we will have truly abundant lives.

Alma 37:37 is another beautiful scripture that directs us to counsel with the Lord in all our doings, and He will direct us for good. We need to pray each morning and night for His guidance, and He will always give it to us.

Eric spoke in Sacrament Meeting yesterday about this Pursuit of Excellence program and about creating an Abundant Life (he's the one that challenged all of us to study the TG topic...thanks, honey!).

In his talk, he shared many inspiring thoughts and quotations. A favorite is from one of President Gordon B. Hinckley's final addresses at General Conference. He challenged us to "be a little better...stand a little taller." I am not going to reach all of my goals at once, and I'll never do everything perfectly, but I CAN do a little better each day.

Yesterday I decided not to eat all the junk food that was spread before me at our family party. This morning, I decided to get up and study the scriptures instead of going back to bed like I wanted to :). These are just little things, but over the course of my lifetime, these little decisions will add up.

I want to live abundantly--not because I want a lot of "stuff," but because I want life to be exciting. I want to be full of energy and enthusiasm and goals and the desire to love and serve the Lord and His children. I want to wake up excited to meet each day and feel satisfied with my efforts as I get tucked into bed each night. What an exciting life this is!

The Lord is Involved in Our LIves

This morning as I was studying 2 Nephi 28, I was impressed with that simple idea.

In John Hilton's book Please Pass the Scriptures, he mentions a way to study the scriptures that involves highlighting words that stand out to you--regardless of the punctuation, words in between those words, etc. Basically, you read the written words with the purpose of marking those words the Lord wants you to pay attention to at that moment. That was a new concept to me, but as I've done that, I've felt such a sweetness from the Lord each day.

Today I was reading verse 1 of chapter 28, and these words stood out: "...the Spirit hath constrained me; wherefore, I know that they must surely come to pass." This reminded me of times in my life when I have felt distinct impressions from the Lord concerning what I am capable of doing/becoming; however, when "life" happens, and when the adversary tries to discourage me, it's hard to understand how the Lord is ever going to make something out of all my weaknesses.

Then I looked down in verse 3 and highlighted, "I am the Lord's." As long as I see myself as His, and as long as we all see ourselves as His, we will know that OF COURSE He will make something out of us.

In verse 6, I emphasized on the words that teach truth: "there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord...believe it...he is...a God of miracles; he work[s]."

I once listened to a seminar by Sister Wendy Watson Nelson in which she challenged us to think about our beliefs and ask ourselves the right questions. One question I want to ask based on this scripture is, "If we were to believe the Lord is intimately involved in our lives, what would we change?"

I know I wouldn't doubt anymore.

I would turn to Him every single time I felt stressed instead of getting frustrated.

I would move forward with more confidence.

I would do everything I could to help others understand His love, too.

These are the ideas I am going to think about today as I tackle the busy things ahead of me. I feel like there are a million things I need to get done today, and I wonder if all this running around is going to get me where I most need to be. I need to trust that the Lord is involved. He will help me know what to do with my time and energy.

I love Him so much.

Doctrine and Covenants Section 8

This section is one of my favorites--mainly because I need it all the time.

Verse 1 tells us that "assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive..."

This promise means a lot to me because there is SO MUCH I don't know. I am grasping at straws some days--trying to figure out how to be a better person or trying to communicate better with my spouse and children.

Will the Lord REALLY help me receive the knowledge I need? This section teaches us that the answer is yes.

Elder Scott's talk from this past General Conference reminds us that if we were to receive all the knowledge we need simply by asking, we would become weak. We need to struggle to receive revelation. We need to act on one prompting at a time and move forward, doing what the Lord instructs us to do.

Verse 3 teaches that we will be told in our minds and in our hearts that which the Spirit wants to teach us.

It is a gift from the Lord to be able to receive revelation, but as we learn in verse 4, we must "apply unto it." My goal is to seek revelation, to listen to promptings, and to act on those promptings.

Verses 9 and 10 are also so beautiful. They remind us not to doubt, but to trust in the power of God. He WILL give us knowledge.

Lessons from Liberty Jail

I have felt so impressed by Elder Holland's Ensign Article called "Lessons from Liberty Jail."

These past few days have been filled with sickness and suffering for me, and this entire month has been dedicated to recovering from surgery. I am feeling VERY ready to be healthy again, but as I read this talk and then listened to the mp3 from when he gave this talk at a CES Fireside, I realized that the Lord is going to teach me how to draw close to Him during these hard times.

