Small and Wonderful Things . . .

 

 

"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny?...It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. what you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard

A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best.  

 

The other day Jake fell off his bike and broke off one of his front top teeth. Thankfully his mum was able to get him to the Dentist right away and have it fixed! Whew!  The same thing happened to our Bruce when he was about 8 years old, except it was both of his front top teeth and they broke off at the gum line. Sheered right off. What followed was years of pain and work until they were finally fixed.  Boys and bicycles  . . .  boys and bicycles  . . . 

A fun Easter was had by all. This looks like quite the fun game they are playing. I think its called Exploding Kittens and Barking Dogs or something like that. In any case they look happy and that makes me happy.  Love my grandchildren.

I also got to facetime with Anthony and his wife and boys, Gabe and Luke yesterday.  They have all had the Covid. I don't know how many times, more than once I think.  Darn virus.  I wish it would just all go away.  Who would think we would still be having to live with it two plus years later.  At least they are all surviving and that is a great blessing.

Prince of Peace by Liz Lemon Swindle

We had a beautiful church service yesterday.  There were two narrators and they took us through the whole Easter story.  The Branch Choir sang a beautiful arrangement and Elder Child did a beautiful solo of the 23rd Psalm. (He used to sing in the Tabernacle choir before he and his wife came on their mission.)  Some young people in our Branch have a brass quartet and they place some beautiful music and another young person played her flute.  All in all it was a most beautiful way to celebrate the great blessings of Easter and we got to partake of the sacrament as well and renew our covenants.  

It was a beautiful Easter. No chocolate, but it was steeped in the true meaning of this most blessed of days. 

This year I have been focused on finding the miracle in every day I have been given. Its not always easy but they are there.  My prayers have become more meaningful and I feel my relationship with God has become a close one.  That is the miracle of all that has happened to me over these past few years.  He meets us in our wildernesses and leads us to safety if we allow Him to enter in.  I know this to be true. 

 

This is so true and a lesson we can all learn. So is 1 + 8, 7 +2, 5 +4, etc.  So many ways of looking at and doing things.  The important thing is that the answer is the right one, not so much the way we come about it.  Respect for others, always a good thing.

 

Its not always easy to do, but learning to ignore the negative is life altering. I am learning to let go of the things which weigh me down. It takes daily effort and lots of prayer, but its coming.  I have had a lot to let go of, but it can be done.  Each day brings more peace.

This is an important lesson to learn.  All too often we let our pasts define us, but they should not define us.  Take the lesson.  Apply it to your life. Move on and do better.  We cannot change the past, but we can learn to rise above it.

There is nobody who will live a perfect life devoid of mistakes and heartache.  Sometimes we will cause heartache for others, sometimes they will cause heartache for us, but we don't have to live our mistakes and heartaches forever, nor should we accept that that is all or who we are.  Our mistakes do not define us.  Each day is an opportunity to begin again. A gift.

The joy that these two have brought into my life is immeasurable.  They are the best decision I have ever made and they bring light into my life daily. I would not be without them now, and cannot imagine a life without them in it. I love them very much.

I am very much looking forward to having Cindy, Dan and Dad over for our Easter dinner today.  Family times are the best of times.  I missed out on 20+ years of that. I am making up for it now, and so grateful to be able to do so.

And with that I will leave you with a thought for today  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.“What you are is God’s gift to you, 

what you become is your gift to God.”

~ Hans Urs von Balthasar•。★★ 。* 。 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Loaded Cauliflower & Chicken Casserole. Low carb, diabetic friendly. Delicious. What more could you want.  Oh yes, also a small batch recipe. 

Have a beautiful day. I hope your week ahead is filled with abundance.  Don't forget! 

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And I do too!