Even though the conditions in Liberty Jail were beyond anything I can imagine, several General Authorities have referred to it as a "prison-temple." Here is what Elder Holland says about that:

"So in what sense could Liberty Jail be called a “temple,” and what does such a title tell us about God’s love and teachings, including where and when that love and those teachings are made manifest? In precisely this sense: that you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced."

I'd like to record a sweet experience that happened Monday, September 21, here in my home that shows how that principle is absolutely true. I was crying in the bathroom because I felt so, so sick, and Spencer didn't know what to think. I said, "Spencer, I am so sick, and I don't know what to do." This little boy, barely two, who barely talks, looked at me with a solemn face and said, "Prayer." So I knelt down on the stairs with him, and I prayed aloud, and he repeated the prayer, and I felt the Lord help me that day to feel better. The Lord is teaching me that my home really is a temple--even when I am sick and frustrated and sitting on top of mountains of work. I'm so grateful for that.

More from Elder Holland: "...everyone, including, and perhaps especially, the righteous, will be called upon to face trying times. When that happens we can sometimes fear that God has abandoned us, and we might be left, at least for a time, to wonder when our troubles will ever end. As individuals, as families, as communities, and as nations, probably everyone has had or will have an occasion to feel as Joseph Smith felt when he cried from the depth and discouragement of his confinement: “O God, where art thou? … How long shall thy hand be stayed … ? Yea, O Lord, how long shall [thy people] suffer … before … thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them?” "

These words really brought me extra comfort. "...it is imperative that we remember He is right there with us—where He has always been! We must continue to believe, continue to have faith, continue to pray and plead with heaven, even if we feel for a time our prayers are not heard and that God has somehow gone away. He is there. Our prayers are heard. And when we weep He and the angels of heaven weep with us."

My daughter Grace really wanted to help me while I was sick. She massaged my legs, vacuumed the downstairs, did the dishes, picked up all the toys, and gave me a bell from her toy restaurant set so I could ring it if I needed her. And she said, "I don't even want you to pay me. I just want a hug." She was so happy to serve me, and it really touched me that she would want to spend her whole afternoon making me happy.

Then yesterday, our Primary President and our other good friend came over and secretly cleaned my whole downstairs while I was taking a nap. I woke up to the smell of pine, and I could hardly believe how good the house looked. It brought tears to my eyes to see how much the Lord blesses us through other people.

The entire article is wonderful, but I'll close here with one more thought: "When what has to be has been and when what lessons to be learned have been learned, it will be for us as it was for the Prophet Joseph. Just at the time he felt most alone and distant from heaven’s ear was the very time he received the wonderful ministration of the Spirit and the glorious answers that came from his Father in Heaven."

I know the Lord is with us when times are hard. I don't like going through these times. I don't like feeling sick, laying in bed all day, and wondering when this will end. However, I have felt the Lord's love so profoundly during these past five weeks. I know He is with us, and I know as we bear things cheerfully and praise God in our afflictions, we will be blessed.

My God Hath Been My Support

I just finished writing a post for The Power of Moms about how I'll always need my mommy. (I'll include that entry at the bottom of this post). It got me thinking about support. I need support from my husband to raise our children and grow into the person I'm meant to be, support from my mother to get me through tough "mommy" times, and support from the Lord to make it through EVERYTHING.

In the Topical Guide uder "Support," there are a few scriptures that really stood out to me. First is Nephi's beautiful exclamation, "My God hath been my support" (2 Nephi 4:20). I can echo that testimony. It is the Lord who has helped me through everything in my entire life, and who has given me the courage to be strong when I want to buckle under pressure.

I also love Mosiah 2:21, where we are reminded that the Lord supports us from one moment to another. He gives us breath, he allows our hearts to beat, and He makes everything we do possible. Even if we serve Him our entire lives, we still are unprofitable servants. Everything we have is His or is because of Him.

Another scripture that stood out to me was Alma 30:60, which reminds us that "the devil will not support his children." He doesn't love us. The adversary wants us to turn away from God, but then he leaves us with nothing. We must never succomb to his lies because what we need is support, and he will never have any support to offer.

I feel so grateful to have a family who supports me. Eric spent the whole day at Big Bear with our children so I could have a quiet house in which to rest and recover. He has vaccumed, cleaned, bathed the children, played games with them, brought me flowers, and made sure that I am okay. I love that man.

My mother is another example of support. She will do anything for me--even stay at the hospital for hours and hours by my side while I sleep. How grateful I am for this beautiful woman in my life.

Here's the post: "I'll Always Need My Mommy."


This past week I finally went in for a surgery that I have been needing (and dreading) for years. My body didn’t respond very well to pregnancy and childbirth, and some varicose veins had made it increasingly difficult to maintain the pace necessary to raise my family. As my health deteriorated to the point that I could barely walk, I knew it was time….

My husband took a couple of days off work to care for our children, clean the house, do the shopping, and balance everything else he needs to do (beautifully, I might say), and my mother came with me to the hospital to check me in to the surgical center, make sure I successfully emerged from the anesthesia, and get me settled into my recovery room. A few hours after the surgery, I sent her home to get some rest—reassuring her that I was totally fine. I was in one of the best hospitals in the nation, I had an excellent doctor, qualified and friendly nurses, and all the books and journals I could fit into my suitcase. I told her I’d call her each day, but I was SURE I wouldn’t need her again.

Unfortunately, my optimism began to wane as quickly as the anesthesia. That entire night I tossed and turned as I pushed my green “medicine light,” fell asleep, and then woke up shortly thereafter to incredible pain. I felt nauseated, strangled by all the cords attached to my body, and frustrated when the nurses (who had nine other patients needing them) didn’t seem too concerned. By 6:45 the next morning, I couldn’t take it any longer. I called my mom and, using fighting back tears, begged her to “Please come and be with me!”

She could sense the urgency in my voice, and as soon as she could make it through the morning traffic, she was right there by my side. For the rest of the day, she stayed in my room, made sure I drank my broth, asked me how I was feeling, and told me I was doing a great job. At one point, she even stood next to me in the hospital rest room and let me sleep on her tummy while I had my sitz bath. I had been crying from all the pain, and the medication made me so drowsy. I didn’t know how I was going to make it through one more minute, but my mom was there to (literally) lean on.

Although I spent most of the day sleeping, it meant the world to me to wake up and see her there every hour or two. I knew that even if the nurses were busy and if my doctor was getting ready for his vacation, at least one person in that big building cared about ME. I took this photo of her with my phone as a way to remember that special time.







As I’ve reflected on this experience, I realized that even though we all grow up and become independent adults, a part of us will always need our mommy. There is no logical reason why my mother needed to be there. I’m 31 years old. I have a house, a mini-van, children, a bunny, a business, a website…I’m responsible. I’m “grown up.” I can be tough, and I can make it through hard situations, and when my mother has not been available, I have made it alone. However, there is a part of me, and there is a part of you, and there is a part in each of our children that will always need Mommy. It is the part that needs some support from a loving parent, the part that wants to be reminded everything will be okay. It is the part that just needs to hear, “There, there.”

My mom is in her seventies, and there will come a day I won’t have her here with me. I know that is coming, and I dread that day like you wouldn’t believe, but it does do some good to remember that I am becoming that source of strength for my children. Someday, I’ll be the one getting that 6:45 a.m. phone call, and if there is any way possible, I will be at their side in a heartbeat. Because I am Mommy. And everybody needs their mommy.

Goal-Setting

I am in the middle of EFY right now, and I was impressed at how the counselors taught the youth to set goals. They emphasize how to make goals specific, measurable, relavant, and focused on others. I am excited to reevaluate my goals, but I wanted to start out by recording what I learn about goals in the scriptures.

The Topical Guide is the first place I studied. If you look under "Objectives," you see other categories such as "Eternal Life, Joy, Motivations, Obedience, Service, Treasure, and Wisdom." That teaches me a few things right there. Our main objectives in this life are to receive eternal life and to have joy now and forever. We need to carefully identify our motivations so we do things for the right reasons and so we do the right things. Each day we make choices that shape our characters, and we need to be motivated by what really matters (not just money, fame, etc.).

Our objectives also need to provide a way for us to serve the Lord and His children. True treasures of wisdom and knowledge will come to us as we study, learn, seek to bless our fellow men and women, and act on impressions that come to us from the Lord.

Here are a few snippets from the scriptures listed under Objectives. "Be ye therefore perfect, seek first the kingdom of God, be worthy, know...the only true God, press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling, have joy, press forward, be diligent, [be a] humble seeker of happiness, conquer the enemy, seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion, seek to obtain my word, seek the riches which it is the will of the Father to give, seek ye earnestly the best gifts, peace, seek me diligently, and ye shall find me, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, gain more knowledge and intelligence."

I LOVE that list! We need to be hard-working, and we need to purify ourselves, live for God, build Zion, study the scriptures, earn our living (but focus on the "riches" that the Lord wants specifically for us), ask for spiritual gifts, come to know the Lord, and increase our knowledge and wisdom as much as possible. This is what I want to think about as I set my goals for the next year.

It's not so important that I look like a fashion model or have a huge mansion with perfect decorations. It doesn't matter if my children are the most accomplished. It only matters that I figure out what the Lord wants for ME, and then that I work hard to accomplish that. He is SO good.

He Never Forgets Us

1 Nephi 21:14-15: "But behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me--but he will show thee that he hath not...For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel."

I read this scripture this morning and it had a new meaning and power to me. First of all, we must remember that the Lord NEVER forgets us. It might seem like He isn't aware of us sometimes when things are hard, but there are countless examples in my own life and in the lives of others where we thought we had been forgotten, and then we realized it was just a blessing the Lord was preparing for us in His own time. So remember, remember. The Lord never forgets His people.

Second, I love that He uses the closest bond imaginable on the earth to compare to His bond with His children. A mother to her nursing child/to the child of her womb. There is no way I could forget I had a nursing baby. The milk leaking everywhere, the love for my baby, my concern for my child...of course I wouldn't forget. And how can I forget that I have four children who need me? I don't forget them. But some mothers with mortal weaknesses do (that's why the Lord included that caveat). He isn't mortal. He is immortal. He has all power, and He will never forget us...ever.

What's His Glory?

I had a talk with my mom the other day about D&C 88:67-68. Those are two of her very favorite verses in the scriptures:

"And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.

"Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will."

The footnotes listed in connection with those scriptures are amazing, but there is one more that my mom shared with me that fits here perfectly: Moses 1:39. "For behold, this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

When I first read these scriptures, I thought having my eye single to the glory of God meant that I would think of Him a lot, focus on Him, live for Him, and not get distracted by the rest of the world.

But if you think about Moses 1:39, you realize that if our eye is single to the glory of God, then we are focused on helping His children to receive immortality and eternal life...which means we are sharing the gospel. The way to receive these blessings of immortality and eternal life is through Jesus Christ, our Savior. It's not just about reading our scriptures, going to church, and thinking about the Lord. It is about really reaching out and bringing His children back to Him.

I love that. I know that one mission of the Church is to proclaim the gospel, and I want to do the very best I can to help with this important work.

Teach Ye Diligently

This is my favorite scripture for today: D&C 88:78 "Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand"

I love to learn. I love to take classes, to read, to think, and to write. Most importantly, I love to learn from God, and I know that He will help me to learn what I really need to know. As I teach, I will be instructed, too. Such a great thought!

Tadpoles

I taught Relief Society today, and I began with a tutorial on the proper care and feeding of tadpoles. Eric had announced I would, since many boys brought tadpoles home from the Father/Son campout.

An interesting fact about tadpoles is that they need a land source--like a rock or a piece of wood. Once their legs grow out, their arms will literally pop out, and then their lungs will be fully developed. If they don't have a land source, they will drown.

Jesus Christ is my land source. I need Him so I can rest and breathe. We all need a land source as we grow and develop.

Improving Ourselves

I loved this quote from Relief Society last week. I believe it's in the Joseph Smith Manual--lesson 30.

"The reflection that everyone is to receive according to his own diligence and perseverance while in the vineyard, ought to inspire everyone who is called to bea minister of these glad tidings, to so improve his talent that he may gain other talents, that when the Master sits down to take account of the conduct of His servants, it may be said, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will now make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord [Matthew 25:21]..."

I want to improve each day, I want to be valiant in serving the Lord, and I want to be as faithful as I can over the few things for which I am responsible.

Cheerfulness

I've been studying cheerfulness a lot lately because I FINALLY feel cheerful after three long months of sickness (colds. lack of sleep, etc.). As I was reading in Doctrine and Covenants 123:17, I was so impressed by these words, "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." Beautiful.

As I read that the other day, I thought, "Well sure, I am cheerful now because I'm not sick. When I don't feel well, I can't possibly be cheerful. I'm sure the Lord understands." But then I did a little more searching. The Topical Guide has two entries for Pessimism and Optimism, but they don't have any scriptures listed there--just other topics to explore. For pessimism, you can study "Despair, Fear, and Doubt." For optimism, you can go to "Hope and Cheerfulness."

It was the scripture in Alma 24:15 that got me. "And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

The people of Alma were not in a good spot, but they were cheerful. Why? Because the Lord strengthened them. He made their burdens so light that they could not even feel them. This gave me a whole new perspective on cheerfulness.

I need to stop murmuring...completely. When days are hard (and they are), then I need to pray to the Lord and ask Him to lift my burdens to the point that I cannot feel them. He promises to do this because He wants His people to know that He visits them in their afflictions. I can be full of doubt and fear, or I can believe and trust God. I know it's a matter of faith. It's a matter of me not whining that Eric is gone all day, not complaining to the children that I'm tired, not thinking frustrated thoughts while I'm making dinner. I can be cheerful, even when it's hard, because I have the support of the Lord.

Faith First

David A. Bednar gave a beautiful talk at BYU Idaho's Education Week back in 2000 called "I Am the Light Which Shineth in the Darkness." One thing that really stuck out to me in this talk was a reference he made to the lighting of the 16 stones the Brother of Jared needed to light their barges.

Elder Bednar asked the question, "Why were the 16 stones touched one by one?" He then went on to explain that it might be possible that the Brother of Jared did not see the finger of the Lord until after the stones were lit. His faith increased as he saw the evidence of the Lord's power, and then the veil was lifted.

I had never thought about it that way before, but it makes sense. As I see the Lord's power working in the lives of my friends, family members, and in my own life, my faith in Him increases. How grateful I am for the increased faith I have developed (of necessity). Sometimes I want to understand the purpose of my challenges right now. Why, why, why? But I need to remember it is an increase in my faith that will one day help me know the "why."

Teach

The thought came to me this morning that if we really want to have an influence in our homes, communities, and the world, we need to be good teachers. The Topical Guide has several subheadings about teaching: Teachable (a must before you can be a teacher), Teacher, Teaching, Teach, Taught, and Teaching with the Spirit.

A few ideas really jumped out at me today.

First, under one of the subheadings were listed the following as other areas to study: "Children, Edification, Education, Motherhood, Instruct" and several others. I love those words, and I love to think about them as I am going through each day with my children.

Mosiah 23:17 says that you receive the authority to teach from God. Before I teach anything, I need to be sure it is consistent with what the Lord would teach if He were here. That way, my teaching can be done with authority, and others will feel the presence of the Spirit.

Matthew 10:19 says that it will be given you what ye shall speak. Inspiration clearly plays a huge part in teaching. Only the Lord knows the specific needs of the person with whom you are speaking, and He can help us to know what to say that will have the greatest impact on that person's life. (Oh, I wish that were easier to do!)

John 14:26 tells us that the Comforter will teach us all things. This is something I need to remember. At times I will feel that I am just not smart enough or energetic enough to accomplish a seemingly-impossible task. And sometimes I don't even ask the Lord for help because I figure He wants me to work it out on my own, or I think it's not that big of a deal in the eternal scheme of things. As I think about it deeply, though, I realize I need to go to Him more, be specific in what I need, and diligently seek His guidance.

Jacob 1:19 "teach them the word of God with all diligence." That shows us where the source of our information needs to be. If all truth is based on the gospel of Jesus Christ, then by truly understanding the Lord's word, we will be prepared to teach truth.

Nothing Else Before My Spouse

I heard this quote in Sacrament meeting (thanks Brother Woodland!), and I knew this was a keeper--it's so relevant!

"The words none else eliminate everyone and everything. The spouse then becomes preeminent in the life of the husband or wife and neither social life no occupational life nor political life nor any other interest nor person nor thing shall ever take precedence over the companion spouse."

(President Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness p.250)


"A husband or wife who places children, friends, careers, hobbies, or Church callings before the marital relationship is in direct violation of the commandment 'none else.' Satan is determined to drive wedges of discord between marriage partners. If he can convince one partner or the other that something else should take precedence over this central relationshipof both time and eternity, he has won a battle in his war against the family and against God's plan. We must therefore take special care to build, nurture, and deepen the marriage relationship." (I'm assuming these are the words of Brother Woodland--he gave me a copy of his talk.)

Sometimes I forget just how important my marriage is. I get caught up with the clutter in the closet and the leaves all over the front yard, and I forget that my time with my husband is the most important. He's so cute. He always wants to sit and hold me, and I'm always saying, "Can we go clean up the kitchen now?" I will try to put nothing else before him...but I still think it's okay for us to clean the kitchen together.